When Jesus called His disciples, some of them were Galilean fishermen. He promised to make them ‘fishers of men’, sending them out share the good news that the kingdom of God was at hand. When his work was finished, this divine mandate found its final expression in the ‘great commission’. Jesus commanded and empowered his disciples to take the gospel into the whole world, baptizing believers in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of their sins.
This final command was not for them only, but for us as well.
How are doing at that? Are we still teaching and proclaiming the good news? Or have we grown content with the fish that are already in the aquarium? Are we satisfied with our efforts to evangelize or have we given up?
When Jesus said that only a few would be saved he did not intend for that to happen because we had stopped evangelizing.
The Lord’s church must be constant in worship, faithful in edification, generous in benevolence and fervent in evangelism. Turning inward has always been easier than reaching outward. Worshipping God and encouraging fellow Christians is relatively easy. The world somewhat expects us help those who are in need. But what the world objects to and does not want to hear is that it is lost in sin. This is not an easy message for us to teach nor for the unsaved to accept. But it is the truth and our job is to proclaim it. We must alert people to the problem in order for them to accept God’s solution.
When the disciples saw only Samaritans, Jesus saw lost souls. He declared that ‘the fields are white unto harvest and the labourers are few!’ (John 4:35b). The labourers are still few. The question is, are we among them?
The apostle Paul described how evangelism is to be done in 1 Corinthians 3:6 when he wrote: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gives the increase.”
We must plant the seed, which is the Word of God (Luke 8:10) and continue to “water” it by not giving up. Biblical teaching and instruction are never out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). When we persevere, God is faithful to add daily those who are being saved (Acts 2:47). It is not our place to do God’s work and He will not do ours! Let us not confuse our role with his, but be diligent to do that which is in our power to do, which is to teach the Word of God.
Every day we come in contact with a lost soul. Invite that person to worship with you. Take them on a journey into the word of God and explain God’s eternal plan of salvation. You might start slowly with a Bible correspondence course. During Covid, we might point them to the “Key To The Kingdom” program or some other online Christian resource. But let’s decide to do something.
God loved us enough to send the very best that heaven had. Let us be the friend who cares enough to share ‘the very best’. No one is saved by becoming my friend. No one is lost who becomes and remains the friend of God. Each soul needs the salvation that is only found in Jesus. This is why Jesus has sent us to seek the lost and to bring them to Him. This is how God is looking even for those who are not looking for Him.
May we not fail Him, or those who need Him most.
Port Colborne, ON