The Great Commission | Matthew Elton

Lessons From Jonah

I was honored to preach this sermon at Living Hope Community Church on June 25, 2023.

The Book of Jonah is located toward the back of the Old Testament, between Obadiah and Micah. That’s a part of the Bible called the Minor Prophets. Jonah is one of these minor prophets. He didn’t really want to be a prophet. But God still used him.

Most Christians are at least somewhat familiar with the story of Jonah. You may even recall the main moral of the story – something about running away from God? But there are actually multiple lessons we can learn from this story that are relevant to us today. It’s a lot more than a Veggie Tales episode.

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.”
Jonah 1:1-2

God is a God of love, mercy, and forgiveness. But he’s also a God of justice, so he hates injustice. He’s a God of peace, so he hates violence. He’s a God of holiness, so he hates evil.

There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil, a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family.
Proverbs 6:16-19

Because he’s a God of love, and because he’s a God of justice, he rescues the oppressed and he brings wrath against the wicked.

When God revealed himself to Moses, this is what God said about himself:

“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
Exodus 34:6-7

God is balanced. He runs to show mercy and love. But there comes a point where wickedness is so egregious, that God must, in his justice, bring judgement upon the wicked – whether that be an individual, or a nation.

God judges nations. Genesis 18:25 calls him “the judge of all the earth.” In the Old Testament, God brought judgement upon Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, Canaan, Edom, Israel, Judah, and Babylon, to name a few.

But God isn’t spiteful or vindictive. Destroying nations isn’t the goal. God wants to forgive. He wants nations to repent of their wickedness, and re-establish justice and peace in the land.

So, usually, God won’t destroy a nation without warning. He provides warning first, and he usually does this through prophets. Throughout the Old Testament, we see God send prophets to speak against wicked nations.

That’s exactly what God is doing here with Jonah. He’s sending the prophet Jonah to speak against Nineveh.

Ninevah is located in modern day Iraq. At the time, it was a great city of the Assyrian Empire.

At the top of this blog post is an artist’s rendering of what Ninevah may have looked like. It was a rapidly growing city, growing in both population and prestige. It would later become the capital of the Assyrian Empire, adorned with this ornate palace and massive stone gates.

At the time, it was a city of 120,000 people. That may not sound like many by today’s standards, but in the ancient world, that was absolutely massive. It meant that Ninevah was one of the largest cities in the world.

God is saying to Jonah: God and speak against this great city!

But Jonah doesn’t want to go.

But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
Jonah 1:3

If you’re wondering where Tarshish is, you’re not alone. Few Israelites would know where it is, as it is far – very far – from Israel.

From his starting point in Joppa, Jonah needed to travel 550 miles northeast to go to Nineveh.

Instead, he set out to travel 2,550 miles to the west.

He set sail for Tarshish, in modern day Spain.

Now, Jonah didn’t know about North and South America, so from his perspective, Spain is literally the end of the world. After that, it’s just ocean.

God called him to go to Ninevah. He went as far he could possibly go, in the opposite direction!

At Living Hope Community Church, we recently just finished a series on outreach, witnessing, sharing the gospel. Perhaps, as we went through that series together, you felt inspired to share your faith with a friend, a coworker, or a stranger.

Has God ever inspired you to speak to someone?

I call this a “go to Ninevah” moment.

As some of you know, I am aspiring to learn Chinese as a second language. So, I went to a language learning meetup group here in Albany. I met a Chinese American guy who is fluent in English, Chinese, and Spanish. He’s a really cool guy, and right off the bat we had a great conversation about Chinese. So, we actually got together to hang out a few times, and he helped me a lot with my Chinese by teaching me idioms and things that they don’t teach you in class, that help you sound really authentic.

We became Facebook friends, and, as some of you know, on Facebook I don’t hide the fact that I’m a Christian. So, he probably knew I was a Christian, and I even sensed that he might be curious about it, but I didn’t say anything.

Then one day we’re sitting in a coffeeshop and he’s telling me about a trip he took to a city in China called Wuhan. Now, this is before the pandemic, so at the time, most Americans had never heard of Wuhan. But I had heard of Wuhan, because when I was learning Chinese in college, I had a pen pal in Wuhan who was herself a Christian, and she came to Christ when Americans who run a coffeeshop in Wuhan shared their faith with her.

Now, my Chinese American friend is telling me about his trip to Wuhan, and about a coffeeshop he went to that’s run by Americans. Now, Wuhan is a city of 12 million people. There are thousands of coffeeshops in Wuhan, and actually a lot of them are run by Americans. So, I don’t think too much of what he’s telling me at first. But then, he tells me that this particular coffeeshop is run by Christians who came to Wuhan hoping to share their faith with the Chinese, but they can’t just start a church or a home fellowship because missionary work is illegal in China. However, through the coffeeshop, they’ve been able to talk to some of their customers about Jesus.

When he tells me this, my jaw drops because I realize he’s talking about the same coffeeshop I know about. That seems pretty astounding because we’re talking about a city of 12 million people on the other side of the world yet somehow we both know about the same coffeeshop.

Also, he’s really interested in this. He’s like, “It’s wild to me that someone would literally move to other side of the world just to talk to somebody about Jesus. Like, they must really believe this stuff.”

This was a “go to Ninevah” moment.

This was perfectly set up for a faith conversation. We both shared a common connection. The topic of Jesus was naturally brought up – it wasn’t forced. And, he expressed interest. Bewilderment, perhaps, but that’s still a form of interest!

Just like God spoke to Jonah “GO TO NINEVAH” it was like God was screaming at me “TALK ABOUT JESUS“!

Just like Jonah sailed to Tarshish, I too took the conversation in a different direction than where God was telling me to take it.

I’m not proud of it. And I regret it. But I’m gonna be honest with you – I totally wimped out.

Can you relate?

See, Jonah gets a bad rap. Of all the prophets, he’s probably the one we make fun of the most.

But I think most of us – if we’re honest with ourselves – have had a Jonah moment.

Why did Jonah set sail to Tarshish?

The Bible doesn’t tell us, but it’s probably the same reason we don’t share our faith with others: fear.

Jonah may have had good reason to be afraid. The Assyrian Empire was a brutal culture. They laid waste to cities, slaughtering or enslaving their populations. Not long after the time of Jonah, the Assyrian Empire invaded Israel, taking ten out of the twelve tribes of Israel into captivity.

Here’s a quote from one of the kings of Assyria on his exploits:

Their men young and old I took prisoners. Of some I cut off their feet and hands; of others I cut off the ears noses and lips; of the young men’s ears I made a heap; of the old men’s heads I made a minaret. I exposed their heads as a trophy in front of their city. The male children and the female children I burned in flames; the city I destroyed, and consumed with fire.
Ashurnasirpal II

Now, we don’t know if Assyria in Jonah’s day was as violent as the Assyria that laid waste to Israel. But, if the Assyria of later generations is any indication, Jonah had good reason to be afraid.

This was an empire hostile to Israel. And Jonah, an Israelite, is going to show up and proclaim a message of doom? How do you think that’s going to be received? Probably not well. Jonah’s life could be in danger.

It’s completely understandable why he’d be afraid. Even though he’s being sent by the God of angel armies, who will be with him every step of the way. So, he should have faith and confidence in that. But, he gives into fear. And he sails to Tarshish.

The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Then the sailors were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. The captain came and said to him, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up; call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.”
Jonah 1:4-6

The sailors said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” “I am a Hebrew,” he replied. “I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them so.
Jonah 1:7-10

Talk about an effective witness! Jonah shared his faith with these sailors, and they immediately believe!

He said: “I worship Yahweh, the God of heaven, who made the sea of the dry land.”

So let me get this straight: he’s the God of heaven, the sea, and the dry land?

That’s wild. In the ancient world, you had a god for each individual thing. So, you’d have a god of the sea, like Poseidon in the Greek tradition. Then you’d have a different god for the dry land.

But Jonah’s like, “No, my God is just the God of everything. Also, he made everything.”

So these sailors are just absolutely astounded by how powerful Jonah’s God is. And they’re like, “Let me get this straight… you thought you could run away from that God?”

You can’t run away from that God!

Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. Then they cried out to the LORD, “Please, O LORD, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.” So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.

Jonah 1:11-17

What I think is so funny about this story, is that Jonah is so wildly successful as a prophet and as a missionary, even though he’s trying so hard not to be. He’s literally running away from God, trying not to be God’s messenger, and he ends up converting a bunch of people to faith in the one true God, basically by accident. Amazing.

He tried to run from God, but God wouldn’t let him run. And he gets swallowed by a big fish.

But God is faithful. He saves Jonah’s life. Jonah gets spit out, and ends up on the shore. God gives him a second chance.

Now, in chapter 2 there’s an awesome prayer that Jonah prayed while he was in the big fish. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to read it, but I highly recommend that you bookmark this page and read it during the week. It’s really awesome.

But for now, turn to Jonah chapter 2 verse 10.

Then the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out onto the dry land.
Jonah 2:10

And now Jonah has learned his lesson. He obeys God. He goes to Ninevah.

So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
Jonah 3:3-4

Ninevah was surrounded by a wall 33 feet high and 49 feet thick, which stone towers spaced every 59 feet.

This is probably the gate that Jonah walked through when he entered Ninevah. It was reconstructed based on an archaeological excavation of the original Assyrian wall. This gate was a major historical landmark and cultural artifact. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by ISIS in 2016 and no longer stands.

Imagine what Jonah felt when he passed through this absolutely massive stone gate representing the overwhelming power and might of Assyria.

He probably felt some fear!

But, he’s learned his lesson. He’s not gonna run away this time. He’s trusting in God. Yahweh is his confidence.

So he goes throughout the city and proclaims the message: “FORTY DAYS AND NINEVAH WILL BE OVERTHROWN!”

Normally, prophets are sent to the king. But in this case, God sent Jonah to just preach to ordinary people. So he’s just out on the street, proclaiming the message.

It was probably awkward!

He was probably afraid of how people would react!

How would people respond to this message?

Why would they listen to Jonah?

He’s just some random guy from a foreign country!

How would you respond if you were walking through the city of our local city of Albany, NY and you saw a random guy with a thick accent yelling: “FORTY DAYS AND ALBANY WILL BE OVERTHROWN!”

Would you believe him?

Probably not.

But guess what?

And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Humans and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.”
Jonah 3:5-10

It’s absolutely wild that the people of Ninevah repented when they heard Jonah’s message! It’s completely not what you’d expect to happen! It’s as crazy as seeing a cow in sackcloth!!

The people repented! They believed in Yahweh and cried out to him for mercy!

It’s nothing short of a miracle.

At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it,but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it.
Jeremiah 18:7-8

God is a God of second chances. He’s not a bully out to get you. He loves to forgive. He loves to give another chance. All you need to do is turn to him. Turn from evil, and turn to him.

This next verse was written about Israel, but I think the story of Jonah proves that the same principle applies to all people who put their trust in God:

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14

That’s exactly what happened.

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it.
Jonah 3:10

It’s a miracle.

While this is going on, Jonah is sitting outside the city, and he can’t wait for the city to be destroyed. Don’t forget, Ninevah is part of the Assyrian Empire. The Ninevites are enemies of Israel. Jonah hates the Ninevites!

He can’t wait for fire to fall down from heaven and destroy the city.

Get out the marshmallows! We’re having a fire tonight!

But to his great shock and disappointment – the city is NOT destroyed!

But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning, for I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” Then the LORD said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left and also many animals?”
Jonah 4:1-11

Here is Ninevah, a city the size of Albany, NY.

God is saying: “Dude, are you kidding me? you care more about a plant, than all the people in this city?”

120,000 people, not to mention all the cows walking around in sackcloth!

Jonah’s heart wasn’t God’s heart.

Jonah wanted Ninevah to be destroyed. But God’s heart was that the Ninevites – even though they were some of the most wicked people in the world – God’s heart was that they would repent and be saved.

“For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone,” says the Lord GOD. “Turn, then, and live.”
Ezekiel 18:32

God has a heart of compassion for the lost. Do we have that same heart?

Do we have compassion for the even the worst, most despicable people?

Or do we have grudges against them? Disgust? Bitterness? Unforgiveness?

Do we celebrate with heaven when a sinner repents?

Or do we respond with cynicism?

“I see so-and-so is back in church today. We’ll see how long that lasts.”

“So-and-so says he’s a Christian now. What a joke.”

Are these godly attitudes?

Are there people in your life who you don’t share your faith with, because, I mean, what’s the point?

When it comes to some people, you just know, they’re not gonna want to hear about Jesus. Don’t waste your time.

That’s prejudice. The reality is, you don’t know their hearts. God does.

The Book of Jonah really challenges us here to not allow your prejudices to get in the way of the gospel.

We see over and over again in the Book of Jonah, and indeed throughout the whole Bible, that the truth can set even the most unlikely person free.

The sailors on Jonah’s ship were pagans worshipping Poseidon, literally the last people you’d expect to make a sacrifice to the one true God. Yet when Jonah told them about Yahweh, they believed.

The people of Ninevah were so wicked that God had proclaimed his judgement against them and threatened to destroy their city. Literally the last people in the world you would expect to repent and believe in the one true God. But when they heard Jonah’s message, they repented.

You can’t write people off. No one is too far gone. No one is too lost that they can’t be reached.

Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

He didn’t come to pat the righteous on the back and tell them what a great job they’re doing.

He came to eat dinner with sinners and corrupt tax collectors.

He came to give forgiveness and undeserved mercy and grace to prostitutes and robbers.

He came to pursue murderous men like Saul of Tarsus and say to them, “I’m giving you another chance. I want you in my kingdom.”

That’s God’s heart.

The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9

Not wanting any to perish.

That’s God’s heart.

Is that your heart?

Jonah gets a bad rap – lots of people make fun of him, even call him a “failed prophet” because he ran from God, and when he finally obeyed God, he did it with the wrong heart.

But Jonah was just a human, no different than you or me. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we often have the same struggles Jonah had.

So the book of Jonah should be a wakeup call.

Let’s learn from Jonah, and not make the same mistakes.

When God calls you to do something, do it. Where is your Ninevah? It’s time to go there. You can pray about it and seek wise counsel, but don’t let anyone talk you out of doing something God called you to do. And don’t let fear stop you.

Respond to difficult people with compassion. Don’t hope that they “get what they deserve.” Hope that they repent and change and grow. Look for the best in people.

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July 18, 2023

The Command to Baptize

Baptism is more than just a tradition or ritual. It is part of the Great Commission, the last command that Jesus gave before ascending into heaven.

Matthew 28:18-20: Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

What is Baptism?

Baptism is a sacrament, meaning a physical manifestation of a spiritual truth. The other sacrament commanded in scripture is communion. Understanding communion is helpful for understanding how baptism works. Without faith, communion is nothing more than bread and wine. But with faith, communion becomes a profound reflection upon the sufferings of Jesus Christ. The spiritual truth that Jesus died on the cross for our sins really hits home when it is manifested in the physical realm through the bread and the wine which represent his physical body and blood. The physical nature of communion makes the spiritual truth come alive.

Similarly, baptism without faith is nothing more than a quick bath. But with faith, baptism is a profound experience of being born again. Just as Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, so baptism symbolizes our own death, burial, and resurrection. The believer is submerged in water, symbolizing the death and burial of the old carnal self and its sinful nature. The believer is then raised out of the water, symbolizing new life in Christ.

Romans 6:4: For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

2 Corinthians 5:17: This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Baptism is a commitment. It is usually done when a person first becomes a believer and is willing to make a commitment to follow Jesus as Lord. Through baptism, the new believer is essentially saying, “I am making a commitment to follow Christ. I am confessing my faith in Jesus in the presence of witnesses. I am repenting of my sins by putting to death my old sinful nature, and being being raised up to newness of life in Christ.” Baptism should be performed in the presence of witnesses who can hold the new believer accountable to the faith.

Because baptism is a commitment, only an adult can make the decision to be baptized. So-called “infant baptism” does not count as real baptism because an infant is too young to understand the significance of baptism and make a true faith commitment. There are no examples of infant baptism in the Bible. Believers must make their own faith commitments, and no one else can make it for them. This is why baptism requires maturity and the presence of witnesses. Baptism should always involve immersion in water. Scripture says that Jesus “came up out of the water” (Matthew 3:16) when he was baptized, proving that he was fully immersed under water. So-called “sprinkling” is a dumbed-down version of baptism that is not biblical.

Where Did Baptism Come From?

John the Baptist is the first person in scripture to baptize. Under divine inspiration from God, John baptized people “for repentance” to prepare the coming of Christ. Although the significance of baptism as a symbol of Christ’s death and resurrection had not yet been revealed, baptism was still a powerful symbol of repentance – a public profession of the decision to put to death one’s sinful ways.

In John 3, John the Baptist is informed that someone else has begun baptizing, and is baptizing even more people than him! This new baptizer, who baptized more people than John, is Jesus of Nazareth.

John 4:2 clarifies that Jesus did not baptize believers personally, but sent his disciples out to baptize on his behalf. Nevertheless, baptism was clearly a major part of Christ’s ministry from its earliest days. When John the Baptist heard that Jesus was baptizing more disciples than he was, he replied, “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” (John 3:30).

Just before his ascension into heaven, Jesus sent his disciples out with the Great Commission, commanding them to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19).

Baptism continued in the early church, with many baptisms recorded in the Book of Acts. At the Day of Pentecost, 3,000 people were baptized!

Acts 2:38-41: Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

In Acts 8, an angel sends Philip into the wilderness to witness to an Ethiopian who is trying to understand the scroll of Isaiah.

Acts 8:35-38: So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

The Apostle Paul was also baptized in Acts 9:18. Previously called Saul, he had been struck blind when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. Then Ananias visited Saul, placed his hands on him, and Saul received his sight. Immediately after receiving his sight, Paul believed and was baptized. In fact, this baptism marked the moment when Saul became Paul – the death of the old man, and the resurrection of the new man in Christ. See Acts 9 for the complete record.

Baptism continues in Acts 10 (three chapters of baptisms in a row!) with the first recorded gentile baptisms:

Acts 10:45-48: The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God. Then Peter asked, “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.

In Acts 16:15, a woman named Lydia was baptized after she responded in faith to Paul’s message. Later in that chapter, Paul and Silas even baptize the jailer who was holding them in prison (Acts 16:33) after sharing the gospel with him in jail!

Even in a jail cell, Paul and Silas did not pass up the opportunity to carry out the Great Commission through teaching and baptizing!

Acts 18:8 records that many of the Corinthians who heard Paul speak were baptized.

Baptism is a biblical tradition that stretches from the first century to the twenty-first century in a single unbroken chain. Throughout all of Christian history, from the earliest days to the present, Christians have always baptized.

Is Baptism Necessary For Salvation?

Is following Jesus necessary for salvation? Consider the words of Jesus in Luke 6:46: “Why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” Jesus commanded baptism, and as we have seen in the Book of Acts, the early church took his command to baptize seriously, baptizing literally thousands of individuals.

Throughout the New Testament, baptism is connected with salvation. In Mark 16:16, Jesus said, “Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.”

1 Peter 3:21 compares baptism to the flood of Noah, claiming that just as the ark saved Noah, so baptism “now saves you”:

1 Peter 3:21: And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

However, these verses must be balanced by the fact that we are saved by grace, through faith, “not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:9). We must remember that baptism is an outward act of an inward faith, and a physical manifestation of a spiritual truth. Without faith, baptism is nothing more than a quick bath, and it won’t save anyone. With faith, one can be saved by grace even without baptism.

Consider, for example, the thief on the cross. He was almost certainly never baptized, yet Jesus said to him, “you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). The saving grace of God extends to all who believe, even if they are not baptized.

Nevertheless, the plan of salvation laid out in scripture is for a person to believe and be baptized. The Lord Jesus Christ clearly commanded this in the Great Commission. Those saved without baptism are the exception, not the rule.

Did the Coming of the Holy Spirit Make Baptism Obsolete?

Just before his ascension, Jesus gave his disciples the Great Commission, in which he commanded them to baptize (Matthew 28:19). Jesus gave this command 50 days before the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost. Why would Jesus command his disciples to baptize if he knew baptism would be obsolete just 50 days later?

Clearly, Jesus intended for baptism to be practiced even after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit – and it was!

As we have seen, many individuals were baptized in the Book of Acts. Baptism was often immediately followed by an individual receiving the Holy Spirit as manifested by speaking in tongues. The two go hand in hand. Baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit are both essential parts of our Christian walk. But one does not replace the other.

I’ve Been a Christian for Years But I’ve Never Been Baptized… Why Be Baptized Now?

Although baptism usually takes place when a new believer first makes a faith commitment, it is never too late to be baptized. The important thing is to be baptized with the right mindset. Do not be baptized if your reason for baptism is guilt that you were never baptized or fear that you won’t be saved without it. Baptism is not meant to be a burden, but a gift!

Consider the Sabbath day. If your only reason for observing the Sabbath day is fear that you won’t be saved if you don’t, or guilt that you failed to observe it in the past, then the Sabbath day becomes a burden. But if you view the Sabbath day as a gift from God, it becomes a great blessing, which is what it was intended to be. It was the legalistic Pharisees who twisted the meaning of the Sabbath in order to oppress people. We must never do that with baptism.

Baptism is not meant to be a burden or something we are forced to do even though we don’t want to. On the contrary, baptism is a gift from God. It’s a holy opportunity to share in the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ, to make a faith commitment in the presence of witnesses, and to be raised to newness of life in Christ.

Baptism is a profound and memorable experience that gives us strength in our Christian walk. Faced with trials and temptations, we can always look back to the moment of our baptism and draw strength from knowing that we have put to death our old, sinful self, and have been raised up with Christ into a new creation.

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October 25, 2014

All Nations

A Witness Unto All Nations

And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

There are about 200 nations in the world today, and there are Christians in every nation. But in Matthew 24:14 Jesus was not talking about today’s political entities, nor was he talking about the kingdoms of his day, most of which no longer exist.

The Greek word for nations in this verse is ethnesin, derived from ethne, which is the root of the English word “ethnic.” This word means more than simply “nations” in the political sense. It refers to ethnic and cultural groups – groups of people who share a distinct ethnicity, language, and/or culture. Anthropologists call these groups “people groups.”

Anthropologists estimate there are 11,000 distinct people groups in the world today. If we define a people group as “reached with the gospel” if only 2% or more of its individuals have heard the gospel message, missionaries estimate that 6,000 different people groups are still unreached.

We don’t know exactly how closely the ethne groups that Jesus spoke of match the people groups defined by modern anthropology. But in light of Matthew 24:14, the fact that the end of the age has not yet come seems to suggest that not every ethne has been reached with the gospel message yet.

No one knows when Jesus will return, but according to Matthew 24:14, he will not return until every ethne – every people group – has been reached with the gospel message. This is not surprising when we consider the character of God, who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23) but “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4). For the sake of those who have not yet heard the gospel, God is holding back the coming wrath for a little while so they will have a chance to hear the gospel and repent before it is too late.

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. (2 Peter 3:9)

It has always been God’s plan to reach every people group in the world with the gospel message, and bring people of every ethnicity, nationality, language, and culture into his Kingdom. This is such an essential part of God’s plan of salvation that the end of the age will not come until every people group has been reached (Matthew 24:14).

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10)

The Great Commission

Jesus commands us to reach every people group in The Great Commission:

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations (ethne) baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)

Why does God want us to reach “all nations” with the gospel message? Because God’s plan for salvation extends to all people of the earth. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ paid the price for all sins of all people for all time, thus tearing down the division between Jew and Gentile. In Christ, all believers form one new humanity, in which all ethnic, class, and gender divisions are eradicated.

He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. (1 John 2:2)

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

This is very unusual for a religious faith. Most religions are proudly rooted in a specific culture – for example, Hinduism is deeply rooted in India and Shintoism in Japan. As a result, these mono-cultural religions rarely gain any ground outside of their native culture. But Christianity is a truly global faith not tied down to any one specific culture or country. There are Christians in the big cities of China who worship quite differently than Christians in a rural African village. Nevertheless, both are Christians by faith in Jesus Christ, both are on equal footing before the Lord, and both will be our brothers and sisters for eternity in the Kingdom of God. Through obedience to the lordship of Jesus Christ, disciples in all parts of the world are carrying out Christ’s redemptive work in the world today.

It has always been God’s plan to redeem not just some cultures but ALL cultures into his Kingdom for his glory. Our Heavenly Father is the God of diversity – proof of this is clearly manifested in the vast diversity of his Creation!

Satan’s Policy of Containment

Each culture in the world faces its own unique challenges for evangelism. We are engaged in a spiritual war, but Christ has already guaranteed us the victory. Regardless of the circumstances, when Christians led by the Holy Spirit step out in faith to do the work Christ has called them to do, there is nothing that can stop them. History attests to the fact that even the worst persecution of Christianity ultimately results in the message spreading further and faster. Satan knows that he is not powerful enough to stop the gospel message from spreading. He can’t stop it from spreading, but he can at least distract us from moving it into new territory.

As long as the gospel message stays within areas already saturated with Christianity, the unreached nations will remain unreached, and the end of the age will not come. Satan knows that once every people group has been reached with the gospel, this present evil age will come to an end, and he will be annihilated at the final judgement. He is fighting this tooth and nail.

I’m certainly not suggesting that it is wrong to share the gospel message with people from our own culture, in our own local communities, in our own people groups. After all, if you don’t reach the people God has placed in your life, who will?

Jesus commands us to preach the gospel to “all nations,” and that includes our own nation. Evangelism must begin wherever we are currently planted. It must begin there, but it must not end there.

Churches should act counter-culturally and cross-culturally to intentionally reach unreached people groups with the gospel message. There are a myriad of ways to go about doing this. But the first step is to recognize that it needs to be done.

What can we do to reach those who have never heard of Christ?

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September 24, 2014

Whosoever

The Bible says “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13) and “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Whosoever means whoever. It means anyone. It means everybody.

Jesus died for the sins of all people, over 7 billion people on the planet, and everyone who has ever and will ever live, past, present, and future. The Bible clearly states:

He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)

Jesus loves all people of the world and is actively drawing all people to himself (John 12:32) in accordance with God’s desire that all people of the world repent of their sins and be saved (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9, Ezekiel 18:32, 33:11).

In light of this, who am I to put limits on “whosoever”? Who am I to put limits on the people who Jesus can and cannot save? Why am I so tempted to think “whosoever… except that guy”?

I think we often put limits on “whosoever” when we share the gospel message with others, or rather, when we choose who we will and will not share the gospel with. I know I am guilty of this. I easily share my faith with people who actively express an interest in it. But it is more difficult to step out in faith to share the gospel with someone who may or may not be interested. But how do we know?

Too often, we judge people based simply on their appearance, race, socioeconomic status, or cultural background. It is human nature to put people into categories. We look at someone who is like us and we think “I can share the gospel with them, they seem like they would be interested,” but then we look at someone who is different from us and we think, “Don’t bother, I know their type, and there’s no way they would be interested in Jesus.”

But the Bible says “whosoever.”

In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus commands his disciples to preach the gospel to “all nations.” We are called to preach to all people, regardless of their background and regardless of what we think of them. We cannot judge whether someone is “worthy” to hear the gospel based on our personal opinion of them – every person in the world is worthy and needs to hear the gospel message, because every person in the world is someone who Jesus Christ loved enough to died for, someone who God desires to reconcile to Himself.

Consider Saul, who dragged Christians from their homes and approved of their execution. He was a persecutor of Christians and a man Christians feared.

He was literally the last person in the world you would want to talk to about Jesus.

And yet, of all the people in the world who God could have chosen, God used Saul (re-named “Paul”) to write a large part of the New Testament. This is radical forgiveness. There is not a single person in the world who is too evil or too deep in sin that they cannot be reached, be redeemed, be forgiven, be reconciled to God, and experience lifechange through an encounter with Jesus Christ.

But as Romans 10:14 says: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

1 Samuel 16:7 says “man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” We simply cannot, by looking at a person’s appearance, know anything about the condition of their heart. Too often, the people we assume would be interested in hearing the gospel are not at all interested, while the people we assume wouldn’t be interested are actually dying to know! We simply cannot know the heart of another person, nor can we know the plans God has for that person. We need to stop pretending we know in advance how people will respond to the gospel. The reality is that God knows, but we don’t know.

Instead of only sharing the gospel message with people who are like us, we need to step out in faith to also reach those who are different – even radically different – from us. Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, making the same forgiveness available to all people, and therefore placing all believers on equal footing before God regardless of their personal history or background. So we cannot allow barriers of race, class, nationality, or culture to hinder the Great Commission. Paul said: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

We also must be careful not to expect the people we share our faith with to adopt our cultural norms. Rather, we must adopt their cultural norms so we can be a more effective witness. Consider these words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:20-23:

And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

Questions I ask myself:

Why do I act like some people aren’t worth sharing my faith with, when the Bible says “whosoever”?
Why do I expect the people I share my faith with to adopt my own cultural norms, when Paul said, “to the Jew I become a Jew”?
Why do I assume the people God places in my life don’t want to hear about my faith, when God has already examined their hearts and placed them in my life for a reason? Do I know better than God the condition of their hearts?
Why am I so quick to judge people based on their appearance? Why do I think, “I know their type, they wouldn’t be interested in Jesus”? Isn’t this assumption really nothing more than an excuse to not share the gospel?

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September 4, 2014

The Command to Go

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Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We often think that the Great Commission is only for missionaries, or people with the right training, or people more educated than us, or really anyone other than ourselves. But the fact is that Jesus commands every disciple to go. In Matthew 10, Jesus sent out his disciples “as sheep among wolves,” commanding them not to bring anything on the journey, not even a walking stick, because God provides for those who go.

Noah obeyed when God called him to build the ark, and God saved him and his family. Abraham left everything to go where God called him, and God made him the father of many nations. The young boy David stepped out in faith against the giant Goliath with nothing but a few stones, and God provided him with a great victory. The Apostles left everything to follow Christ, and God worked miracles through them. The Bible is filled with examples of great believers who went when God called them to go. But for each person who went, there were also many who did not go.

The rich young ruler in Mark 10 did not go when Jesus called him to sell his possessions and give to the poor. He counted the cost of being a disciple, and concluded that the cost was too high. He was a wealthy and educated man, a man of authority, who had knowledge of the scriptures and knew the commandments of God. I wonder who this young man could have become if he had obeyed what Jesus was calling him to do. Perhaps he would have become the next Paul or the next Peter. Instead, he walked away from Christ in order to cling to his possessions, which have long since decayed into dust. He could have become a great leader in the early church. Instead, we don’t even know his name.

Jesus is calling us to go, and through the Holy Spirit he works in our hearts to lead us and guide us to carry out the Great Commission in our lives. But like the rich young ruler, we are often too caught up in the things of this world to hear the call of Jesus in our lives. Or, sometimes we know that Jesus is calling us to minister to that person, or to help this person in need, or repent of a certain sin, or give up a certain possession. But instead of doing these things, we choose to just go about our own business and ignore the call of Christ.

But the truth of the matter is this: When Jesus commands us to go, going is not optional.

150,000 people die every day, and the vast majority of them go to the grave having never known Jesus Christ. Some of them have never even heard his name. Many of these people are the outcasts of society – the poor, the homeless, the orphan, the widow. These are people who Jesus cares deeply about, who he died for, and who he is calling his church to minister to. Yet many of these people die without ever knowing the love of Christ. Many are people in our own communities who could have easily been reached, but we didn’t go.

Why not?

The sad reality is that often, we don’t want to go. We don’t want to preach the gospel, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, or visit those in prison, even though Jesus said in Matthew 25 that whatever we do unto the least of these, we do unto him. Yet we act like it takes too much of our time. We would rather live life our way, make money to spend on ourselves, and pursue the American dream. All the while, we believe we are following Jesus, but we are really acting more like the rich young ruler who walked away from Christ.

What can we do to become more obedient to Christ’s command to “go”?

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August 28, 2014

Within the Hour

Luke 24:13-33a That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him.

He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”

They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”

“What things?” Jesus asked.

“The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.

“Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.”

Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them.Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!

They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem.

The journey to Emmaus in Luke 24 is one of my favorite stories in the gospels. It’s a part of the Easter story that is often overlooked. On the same day that the women discovered the empty tomb, two other disciples of Jesus (one named Cleopas, the text does not tell us the name of the other) were walking seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus. This journey that would have taken them at least 2-3 hours without stopping.

On the road to Emmaus, Jesus appeared and began walking alongside them, but “God kept them from recognizing him.” They talked about everything that had happened in the last 3 days, from the crucifixion of Jesus to the women’s discovery of the empty tomb. These two disciples had not yet seen the risen Lord, and were probably extremely skeptical about the women’s report. Then Jesus “took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

What an awesome Bible study that must have been. Yet still the disciples did not recognize that this was Jesus. When they finally arrived in Emmaus, it was getting late, and they invited him to stay the night with them. As they sat down to eat, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, and gave it to them.

Suddenly their eyes were opened and they recognized that it was Jesus. In that moment he disappeared.

I have always loved the mystery that surrounds this text. But this Sunday our Senior Pastor preached on it from a perspective I hadn’t heard before (see above video). I had always acted as if the story ends in verse 31 when Jesus disappears. But in reality, this was only the beginning. The text goes on to say that “within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem.”

Although I have read this chapter many times, I never took the time to consider what that really means. The disciples had just walked for seven miles. They must have been exhausted. Add to that the fact that it was already getting late when they first arrived at Emmaus – by now it was probably night.

By human reasoning, it makes no sense that the disciples would walk for seven miles all the way back to Jerusalem at night after walking all day to get to Emmaus. It was not only exhausting, but dangerous to travel at night. Yet their hearts burned within them when Jesus explained to them the scriptures. When they realized that Jesus was alive, their passion and excitement was too great to contain. There was no way they could sleep that night. They had to immediately go to Jerusalem and tell the other disciples the news: Jesus Christ has risen from the dead.

God’s timing is perfect, even when it doesn’t make sense by human reasoning. The two disciples walked all night, and arrived in Jerusalem in time to witness the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven (verse 51). Not only that, but Jesus “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (verse 45).

Imagine if these disciples had stayed in Emmaus to rest. If they had delayed their journey to Jerusalem, they may have missed one of the greatest moments in the history of the world.

God’s timing often requires our immediate action.

Acts 16:6-10 Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.

In this passage I’m blown away by two things. First, the direction of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, in guiding Paul and Silas, and giving them specific instructions on where to go. Second, the speed at which they responded to the Spirit’s leading. When Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia, he wasted no time: “we decided to leave for Macedonia at once.”

Put yourself in Paul’s shoes for a moment. Would you leave for Macedonia at once? Or would you question whether the vision was from God, or the pizza you ate last night?

The Holy Spirit gave Paul such incredible clarity of vision that there was no question this was from God. He knew exactly where he needed to go. All that remained was for him to step out in faith and go there. It didn’t matter that Paul had other travel plans. Those plans had to scrapped. God gave him a specific calling for Macedonia.

Consider the way in which Jesus called his first disciples:

Matthew 4:18-22 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

I’m blown away by the simplicity of this passage. Again, try to put yourself in the shoes of Peter and Andrew. You’re out fishing for a living. Would you leave your nets behind and follow a complete stranger for no apparent reason?

Yet there is something powerful about the call of Jesus. Scripture repeatedly tells us that he “spoke with authority” (Luke 4:22, Mark 1:22, Matthew 7:29). As soon as Peter and Andrew received the call of Jesus, they knew what they had to do. From a human perspective, it made absolutely no sense for them to abandon their nets – their only source of income – to follow a complete stranger. But the calling of God is like that. It often does not make perfect sense. It often requires sacrifice and immediate action.

Luke 9:57-62 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”

The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”

But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”

Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”

But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

We often forget that the call of God is time sensitive. These people wanted to wait for a more convenient time to follow Jesus. He rebuked them. His call requires immediate action.

Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

What is God calling you to do? How often do we use excuses like “we need to slow down, don’t want to rush things,” or “God’s timing is not our timing” to avoid stepping out in faith right now? Although they may sound spiritual, these are really just excuses for our own laziness. We don’t want to count the cost, drop the nets, and step out of the boat. We don’t want to change our plans so we can follow God’s plan. Although Jesus has clearly called us in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to “go and make disciples of all the nations,” often times we just don’t want to move. But Jesus says: “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

In the Great Commission we are called to go into the world, to baptize, and to teach. Scripture describes us – the church – as the “body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12). We are “Christ’s ambassadors” and “God is making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). God gives us incredible opportunities to represent Christ in the lives of other people. But these opportunities have expiration dates. If we don’t move when God calls us to move, we can easily lose the opportunity to make a difference.

When we think about “calling” we often think about some massive life-long thing. But I think it’s the small callings in life that we struggle with the most. God lays a particular person on your heart for you to go minister to them, encourage them, speak life into them. How often do you put that off? The Holy Spirit urges us to show a random act of kindness to someone, but we feel awkward about it, so we ignore it and hope the feeling will fade away.

By doing so, we are being like the men in Luke 9 who were unwilling to follow Jesus on his schedule. They would rather go about their own business than the Lord’s business. They weren’t willing to keep up with the pace at which Jesus moves.

I think the main reason we fail to act on the small, daily callings of God is because we accept this one lie from the devil: It won’t really make a difference.

How often do we accept that lie, and use it as an excuse for our inaction? I know God is calling me to encourage and speak life into that person, but “it won’t really make a difference.” I know God is calling me to bless that person with this act of compassion, but “it won’t really make a difference.” I know God is calling me to go introduce myself to that first time guest at church, but “it won’t really make a difference.” I know God is calling me to preach the gospel, but “it won’t really make a difference.” And so we sit on the sidelines and completely miss out on the opportunities Jesus is giving us to represent him in the world.

I love this quote from our Senior Pastor: “I believe that a high five in the name of Jesus is more powerful than you know. I believe that a fist bump in the name of Jesus is more powerful than you know. I believe that a hug in the name of Jesus is more powerful than you know.”

Sometimes it’s the little things God calls us to do that are the most powerful. Sometimes a simple word of compassionate truth changes a person’s entire perspective on life. And if we’re not being obedient in the little things God instructs us to do, why would he entrust us with greater things (Luke 16:10)?

God has a calling on your life. Sometimes we spend so much time trying to figure out exactly what the calling is, that we never take any steps to accomplish anything. Take one step first, then God will reveal more. He doesn’t necessarily reveal everything at once. He reveals his will for our lives piece by piece as we remain obedient to follow it.

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

I used to think this verse meant that God would give me whatever I want. But that made no sense. First of all, God has never given me everything I want (and praise God for that, because many of the things I wanted were not what was best for me). Secondly, what if I desire something that is contrary to God’s will? Will he still give that to me? Why would God give me whatever my heart desires, if, as the Bible says, “the human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9)?

These are tough questions, and for a long time, I never really understood Psalm 37:4. Then one day I read the same words again, yet saw a completely different meaning. It was like scales fell from my eyes so I could see the text clearly for the first time.

God doesn’t give us whatever we desire. God gives us the desires themselves.

As we grow in the process of regeneration/sanctification, the Holy Spirit begins to root out the carnal desires of our sinful nature, and replace them with righteous desires that are pure and holy. God doesn’t call us to do something, and then not equip us for it. He gives us the ability to do it, and he gives us a passion for it.

God has a calling for your life. It’s the intersection of opportunity, skill, and passionate desire. These three things create the sweet spot where God works through you to change the world.

If you’re skilled at something and passionate about it, but God never gives you the opportunity to do it, then you get nowhere.

If you have the opportunity and you’re passionate about it, but God hasn’t given you the skill for it, then you get nowhere.

If you have the opportunity and the skill, but God hasn’t given you a passionate desire to do it, then your heart won’t be in it, and you won’t do it justice. You get nowhere.

Every day my prayer is for God to give me a heart to do his will for my life, to give me the desire to pursue it, to give me the skill to accomplish it, and to give me the opportunity to do it.

Often times, God gives us all of these things in abundance, yet we still don’t move. We count the cost of following Jesus, and the cost seems too great. We don’t want to step out in faith to do something that God is clearly calling us to do, even though it may not make 100% sense from a purely human perspective.

In times like that, I remind myself of the Emmaus story in Luke 24, and how the disciples left for Jerusalem “within the hour.” It didn’t matter that it was dark outside, and they were exhausted. As soon as they recognized Jesus, they moved. As soon as Paul received the vision of the man from Macedonia, he changed all of his plans and he immediately moved. As soon as Jesus called Peter and Andrew, they left everything behind and immediately followed him.

Jesus is moving quickly to change the world, and we need to respond quickly to keep up.

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August 20, 2014

Lessons From Jonah

The Command to Baptize

All Nations

Whosoever

The Command to Go

Within the Hour

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