Tag Archives: great commission

December 22, 2014 · 7:18 AM

The Angel’s Announcement

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In my front yard I have one Christmas decoration aside from lights on my house. It’s an angel that is lit up. Every time I see it, I hear the words in my head, “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger (Luke 2:10-14 KJV).”

To me, the Angels played an integral role in the birth of Jesus. They got to be the ones who announced His birth. I know there had to be excitement in Heaven that day. As soon as that angel finished the announcement, the Bible says that a multitude of the heavenly hosts joined him praising God. They said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” I wonder what it was like for those shepherds to experience such an announcement. We know that as soon as the Angels left, they went to Bethlehem.

God used Angels that night to announce the birth of His son. The Angels sent people to the manger where they could worship their Savior. Their task must have seemed simple. Go to the hillside where you will find shepherds and tell them to go to Bethlehem. They took what God gave them to do and did it with joy. We don’t know if Angels appeared to others to let them know about the birth of Jesus. We don’t know if others went. What we do know is that this group of Angels made such an impression, the shepherds went immediately to the manger.

Before jesus left this earth, He gave you and I the same task that was given to the Angels. “Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all (Mark 16:16 MSG).” Each of us have this call to announce His birth, death and resurrection wherever we go. Our job is to point people to the place where they can be saved. We celebrate Christmas in memory of the birth of Jesus. Without Him coming into this world, living a sinless life and dying on a cross to pay for our sins, there would be no salvation. Go out today and announce it.

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December 15, 2014 · 7:35 AM

Shepherd Responsibilities

Ever since Cain and Abel, shepherds have had a special place in God’s heart. I don’t know if it’s because they protect and watch the defenseless or if it’s because they’re willing to sacrifice themselves for something that is not their own. Throughout the Bible, God has shown his love for shepherds. He gave one dreams that were fulfilled when he became second in command of Egypt. He used one to lead his people out of captivity. He even turned one into the most famous King of Israel. So it’s no surprise that shepherds were among the first to know about the birth of Jesus.

It was an ordinary night for them during that time of year. The Bible says they were keeping watch of their flocks by night. The only time shepherds stay with sheep at night are during the lambing season (when the flock gives birth). There are only two times a year that sheep can give birth (Spring or Fall). During these few weeks, the shepherds stay with the flock 24/7 so they can help with the birthing process. They make sure there are no complications and they protect the newborn.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that God first gave the news of Jesus’ birth to shepherds. They are the ones who could protect the baby should any problems arise. They were not weak individuals like we see displayed in our nativity scenes. They were strong, rugged people who could defend the sheep against any foe. David said he fought a lion and a bear in order to protect his sheep. If either of those showed up to eat a lamb that didn’t belong to us, most of us would run and let them have the sheep. But not shepherds. They would fight to the end.

Shepherds were also closely knit. They knew where different grazing pastures were. They communicated with each other so that the land could sustain their flocks. What better way to spread the news of the birth of our Savior than through the communication network of shepherds. The news could be spread far and wide quickly. Luke 2:17 says, “After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.” God chose them because they wouldn’t be silent.

Today, you and I are like those shepherds. God has entrusted us with the good news of what Jesus has done. He asked us before He left to go into all the world proclaiming the Gospel. For some of us, that’s a small world of just a few friends. For others, it’s a much larger network of people. There are some who are called to carry the message to places it has not been heard. Wherever you go, however big your network is, our responsibility is to let everyone know what happened when we met our Savior.

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November 4, 2014 · 7:05 AM

Not “It”!

I remember playing chasing games as a kid. To determine who was “it”, we would all say, “Not it,” and the last one to say it was “it”. If we didn’t like the outcome, we’d try it again. “1-2-3- not it!” At the dinner table, the person who had to pray was the last one to the table and had their thumb up with their hand resting on the table. We’d rush to the kitchen to sit down and have our thumb up so we wouldn’t be “it”. So much of our lives we rush and do our best to not be “it”. When something needs to be done, we’d rather that someone else do it rather than us volunteer for it.

In Isaiah 6, he speaks of going to Heaven and seeing The Lord. When he realized what was happening, he panicked. He realized he was unworthy to be there. During his panic, an angel flew to him with a burning coal from the altar and touched his lips. The angel said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and you sins are forgiven.” Just then he heard The Lord ask, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” Instead of saying, “Not it,” or putting his thumb up, Isaiah said, “Here I am. Send me.”

He volunteered for a job that many of us have tried to get out of most of our lives. We use the excuse that we are not qualified to go on His behalf. But all through scripture, God uses the least qualified. He likes to use the least qualified because it makes the outcome that much greater of a testimony to His ability. We also use the excuse of, “I’m not perfect” or “I have too many sins to be used by God.” That’s what was happening to Isaiah when the angel came and removed his sins. God doesn’t need someone perfect to carry out His plan, He needs someone willing.

When you look at the imperfect people that God did the most amazing things through, it shows He can use anyone. Moses had a low self esteem and anger issues, yet he delivered Israel from Egypt. David committed adultery and murder, yet he is the most famous King of Israel and wrote most of Psalms. Peter was impulsive and ran his mouth too much, yet Jesus told him that he would be the cornerstone for the Church. Paul persecuted Christians and killed them, yet God used him to win thousands and to write most of the New Testament. There’s no excuse we can give as to why God can’t use us. It comes down to agreeing to say, “Yes. Here am I.”

You don’t have to be afraid of what God has called you to do. You don’t have to worry about failure. Even if you fail doing what God asks, you are successful in His eyes because you stepped out in faith. Failure is the greatest stepping stone to success and obedience is the greatest stepping stone to miracles. God is looking for the person who relishes being last to get their thumb up and will volunteer to say, “It!” Isaiah did and God used him in a mighty way. Who knows what God can accomplish through all of your imperfections. My guess is it will be nothing short of amazing.

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February 6, 2014 · 7:55 AM

Living A Wrecked Life

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I have the privilege of taking teams on mission trips a couple of times a year. Before I take anyone to Haiti, I give them this warning: Your life will be wrecked. Someone inevitably asks me what that means. I tell them something happens to you when you physically become the hands and feet of Jesus to the least of these. Your life, your mission, your thought process all change when you give what’s in your hand to someone who can never pay you back. There’s a feeling of satisfaction like you’ve never experienced in doing the Father’s will. There’s a joy unspeakable that comes from holding an orphan’s hand knowing you’ve just become their “blanc”.

Things you’ve done your whole life just don’t seem fulfilling anymore. It’s difficult to go back to your day to day life knowing that the things you do there have little to no eternal value. I’d rather be working in the Haitian heat doing something that matters for eternity than to sit in an air conditioned office trying to decide where I’m going to go for lunch. I can’t even wash a bug off my windshield without thinking how the people of Myan have to walk six miles for drinkable water like the water that I’m using on an insect. It’s not easy living a wrecked life, but it’s a fulfilled one.

It’s one where you give all you have for all He wants. When you allow the scales of selfishness to fall off your eyes, you suddenly see this life was never about you. It’s always been about helping others. It’s been about giving what you have. If you look closely at what God does, you’ll see that He gives (see John 3:16). I believe He expects us to do the same. He put in us a feeling of satisfaction that only comes from giving. That’s why Jesus said, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.” When you give yourself, your time, your prayers or your money, you open yourself to being wrecked by God’s blessings.

God has placed in each one of us the desire to live a wrecked life. For some, that only comes from being on the ground in Haiti or some other part of the world being the hands and feet of Jesus. For some, it’s giving so that those who have the need to go can go and fulfill their mission. For others, it’s praying for those who go and give. They fight the unseen battle that rages over the lost person’s soul. Each of us have our lives wrecked when we fulfill our role in fulfilling the Great Commission. When we each do our part, we’ll each hear the Father say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

What’s your part in giving? If you want to have your life wrecked by God, ask Him what role He wants you to play in fulfilling the Great Commission. If it’s to go, organize a mission trip for your church and go. If you’d like to go to Haiti to work with orphans, email missions@coreluv.org. If it’s to give, find someone who is going on a trip and give towards their trip. You can also give monthly support to any full time missionary. They’d appreciate it very much. If it’s to pray, dedicate time each day to pray for those fighting on the front lines. They can feel your prayers and it gives them strength to go on. When you do your part, you give others the ability to do theirs and all of will live wrecked lives like God intended.

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January 16, 2014 · 8:03 AM

A Life Exposed

When I was a kid, there was a boy who lived in my town named David. I didn’t know him, but I knew of him because I had seen him on the news often. They talked about him at my school and we were encouraged to draw pictures and send him letters. David wasn’t like everyone else. He had a disease that gave him a weak immune system. In order to help him survive, they created a sterile chamber for him to live in. Everything that went into the chamber had to go through a seven day sterilization process. He became known as David the Bubble Boy.

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David never got to have skin to skin contact with anyone. His parents and doctors had to wear special gloves to touch him. He never got to experience the feeling of grass under his toes or to feel the wind on his face. His whole life was spent in that sterile environment. It was psychologically difficult for him to be able to see others interact and express love through touch knowing he could not. He struggled with being contained in that environment knowing that there was more to life than being in a bubble.

We have to be careful ourselves that we don’t live in a spiritual bubble trying not to get infected by the world. We were not meant to live our entire lives in the safety and confines of the church. We were called to go into all the world and to preach the Gospel to everyone. We can’t go if we are afraid that we will be exposed to sin and therefor be susceptible to it. Jesus took a lot of hear from the Pharisees because He would go to the homes of sinners and love them. He didn’t care if a person was unclean. He reached out and touched them because that’s what we all need.

The Pharisees had built a spiritual bubble for themselves. They thought it made them holier than anyone. What it did was separate them from their mission. Jesus looked at them and said, “Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” We can separate ourselves from everything evil in this world and look the part of being righteous, but until we get out there and do the will of God, we are doing nothing more than living in a bubble. If we are to follow Christ’s example, we are to get out of those bubbles and minister to those who need it most.

Life in the bubble is nice for a while. There’s no risk, no chance of failure and no fear. The problem is the Gospel doesn’t flourish in a bubble. It only grows when it’s exposed to the outside world and sin. It can only touch the lives of those who touch it. It cannot be contained and therefor neither can you or I. We must break out of our safety bubbles and risk our lives for the Gospel. We are going to run the risk of failure, but we can’t let failure stop us. Every person that rejects the Gospel from you gets you one person closer to one who will accept it. Every life you touch will have a seed planted in it or a seed watered. We have to be about the Father’s business and we can’t do it in a bubble.

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December 26, 2013 · 7:50 AM

One Voice. One Mission.

I’ve been intrigued with the story of the Tower of Babel since I was a kid. If you are unfamiliar with it, after the flood wiped out the entire human race except for Noah and his family, there was one language on earth. As the population grew, they began to separate and move away from each other. One such group moved to the area of Babylon and decided to build a great city and a tower. Genesis 11:4 says, “And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top reaches to the heavens. And let us make a name for ourselves…’” (LEB). God saw what they were doing and confused their languages. They separated into groups again and moved apart.

I’ve always heard this story come at the angle of pride or as the origin of languages. I’d like to take what they did and apply it to what we as the church could do today. In verse 6, God says something powerful that we can build on. He said, “Behold, they are one people with one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. So now nothing that they intend to do will be impossible for them (LEB).” If we, as the Body of Christ, could learn to be one people with one language, there would be nothing impossible for us.

When you look at the task of the Church given to us by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, we are required to go into all of the world to preach the Gospel and make disciples of Christ. God said if we had one language and one mission, that nothing we intend to do would be impossible for us. We have the ability now, more than ever, to fulfill the Great Commission. We have the technology, knowledge and ability like no other time in history to do the impossible. What are we doing with that ability though?

I don’t think God minded that the people were building the Tower of Babel. I think the problem was that they were doing it to make a name for themselves. Some versions say it was to make themselves famous. When we do things in His name for our selves or to make our name famous, it will fail. If we learn to do things for His and to make His name famous, we will succeed. We have to get past trying to grow our churches and denominations for our own glory. We have to move past trying to get switchers from one church to another. We weren’t called to do that. We were called to grow His Church by winning the lost.

If we all focus on winning the lost rather than each other’s members, we’ll see explosive growth in the Kingdom. We can only do that if we have one voice and one mission. We were already given the one mission. Now we just have to learn to speak with one voice and to work together. Nothing will stand in our way or be impossible for us. Our desire should always be to make His name known, not our own. Our goal should be to proclaim His Gospel, not ours. That holds true for you and I on an individual level as well as our churches on a corporate level. What can you do today to make Him known to those around you?

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August 29, 2013 · 7:55 AM

Christianity Is A Verb

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Our Wednesday night small group wrapped up our series on “Unstuck” last night. The video portion that included commentary from several people was challenging. Each person that spoke on that video had a question or comment that got them to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others around them. They also inspired me to do more than I’ve ever done for others, so I want to share with you in hopes of it challenging you as well.

One of the first things Mark Batterson mentioned in this segment is that Christianity was never meant to be a noun. It has always been intended to be a verb. When we allow our Christianity to become a noun, it leaves a bad taste in other people’s mouth. It becomes who we are and not what we do. Jesus said, “Go into all the world. Preach the Gospel to every nation. Make disciples of all men.” Those are all verbs that command us to do something.

There was also a lady on the video who shared her story of how God has used her. She was asked the question, “Who are three people you know who don’t know Jesus and need you to be His hands and feet to?” She couldn’t answer that question. Instead of thinking it didn’t apply to her, she prayed that God would increase her circle of influence. God began opening doors for her to minister to others through washing laundry, helping with résumés and providing necessities for. All because she didn’t think her Christianity should be a noun.

The next part that really spoke to me had to do with stats. Did you know 25,000 people in the world will die today from starvation? Did you know that 5,760 children will become orphans today? Numbers are numbing. They don’t cause action usually. Names are what matters. If you want to see the names and faces of some orphans behind those numbers, click here. I dare you to click that link and move beyond a stat to the face and name of an orphan who needs your help. The real question here is, “Are you ok with this?” Can you live in the house you live in, drive the car you drive, eat at the restaurants you eat at and still be ok with the numbers above? If so, your Christianity is probably a noun.

Mark Batterson said, “When all of the rules and regulations, all of the traditions and institutions, all of the liturgies and methodologies are peeled back, what’s left is the Great Commandment: Love The Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. That is Christianity in its purest form. It’s not enough to love God with 2 or 3 out of the 4 listed. We must find ways to love with all 4. He didn’t give us a choice. He said to do this was the greatest commandment.

Finally, Mark challenged me with this phrase, “On the final day, God isn’t going to say, ‘Well thought, good and faithful servant’ or ‘Well said’. He is going to say, ‘Well done.'” It’s not enough to think of others or to say, “Have a good day; stay warm and eat well” to the cold and hungry according to James 2:16. God is looking for us to stop using Christianity as a noun and to start doing something with it. If your circle of influence of others who need Jesus is too small, I challenge you today to pray what that lady prayed. Ask God today to increase your circle of influence and to give you courage to do something for others because you aren’t ok with where you are.

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June 19, 2013 · 10:10 AM

Get Up and Go

In the NBA Finals game last night, San Antonio was up by 5 points with less than a minute to go. The coach of the Spurs pulled Tim Duncan, the team’s best rebounder, so he could put more speed on the floor. The plan backfired. San Antonio missed two critical rebounds in the remaining seconds that gave the Heat the ability to tie the game sending it into overtime and ultimately win.

Each person on a team has a critical role. Each person in Christianity also plays a critical role. I mentioned yesterday how Peter was the one who got out of the boat, spoke up when a question was asked, chopped an ear off and preached at Pentecost. Jesus chose 12 men who were different because each had a role to play in the kingdom. Some were fishermen, some were tax collectors and he even chose a doctor.

Jesus was able to take those 12 men and turn the world upside down. He was able to spend three years coaching them, training them and teaching them before turning them loose. Not all of them were rock stars out in front of the crowd. Many were role players that fulfilled their calling through their abilities. None were stagnant though. Each of them gave their life for the cause of Christ.

Our churches are filled with people sitting on the bench. They have a great seat to watch what God is doing, but rarely jump in and help. It may be because they feel their abilities aren’t up to par with someone else’s. It may be because they’re not sure what their talents and abilities are. Whatever the case, it’s time we all got off the pew and started fulfilling our roles in His church.

The great commission wasn’t to go to church. It was to go into all the world preaching the Gospel and making disciples. We are to use our relationships, our abilities and our talents to share what God has done for us with the people we meet. It is our responsibility to go. It is our duty as Christians to make disciples so that they can repeat the process with someone else. We were not called to sit and listen. We were called to go and give.

You were created with a purpose. Whether you know that or not, you were. God has a desire and a plan to use you. It may not be on a stage in front of 20,000 people. It may be in a coffee shop in front of one person. Where ever it is and however it is, He is looking for your willingness to be used and to not hold onto the treasure He placed in you. We are to give away the love that He gave us. We are to live a life worthy of the call that He has given us. What will you do today with the love and message He has given you?

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June 10, 2013 · 6:56 AM

Shackled to the Temporary

I had a dream last night that I died. As I was ascending to Heaven, I called out to God, “Wait! I can’t die. I haven’t had the chance to fulfill what you called me to.” God replied, “You had the chance, but you never took it. You focused on the things that didn’t matter and let them keep you from your calling. I had to find someone else.” With that, I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep for a while. My mind was replaying it over and over trying to find another ending.

The only ending God is interested in is me fulfilling what He’s called only me to do. He created me for a specific purpose. He created you for a specific purpose too. Somehow life gets in the way of doing what we were made for. We swap His priorities for earthly priorities. We get ourselves shackled into the things that don’t matter and dream of doing what really does matter.

It’s not a fast transition. It happens over time. “I’ll do what God wants me to do after I…”, we say. What happens is we spend a lifetime doing what we want while always promising to do what God wants next and then wonder where time went. Each time we pass on what God wants, we tighten those shackles a little more. We bind ourselves to the things that have no eternal value whatsoever. We treasure the temporary and dismiss the eternal.

I don’t want to live that way. I Corinthians 3:13 says that when I get to Heaven, God will take all the things I’ve built in my life and put them in fire to see what has value. If I’ve done the things that have eternal value, I’ll receive a reward. If I focused on temporary things, they’ll all be burned and I’ll have nothing to show for my time on earth. I don’t want to be standing there looking at a pile of ashes on that day.

That motivates me to find and seek out the things that will last for eternity. That makes me want to do work for God’s Kingdom. That resets my priorities and refocuses my attention on what truly does matter. Each of us have the opportunity to do what matters for eternity. Each of us are called to “go”. When Jesus left this earth, He didn’t pick out a few of the disciples standing there and tell them to “go into all the world.” He told all of His disciples to go.

Where are you going today? Wherever that is, you have the ability and the opportunity to do something that will survive that fire. You have a choice to make. You can choose to do what matters for eternity or you can choose to do something temporary and tighten those shackles a little more. I choose to do what matters so when the time of my death comes, I won’t be calling out to God to send me back so I can do what He called me to. I want to go knowing that I’ve done what He asked and knowing that I’ll hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

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