The end of
2015 was hard for my family. We had to make a difficult decision that impacted
us personally and many people that we knew. But I have always found when I have
to make a decision like that, God is faithful to lead. Even when I don't agree
with what He tells me. He is faithful. Sometimes, I say, "It's too hard
Lord." He is faithful. Sometimes, I ask, "Is there another way?"
And He reminds me, His ways are not my ways, and His thoughts are not my
thoughts.
And here is how God showed confirmation for me. I
had been praying for several months regarding this decision and God had already
directed me to several passages about being alert, about having a discerning
Spirit, about being obedient. And one Scripture that had stood out to me in
those months was Matthew 28:18-20, "Then
Jesus came to them and said, 'All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"
Every time I had heard it recently preached, it was always cut off at therefore go. Which seemed to imply to me that we could choose to fill in the rest. But in that verse, God is very specific in what He tells us to go and do. We are to make DISCIPLES. That's a pretty specific word. It is much more detailed than just making a convert. But then God tells us HOW we are to make those disciples. We are to baptize them and teach them to obey. We sometimes can focus on the baptism and forget the teach them. Discipleship is important. So I struggled. Was this just raising a red flag in my own head? Was I just looking for things to nickpick? Was God continuing His call to me to WAKE UP?
On my birthday, we had decided to visit a new church. Before my feet hit the floor, I grabbed my phone off the night stand and looked at the verse of the day. It was Matthew 28:19. And I smiled to myself, because that same verse that had been nagging at me for months, it was like God was saying, you know the truth inside of you. Here is your confirmation. Then we headed off to the church and the ending Scripture in the sermon was Matthew 28:18-20. And I just smiled again. Because when God sends me the same message twice, it is a reminder to pay attention. Just like when Jesus would start out saying, "verily, verily I say to you..."
God's plan has not changed. We are to win the world to Christ. We are to share the Gospel. We are to make disciples. I am a disciple of Christ because many people invested in me, taught me, walked it out before me.
We look at the craziness in this world and wonder why does God not end it all, why has Christ not returned. 2 Peter 3:9 says, "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." The days are shorter. The time is urgent. The time is now!
We have to share the Gospel. Tell your story. Pray for people. Pray with people. If we are ashamed of the gospel, and we are afraid to share, how will they know? How can they respond to Christ?
In this season of life, God is calling me deeper. He is expecting more from me through the power of His Spirit. Christ said to Peter, "if you love me, you will feed my sheep." My question to myself, "How much do I love Him?"
