Christian Responsibility

Sharing The Good News 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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.(Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus here in Matthew gic=ves a command to all believers, even though He is speaking to His present disciples, we are all His disciples and therefore that command is for us, you and me as well. We are to share the Good News. It is the "Great Commission," actually the greatest of all commands Jesus gave His followers, He said, "go and make disciples of all nations". It has been a privilege to go and share the gospel, bith with people in my own country and oc=verseas in Africa It somehow makes one feel complete, in their walk with God. To intentionally go out to share the good news. It is one thing to live it on a day to day bases, but to have in ones mind when you get up in the morning and say, I am going to go out today and share the good news of Jesus Christ with someone, and stop and pray and ask God to direct you to that person.Stop and think, if you did that every day of the year, at the end of the year you would have wittnesses to 365 people Like it or not, this is what Jesus was asking, for us to go and be obligated to share the hope, love, and salvation found in Christ. And yes, it will become a practice in your every day life. - One: you Live a Christ-Like Life every day of your life. - Two: Your every day actios, often speak louder than your words. We as believers are called to reflect the raise of Christ’s love, compassion, and humility to others in our daily interactions with others. As we live a life of integrity it becomes a powerful witness and it will open many doors for spiritual conversations, if your life is constant, others will begin to wonder what makes you tick. - Three: Using your voice, and sharing the Good News this involves, showing up and opening your mouth allowing the Holy Spirit to fill your mouth with words that will draw others to Him. This means being filled and prepared yourself. If you are,the message of Jesus will be forthcoming from your mouth. It means being prepared, in prayer and in the word of God so when you share its not pretend but real. As you go prepared you will have many oppotunities to share your pestimony and God will show you what experiences to share that will impact the person you are sharing with a personal testimony. Also the truths of the Bible will be protrayed with gentleness and respect, and love where there will be no hint of hate in anything you say. - Fourth: in this you will Love your neighbor as youtself. We must always remeber that the foundation of our faith is this, that a genuine love for others is always present. We as believers are encouraged to meet the physical and emotional needs of people in our world as God directs us, we do this as a demonstration of God's loving and caring character. - Fifth: We can be inviting and supporting others is an effective way to share the Good News, we can do that by inviting friends, family, and coworkers to church, Bible studies, or fellowship gatherings. This is what, our pastor is encouraging us to do all the time. If we are being fed at church, it should be enough for us to say to others, you need to come and hear my pastor, after going to church on Sinday, I am so encouraged, I can't wait to go bsck and get fed more. - Sixth: Prayer is key, both for ourselves and then interceeding for each other. We as christians are asked to pray for the salvation of others and asking for the right opportunities and the right words when sharing our faith. Have you ever asked God to bring someone across yout path today that you might be able to share your faith with them? I have and it works, it happens, just sometime I'm not in tune with God enough to hear His small voice and I miss the opportunity. Friends, ourfocus needs to be on sowing the seed of the Gospel, while trusting the Holy Spirit to do the work of transformation in the lives we are sowing into. Its not our job, to change the person, but rather to sow the seeds and water them so they grow, we do nto do the growing, God will grow them if we do our part. Father God, help me be a sower and a waterer, with allowing you to grow and change those we lives seed and sow. It is in your name I pray AMEN