The people of God are to produce the fruit of the Spirit and preach the Gospel. This is common knowledge of the mission for the collective body of Christ and each individual within. As one seeks to carry out this mission, opposition is soon to come and provides many challenges. Being obedient and leaving the results up to the power of God is the key for endurance through all of the opposition. This provides endurance in that it removes the pressure of success and fear of rejection. Having confidence in the power of God to give you the effectiveness in your service to Him is only found in closeness to God. In this closeness with God, one is constantly seeking or pursuing where God is and what He is doing. By seeking in devotion to the studying of the word and expressing oneself in prayer, the follower of Christ becomes “in sync” with God and aware of His Will. Through this journey of seeking the Lord, the understanding of God’s plan for the harvest of leading the lost to salvation provides confidence. If the people of God are faithful, others will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Rejection does not have a hold on the believer that trusts in the will of God. Perseverance in obeying God through personal evangelism and discipling other believers becomes a lifestyle and not an activity. To truly live “In Christ” is to be moved with compassion for the lost and care about the spiritual health of fellow believers. This is a challenge to invest in someone’s life continually.
Passages to Consider:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self- control; against such things there is no law” -Galatians 5:22-23
“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” -Matthew 28:18-20
“The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” -2 Chronicles 15:1-2
“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” -Matthew 9:37
No comments:
Post a Comment