LOOK: I am asking you to ponder this: Paul was an itinerant missionary who only had the Lord to count on for his provisions. He didn’t always know what to expect from location to location. Some populaces embraced him and the gospel message, while others were hostile to him and tried to kill him. He endured beatings, prison, three shipwrecks, YET he was never short on provisions. All of his physical needs were met, his relationship needs were met, and his spiritual needs were met. The Lord was always with Paul through dreams, visions, visits from angels, and the Holy Spirit who resided in him.
Contrast his life as an itinerant missionary to ours. We are born-again believers who live in a country where we have freedom to worship wherever we want. Of all the believers around the world, I bet we have the most flexibility to share the good news with those around us. Yet, many of us haven’t even shared the good news with anyone. In a culture of abundance, we live a very isolated existence. We’re functioning through social media and computers while our neighbor across the street, who we don’t know by name, is spiritually perishing.
The Great Commission is a command to all of us: “GO and make disciples…” As a reminder, “go” can be interpreted “as we are going.” We need to have a mindset of being an itinerant missionary just like Paul and trust God to provide whatever we need to share the gospel.
What I just shared is what I perceive as our failure point, but it is a personal pain point for me. I am very comfortable with articulating the gospel message, but my failure is not taking the time to cultivate relationships with those outside of the Christian circle. If I am going to win people for Christ, I need to invite people more often for lunch or coffee. I have to be intentional to be faithful to the Great Commission. I am confident that God will provide the words and whatever else I need to share the gospel. Will I trust Him?
Q: Give me your reactions. What are your thoughts?
Q: How are we to live in light of this text?
