Joshua 1:14: ….But you shall pass before you brethren armed, you mighty men of valor and help them, until the Lord has given your brethren rest as he gave you, and they have also taken possession of the land which the Lord your God has given them. 

Do you feel a burden for the lost? Before you say yes; explore the question. Is there an urgency, an ache that is almost tangible  when you think about those who have not accepted and or do not know Jesus Christ? Or, is it simply an understanding that all should accept Jesus as their Lord and savior. If it is the latter, then there is a good chance you have never shared the gospel with a non believer. if it is the former, chances are you find yourself sharing the gospel on a daily basis. Doors are simply opened to you. Your entire day is full of opportunities to share the word of God.

All believers are called to share the gospel of Christ. Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV: And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even until the end of the age. Amen.  Jesus did not say, “Go some of you. He simply said, “go.”  The King James Version uses the word teach in place of disciple above. the Greek is matheteuo meaning to instruct and teach. So, there is no getting out of it; we are all commanded, not instructed to preach the gospel of Christ. As followers of Jesus we are custodians of a life saving truth. And yet, so many of us struggle to share the good news.

As we go out to share the gospel it is important to remember that God is in charge. This is a great comfort. Knowing that relieves pressure. All we have to do is go where we are pointed and do as we are instructed And God  will do the rest. Psalms 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves those who have a contrite spirit.  Put simply, Jesus is in the salvation business; we are His messengers We cannot convict another person of their sin only God can do that. We cannot do a saving work in the heart of another that has already been done. The cross of Christ settled salvation  once and for all. John 3:14-15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. The salvation of the cross, the gift that the sacrifice of Christ offers to all that would believe must be accepted and God won’t do that. The choice must come form the heart of man. God wants our hearts to be given freely. As the genie told Aladdin, ” I can’t make anybody fall in love.” when we share the truth and are rejected, remember, we are not being rejected; the message is and ultimately God is. that is far worse because we are not promised tomorrow. Jesus is the savior. Scripture tells us that He did not come into the world to condemn the world but that through Him the world would be saved. (John 3:17). That being said, rejection of the gift of salvation in Christ is death. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. As believers we have our marching orders, GO.

For those of you who are reading this thinking, “I am  a student of the bible, I know the rules, I live by the commandments, I do the best I can,” I remind you that our best is never good enough apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ. Moses knew the law. Moses accepted the law from God Himself and he was not allowed into the promised land. The law only get us so far.

For those of you who say, “The bible is too inconsistent. The Old Testament God was wrathful and hateful and then there is Jesus. How is that justified?”  I  submit to you that the entirety of the Bible points to Jesus Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, God shows Himself to be a God of mercy, grace, and judgment. He is our heavenly father and as a parent, He is consistent.

Joshua 1:14 is also a great commission and the message is the same, go. The law can only go so far. it is interesting, the name Joshua means Jehovah saves and the Greek translation of his name is Jesus. So, Jesus saves. The message is, only Jesus brings salvation. Old testament or new, God is the same yesterday, today, and always.

Grace and Peace,

LD

*If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, email me at savedIIserve@gmail.com and let me know! I will be happy to lead you through what the bible says about salvation and accepting Jesus Christ as your savior.*