Everyone will quickly agree that speaking in public is the
greatest fear that most people have. They will do anything else, but
don't make them speak in public! Talking to someone else about becoming a
Christian is also intimidating to many believers. We are afraid of
rejection, fear them persecuting us for standing up for our faith, etc.
Yet, it is through our proclamation of the Gospel that God has chosen to
win the lost. How do we go about accomplishing this responsibility?
Another area where we often struggle is having the confidence to do something totally out of our "comfort zone." Changing careers or even doing something the first time can be very intimidating for some people.
In Matthew 9:35-38, 10:1, 7-15; Mark 6:6b and Luke 9:1-5, Jesus wraps up His final tour of Galilee and sends the twelve Apostles out to preach and heal. This is quite a challenge for twelve "uneducated" men from a variety of backgrounds that do not include public speaking, seminary or other traditional religious training or qualification. Let's see how this applies to us!
Jesus Needs Our Help! - Matthew 9: 35-38, 10:5-6; Mark 6:6b Jesus appeals to the Apostles to pray for people who will go out and "harvest" those whom are willing to believe in Jesus as their Lord. He sees people who are hungering for what He has to offer and He knows that we are the ones who are going to have to tell them about Jesus.
Whether you go out yourself or not, you can pray for those who do make the commitment to live their lives telling others about Jesus. Pray that more young people will enroll in Bible Colleges and Seminaries and train for lives of full-time Christian ministry.
Jesus Believes We Can Do the Job! - Matthew 10:1, 7-8; Luke 9:1-2 Jesus calls the twelve Apostles and instructs them to go and tell people that the Messiah is here and they need to repent of their sins and follow Him. They were to do the kinds of healing miracles that they have seen Jesus do to give credibility to their message. They will even be able to raise dead people back to life!
God believes that you are capable of witnessing to others either in a small group or on a one-to-one basis. He also has given you specific talents and abilities that you can use for His glory. Whether it is being the best worker at your job or how you treat others, you are important to God's Kingdom and purpose. We show our love for God when we do our jobs and treat others as though we were doing it for the Lord! The key to success is to love God and love others.
Jesus Will Provide Your Needs - Matthew 10:9-10; Luke 9:3 Jesus tells the Apostles not to take any money with them, but to trust the people in the villages where they are going for their physical needs. Truly, as their teachings and healing the sick bless the people, they will want to give to help with their expenses as an expression of their gratitude.
We should challenge ourselves to focus on serving others instead of what we are going to get for serving others and let God work on their hearts to provide what we need. You will never be able to out give God. When you focus on how much you are getting paid, you become selfish, greedy and less productive. When you focus on serving others, they will want to see to it that you are adequately compensated for your efforts! The more you love God and love others, the less you will have to worry about your needs and compensation for your labors!
You Can Bless or Curse Those Around You! - Matthew 10:11-15; Luke 9:4-5 Jesus wraps up His instructions by advising the Apostles to be thankful for what they have and stay where they are welcomed. Here comes the dangerous part. If the town does not welcome them, then they are to curse that down as they leave by shaking the dust off of their feet on the way out. They basically have the power to bless or curse the people of that town, as they deem appropriate. That is putting a lot of power into the hands of those twelve men! They better have their minds focused on the things of God and not the selfish ways of man, lest they abuse that power!
God knows that you have the power to tell others about Jesus' love and forgiveness or you can do things that will drive others away from Christ! You may not be an evangelist or great at talking to others about how to become a Christian, but you can do things that will offend others who otherwise might have become a Christian and drive them away from God forever. I don't think you want that on your record. The more you love God and love others, the better you will be able to discern whether to bless or curse those whose lives you encounter!
God bless you and have a great week!
Another area where we often struggle is having the confidence to do something totally out of our "comfort zone." Changing careers or even doing something the first time can be very intimidating for some people.
In Matthew 9:35-38, 10:1, 7-15; Mark 6:6b and Luke 9:1-5, Jesus wraps up His final tour of Galilee and sends the twelve Apostles out to preach and heal. This is quite a challenge for twelve "uneducated" men from a variety of backgrounds that do not include public speaking, seminary or other traditional religious training or qualification. Let's see how this applies to us!
Jesus Needs Our Help! - Matthew 9: 35-38, 10:5-6; Mark 6:6b Jesus appeals to the Apostles to pray for people who will go out and "harvest" those whom are willing to believe in Jesus as their Lord. He sees people who are hungering for what He has to offer and He knows that we are the ones who are going to have to tell them about Jesus.
Whether you go out yourself or not, you can pray for those who do make the commitment to live their lives telling others about Jesus. Pray that more young people will enroll in Bible Colleges and Seminaries and train for lives of full-time Christian ministry.
Jesus Believes We Can Do the Job! - Matthew 10:1, 7-8; Luke 9:1-2 Jesus calls the twelve Apostles and instructs them to go and tell people that the Messiah is here and they need to repent of their sins and follow Him. They were to do the kinds of healing miracles that they have seen Jesus do to give credibility to their message. They will even be able to raise dead people back to life!
God believes that you are capable of witnessing to others either in a small group or on a one-to-one basis. He also has given you specific talents and abilities that you can use for His glory. Whether it is being the best worker at your job or how you treat others, you are important to God's Kingdom and purpose. We show our love for God when we do our jobs and treat others as though we were doing it for the Lord! The key to success is to love God and love others.
Jesus Will Provide Your Needs - Matthew 10:9-10; Luke 9:3 Jesus tells the Apostles not to take any money with them, but to trust the people in the villages where they are going for their physical needs. Truly, as their teachings and healing the sick bless the people, they will want to give to help with their expenses as an expression of their gratitude.
We should challenge ourselves to focus on serving others instead of what we are going to get for serving others and let God work on their hearts to provide what we need. You will never be able to out give God. When you focus on how much you are getting paid, you become selfish, greedy and less productive. When you focus on serving others, they will want to see to it that you are adequately compensated for your efforts! The more you love God and love others, the less you will have to worry about your needs and compensation for your labors!
You Can Bless or Curse Those Around You! - Matthew 10:11-15; Luke 9:4-5 Jesus wraps up His instructions by advising the Apostles to be thankful for what they have and stay where they are welcomed. Here comes the dangerous part. If the town does not welcome them, then they are to curse that down as they leave by shaking the dust off of their feet on the way out. They basically have the power to bless or curse the people of that town, as they deem appropriate. That is putting a lot of power into the hands of those twelve men! They better have their minds focused on the things of God and not the selfish ways of man, lest they abuse that power!
God knows that you have the power to tell others about Jesus' love and forgiveness or you can do things that will drive others away from Christ! You may not be an evangelist or great at talking to others about how to become a Christian, but you can do things that will offend others who otherwise might have become a Christian and drive them away from God forever. I don't think you want that on your record. The more you love God and love others, the better you will be able to discern whether to bless or curse those whose lives you encounter!
God bless you and have a great week!
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