Why share the love and life of God?
Because Jesus has all authority, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go 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 I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
Jesus has all authority in the spirit world and the physical world. He said that we should make disciples of Him for this reason. No one else has this authority.
Our role is to make disciples. Introducing people to Jesus is the first part of making disciples. It is important that people be born spiritually. But this is simply the spiritual birth. It can be compared with a mother giving birth to her child. There are 9 months from conception to birth.
Likewise there is normally a period of months or years from a person first hearing about the gospel to them being born spiritually. A mother does not consider the birth as being the end of her task but she recognises that there are years to bring this child to maturity. Similarly, when a person is born spiritually, there are years to bring this person to spiritual maturity. As a child is raised by a family with two parents guiding the growth and training them in aspects of life, often a person is best raised spiritually with one or two people being responsible for a great deal of input into their spiritual growth. Also, a family has relatives and friends who will often have some input. People at school etc. will also contribute to the development of children to maturity.
Spiritually a person has people at church, seminars and Christian camps excetera, who can contribute to their spiritual growth. It takes a team to make disciples. But it is good if one or two people take responsibility for guiding this person on the development of their relationship with God.
Many people read this passage in Matthew as going to a foreign country to share God’s love. This has been very important in the past; and still is. This approach has taken the Gospel into many countries. But not all of us are called to travel overseas to share the love of God. The passage can just as easily be read as “Therefore, as you go about your normal every-day life make disciples …” Because nothing will transform people like the gospel “I refuse to be ashamed of the wonderful message of God’s liberating power unleashed in us through Christ! For I am thrilled to preach that everyone who believes is saved—the Jew first, and then people everywhere!” Romans 1:16 TPT
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Romans 1:16 NIV
Mostly we think of being saved as being born spiritually. But the Bible makes it clear that transformation of our lives is God’s intention. So, we could substitute the word ‘salvation’ with ‘transformation’. There is nothing, no nothing, on this earth that has the ability to transform people for good like the gospel. The combination of the love of God with the word of God and the Spirit of God has the potential to transform people for good like nothing else. I rather like Colossians 1:6 in the Passion translation “This is the wonderful message that is being spread everywhere, powerfully changing hearts throughout the earth, just like it has changed you! Every believer of this good news bears the fruit of eternal life as they experience the reality of God’s grace.”
Because we are given a reward
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted
- Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth
- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
- Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God
- Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
- Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against
you because of me - Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you
- “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot
- “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden
- Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house
- 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:3-16 NIV
“So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ” 1 Corinthians 3:7-14 NIV
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.” Ephesians 6:7-8 NIV
“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:12-13 NIV
Because the love of God for everyone is intense and immense. He places an infinite value on us from the first chapter in the Bible to the last chapter God mentions the value He places on people. Please refer to Genesis 1:25-31 and note the transition of God’s view of His creation from good to very good. Also to Revelation 22 where God talks about what His ultimate plans for people are.
Just a couple of verses that many people are familiar with are: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 NIV
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8 NIV
For more information on the value God places on any one person please refer to the book. How much is
one person worth? Therefore let’s choose to make it our passion. ”Since we are those who stand in holy awe of the Lord, we make it our passion to persuade others to turn to him. We know that our lives are transparent before the God who knows us fully, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences.” 2 Corinthians 5:11 TPT
It is Christ’s love that fuels our passion “For it is Christ’s love that fuels our passion and motivates us, because we are absolutely convinced that he has given his life for all of us. This means all died with him, 15 so that those who live should no longer live self-absorbed lives but lives that are poured out for him—the one who died for us and now lives again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 TPT
Therefore let’s bask in God’s love for us. Make a record of verses that talk about His love. Memorise them. Ponder them. Thank God frequently for this immense and intense love. We will never meet someone whom God does not love. And may I suggest that He has already tried to communicate with that person.
