I heard a preacher this week talk about when Jesus showed Himself to the disciples in the upper room following the resurrection. He said that a lot of pages from Bible commentaries have dealt with how Jesus came through the wall, and left through the wall. But the greatest challenge was how Jesus got those disciples out those locked doors, to get the message of the gospel to the world. They were afraid, and did not want what happened to Jesus, to happen to them.
Let's look at two questions concerning our work of evangelism today.
1. What Is The Purpose Of The Church?
According to our text, Jesus told His disciples (and us today) that we are His witnesses. And even though we were not there to witness Jesus! resurrection, we can testify to how the Lord has been present in our lives, and has ministered to us, in our Christian walk. How will people know about Jesus, unless we tell them? How will they come to accept Him as Savior, unless we share how He has saved us, and keeps us in His providential care? The church is not to have it's focus on social activities, special programs, and activities. But we are to be involved in personal evangelism. Who can we influence for the cause of Christ.
Are there not people in our families, in our social circles, at work, at school, who have not accepted Jesus Christ. Without a saving relationship with Him, where will they be in the eternal scheme of things?
This is urgent, and we as the church, need to leave our upper rooms, and fulfill our calling to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. What Is The Phobia Of The Church?
The church in America, as well as all around the world, needs to have a boldness to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We know that in different places in the world, Christians are being persecuted for their faith.
And we need to expect that if we take a bold stand for Jesus Christ, persecution in various forms will come our way. We are not called to crawl in a corner and not be heard. We are called to share the "good news' concerning Jesus Christ. That through our accepting of Him, we have freedom from our sins, and the hope of eternal life. The Lord is counting on us to be salt, and light for Him (Matthew 5:13-16).
The apostle Paul told Timothy (and us) that..."God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7) We need to leave our upper rooms, and walk in the strength of the Lord, and boldly share concerning our faith, and the hope that we hold in our hearts.
We are to influence our culture for the glory of God. It's time for us to leave our upper room. Jesus has died, and He has risen, and He is always with us, in our witnessing for Him. It's time church, to GO and Get To It! GP
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