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In His final address, Jesus gave us what is now known as “The Great Commission”: “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” (Matthew 28:18b-20a NLT). This isn’t a suggestion, it is a command; yet how often do we take this command seriously? I don’t know about you, but I am guilty of not taking it seriously enough of the time!
Jesus even goes so far as to tell us: “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:40, ESV). In other words, the spreading of the gospel is so important to the Kingdom of Heaven that when human voices are silenced, either by choice or by others, all nature will cry out in our place! Check out Ps. 19: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world…” (Ps. 19:1-4a ESV)!
I had a strange experience this morning that really hammered this image home to me. I looked out my patio door to see three pairs of patio shoes “run” across the yard – all on their own! I could only guess that it was the wind stirred up by the thunderstorms that would follow that powered those shoes, because without human power, they were at the mercy of the wind. Just like my patio shoes that “ran” across the patio this morning without any human to empower them, if I do not choose to follow Jesus’ command and spread the gospel, it will be spread! It will be spread without us by the heavenly wind, the Holy Spirit.
All this, however, is not to be seen as a cop-out. After all, Jesus didn’t give us the suggestion to spread the gospel, but He gave us the command! Many other parts of the Bible give hints and suggestions as to the importance of our participation in spreading the gospel. Once such verse comes from Isaiah 52: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7 NLT). What this means is this: God values those who spread the gospel. He values them so much that even their feet are called beautiful! And we must remember that in the day this was written, people wore sandals and didn’t bathe daily, resulting in very dirty feet! Yet when they are used to spread the gospel, they are considered “beautiful”! In other words, the fact that the gospel will be spread even without us is simply a “plan B” so to speak, and how much better are “plan A”s usually than “plan B”s!
Yes, my patio shoes may “run” across the patio, pushed by the power of the wind, but how much better would it have been if I had simply moved them myself. I wouldn’t have had to go out in the storm to retrieve them, for one thing, and they wouldn’t have landed in the mud for another! In the same way, although the rocks will testify of God, how much better would it be for each of us to be carrying that message! How much clearer it would make the gospel for unbelievers.
As I watched those shoes this morning, I could only guess that they were not heavy enough to withstand the winds that the forthcoming thunderstorms had precipitated…I realized then that I often stop the Holy Spirit from moving because I am not fully surrendered to Him. If only my own will were as weak as those shoes. If only I were so surrendered to God’s Spirit that I would simply go in the power of His name…. How much better would it be for us each to carry the gospel message to the unbelievers by the power of the Heavenly “Wind”, the Holy Spirit! Not only would the result be so much more productive, but in the interim, we would be blessed!
Let’s not let our “gospel shoes” be carried across the world by the wind. Let’s strap them firmly to our feet. Let’s be so surrendered to God’s Spirit that He can carry us to where the gospel needs to be shared, that He will empower us to preach the gospel in word and deed. Let’s truly follow Jesus’ command to… GO!
Not sure how? God will tell you. The important thing is to be a willing vessel, to be open to His leading, and especially to … obey! For when we do, the gospel will be spread, lost sheep will be brought to the Lord, and our very feet will be called “beautiful”.
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two adult boys, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, The Illustrator, a four-times-a-week internet newsletter, and the Sermon Illustrator website, all with Answers2Prayer Ministries.
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