Tag: Great Commission

Let the LORD’s Works be Known

“1Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the peoples!

2Sing to him, sing praises to him;

tell of all his wondrous works!”

“5Remember the wondrous works that he has done,

his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,”

— Psalm 105:1-2 & 5 (ESV)

I wrote about the LORD’s works are to be blessed, and now for them to be known. The LORD does for each of us and those works are to be spread to all the people. I have to remember to let them known in any way possible.

I have to shout the on high, sing them as praise to Him aloud and at all times simply utter that which He has done. Notice my words in that it is not necessarily what He as done for me, but more what He has done for all. I have to be vocal to let all know of the wondrous things He has done.

“6O offspring of Abraham, his servant,

children of Jacob, his chosen ones!”

— Psalm 105:6 (ESV)

And I am not alone I am just one in the line of Abraham and should be doing my part. But, I also have to encourage others to do the same. All who are in this world should be telling of wondrous works and deeds of the LORD. All have the task of letting His deeds and works known as noted here in Psalm 105.

In telling of His wondrous works and deeds, we are spreading the gospel and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to hear, learn, and accept the salvation that is freely offered and given to any and everyone.

“19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” — Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

Jesus tells us to go and teach everyone. That starts with drawing the people to you by telling of the wondrous works and deeds of Him. Again I state, not just those works and deeds for me, but all the works and deeds of the LORD.

What is your approach to telling of the wondrous works and deeds of the LORD? Are you focused on only those that directly impact you and the life around you? What if you did as in the Psalm above and be vocal of all He has done and used that to follow the commission from Jesus to spread the gospel to all?

Being Christ’s is to Carry His Work Forward

I belong to Christ and as such am tasked with carrying His work forward into this world. I am to spread the Gospel and do so in the name of Christ.

“19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” — Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

These are the words of Jesus to His disciples, of which I am one. I am to take the gospel to the world and teach. I am to carry Christ’s work forward in His name and know that He is with me through it all.

This brings me to the passage of study for my morning. I am in Colossians and Paul is writing of his ministry to the church. He is referencing the work that he and we have to bring the gospel forward. But first, Paul opens the passage reminding us that it is not going to be easy.

“24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,” — Colossians 1:24 (ESV)

I admit that it took me some time this morning to understand this verse and it’s context. I reviewed commentary and did not just except things as I read them. I focused on understanding God’s Word and not just reading it. When just reading, it appears that Paul indicates that he is picking up the mantel that Jesus just dropped when He ascended. This could not be further from the truth. Christ is more than enough and this verse is misleading when reading “what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions”.

Yes, Paul is picking up where Christ left off, but look at the Great Commission in verses 19 and 20 of Matthew 28 above. He told us that was our task, take the gospel further and to the places that currently do not exist. It is not that Christ did not suffer afflictions, it was just that He did not suffer the afflictions that were to come. I had not been born yet and therefore my afflictions had not been realized. Christ did not suffer my afflictions and that is what is lacking. I will suffer for Christ as Paul did and Timothy did and all of the others that have brought the gospel before me and will bring the gospel after me.

As a member of the Christian family, I am not just going to experience the good times. Yes I have blessings and will have rewards in heaven, yet I will still have to deal with all of the persecution and sufferings that will come with it as well. It is all part of belonging to Christ. Belonging to Christ indicates that I am to carry His work forward, regardless of the cost to or impact I have on my own life. It is not about me. I am doing the work of Christ for His sake and not my own. I will experience it all in the work that I am doing. I will experience the great joy and will also experience the great heartache and persecution. It is all part of the role.

I would not change a thing. I am “in it to win it” as I have heard said and that means that I will endure all that there is with the role of belonging to Christ. I will carry all forward as instructed and tasked.

What part of Christ do you belong? Are you finding yourself wondering why you are persecuted and suffering? What about belonging to Christ in all to carry His message forward, regardless of the circumstance or impact to you?