Here’s a challenge for you this holiday season.
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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
-Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
As we are closing in on 2023, I want to take an opportunity to express something I’m noticing more in the global church. We as believers know to study, read, and pray, but somehow it seems that we have lost the Great Commission and reverted to an inward Christianity rather than an outward one. This Great Commission is to be shared to bring in the lost for His Kingdom.
I wonder…
Did the church highjack the Great Commission? Is it too hard, so members don’t want to do it? Do they want to feel safe and secure? Do they want to just be with their church people? Have we become selfish? Religion has a way of making us feel we are doing all the right things, and yet we chose to do church life by staying inside. 🤔
I wonder if we feel this is the job of the pastor, evangelist, or anyone else passionate about souls, and not our own. The Commission is not just about coming to church. It’s about being the Church and taking that light and shining it until we find the soul that still doesn’t know the love that we have found. You see, it’s not about WHAT we know. It’s about WHO we know. We can assume everyone has heard of or about Jesus, but if that were true, the world wouldn’t feel so dark.
Conviction alert! When was the last time you went to church?
Ok…maybe Sunday.
Now…when was the last time you shared Jesus to a stranger or someone you know?
Guilty 😫
Even still, it seems we feel good about our faith—for we go to church, do our quiet time, and even make time for pray—and yet we still feel powerless to share the light. 🤦🏼♀️
Something is missing.
So, it makes me wonder has church life helped us learn how to share the Commission with others? Have we grown from all our personal time in the word?
That is for you to answer. I believe the deeper you understand the Father and just how much He loves you, and as you start to feel seen and known, belonging grows. You are no longer an orphan, for your relationship now feels like son-ship. That son-ship is a tender relationship, and out of the love you have received, you now have a love to give away. That love breeds boldness to express our faith to those around us. That boldness comes from a conviction of the love we have found. He is the source of all goodness. Jesus made a way so we would never have to doubt which way. When someone is passionate about something, everyone they come in contact with soon knows. So, I wonder, do our neighbors know we love Jesus from our time with them? Are we intentionally sharing the love of Jesus? Or do we go back to our country club homes and churches, where we feel safe and valued, while folks are creating more darkness? Do we stay hidden in our homes and churches? If so, then we have allowed the darkness to win. I want to end with a challenge for you today. I have always known to read, pray, and study the Word in my quite time, however nothing in Scripture is more clear an assignment for us than the Great Commission. So today, when you spend time in prayer and reading, ask Jesus to give you a soul to share with. Ask Him to help you be bold and share your faith with a co-worker, a neighbor, or maybe even a friend. They need what you have, but please make sure you’ve loved on them for a while first. We lead by loving, and out of that relationship, opportunities will grow into deeper conversations.
And when it presents itself to share the love you have found…just do it!!!
There is no need to be nervous sharing your beloved Friend. He is too good to not be discussed.
In conclusion, no more hiding your light. Come outside and let’s light up the world together!
I want to end with a song here today. This song will bring you into the presence of Jesus, and maybe it will help you remember the amazing gift you have found. Go and tell your story to another. That’s just good Jesus juice ya’ll so 🥤 drink up everyone. ☺️ Out of the Hiding by Steffany Gretzinger: https://youtu.be/XFkDqQtfs0w?si=1EpwNajfzOGw4CRU
Until next time,
Keep gliding 🪁
Abiding 🙇🏼♀️
& Smiling 😁
#BeTheLight #MyMendedHeart #Inthesendingcomesthemending