Hey, Believer, ENGAGE
Following Jesus must never become a spectator event. Far too often, people professing Christ attend a worship service during the week to mark off their spiritual to-do list without intending to serve the Lord daily. This approach does not align with the Lord's expectations for His followers. The Bible explains that we are created for a purpose (Jeremiah 1:5), invited to follow Christ and consider the cost (Luke 14:27-30), equipped to serve the Lord (Ephesians 2:10), and expected to serve in faithfulness (Colossians 3:23-24). So, hey, believer, ENGAGE.
We must EXPLORE. We must explore where God is working, leading, and calling. In Psalm 143, the Psalmist requested the Lord to teach him His will. This request centers on the desire to find where God is leading, working, and calling. We must develop the same heart of spiritual exploration. We must seek the will of the Lord and engage in the work He places before us. The process of exploring opens the avenue to serve the Lord in faithfulness.
We must meet NEEDS. We must strive to meet people's physical and emotional needs to share their greatest need: a relationship with Christ. When we strive to meet people's physical and emotional needs, we demonstrate genuine love and care. These activities support Christ's presence in us and the gospel's message. James 2 reminds us that neglecting the needs goes against an authentic faith.
We must keep the GOSPEL at the center. We must keep the gospel at the center of all that we do. When the gospel remains at the center, our motivation is not to feel good about doing something, but instead, our motivation centers on serving the Lord. We strive to use every opportunity in life to bear the light of Christ. The purpose of keeping the gospel centered in the activities of our life separates us from participation in good things and God things. The apostle Paul charged the church in Corinth as a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19), indicating a gospel-centeredness that points people to reconciliation with Christ.
We must ASSIST one another. We must encourage other believers and build up the Body of Christ by striving to work in harmony and unity for the Kingdom of God. God gives his children various talents and gifts. These gifts and talents differ in each person, allowing us to join as a Body of Christ. We must strive to encourage each other to serve the Lord with these gifts and talents and assist one another with our strengths, gifts, and talents. The apostle Paul spoke of this in 1 Corinthians 12 and challenged us to live with the desire to assist one another as the Body of Christ.
We must GROW spiritually. We must dedicate ourselves to becoming more like Jesus by striving to develop and mature in our walk with Him. The author of Hebrews reminds us that we are to grow and move past the world's elementary principles and toward spiritual maturity (Hebrews 6:1). Spiritual growth occurs when we strategically and intentionally pursue to become more like Christ. This growth happens as we gather with other believers in study and worship, spend individual time with the Lord in prayer and His Word, serve with other believers, and develop a life of trust in the Lord. Spiritual maturity must be built upon the foundation of Christ.
We must EVANGELIZE faithfully. We must live with the intentional heart of telling people about Jesus. We live in a world that lives ensnared by sin. Over 40% of the world's population remains unreached. Unreached means that they have no gospel access. At the same time, lostness dominates the populations of the world that are reached. In Matthew 28 and Acts 1, we find that Jesus commanded His followers to be about the work of evangelism and taking the message of the gospel to the lost. This call means we take it every place we encounter, both at home and abroad.
Hey, believer, ENGAGE.
