Our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, taught the disciples in John 14:15-17(NLT), “15 If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” Jesus said that our Heavenly Father has given us an Advocate, and this Advocate is the Holy Spirit. In the general sense, we might think of an advocate as a person that helps and supports us so that we can achieve a successful outcome. Well, this is what God sent His Holy Spirit to do for us. The Spirit helps us to live a successful Christian life.
God’s goal for every believer is for them to have an intimate relationship with Him. He wants us to understand that He is our Provider, Protector, Rescuer, and Guide through life, and that He will never fail us. God wants us to have a successful life as a believer, but we can’t do this on our own. If we tried to live a successful life without God, we would live in the flesh. Living in the flesh means that we are concerned and motivated by what we think will please it. This leads to destruction. If we define life by what pleases us instead of what pleases God, Galatians 5:16 tells us that we are doing what our sinful nature craves, and God never intended life to be lived that way.
Living according to the flesh means that our actions, attitudes, and behaviors are all motivated by always putting self-gratification first. This is a way of life that is the opposite of the teachings of Christ. God created humans to have perfect fellowship and relationship with Him. Through the sacrifice and resurrection of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, God has made it possible for us to do this. Through Christ, we are God’s children, and we are the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. We didn’t set this up, nor could we. God is our Creator, and only He can set up the kind of relationship that He wants with us, and it is one in which He is the Father, and we are the children. It doesn’t matter how old we may be, we are still children.
The Gospel is a ministry for all saved people
God has brought us into His family business which is to love others and help them become His children as well. This is our “call”. You and I did not choose God first, He chose us first. He called us into salvation. So God’s call is on every person that believes in the life, sacrifice, and resurrection of Christ. He has called us to dedicate our whole being to the ministry of salvation that Jesus Christ began. We are to do this so that others may be saved and have the privilege to carry on his work as well. 2Thessalonians 2:13 teaches us that salvation comes through the Holy Spirit, who makes us holy through our faith in God’s Word. 2Thessalonians 2:14(NLT) says, “He (*the Spirit) called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This ministry of salvation is the Good News. It’s the glory of the Gospel and God has made it possible for us to share it with others.
Our commission from Christ
Jesus Christ told the disciples in Matthew 28:16-20(NASB20), “16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated to them. 17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This is our commission as disciples of Christ living today. He has commissioned all who believe in him to share God’s Gospel.
2Corinthians 5:17(NLT) tells us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” Through the new birth reality, we have become a new person. Our old life is gone, which means that we can no longer live by the flesh. God commands us to live by the Spirit, and through the Apostle Paul, God tells us in Galatians 5:25(NLT), “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
As God’s children, we are of His love and light. We have His Holy Spirit abiding on the inside of us, and this is more power than we can fathom. God would not have equipped us with the example of Christ and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to sit around with our hands tucked beneath our laps. He has equipped, called, and commissioned us to be about the business of His love. The nature of God’s love is not to be idle, but to move, increase, share, and impact others for the goodness and glory of God. He has created us to demonstrate His glory and light. We do this through the ministry of the Gospel, and the way to be successful at it is to do as Galatians 5:25 says and follow the Spirit’s leadership and guidance in every aspect of our lives.
Don’t miss your opportunities
Many Christians have complained that they don’t know what to do, and they only express their commitment to Christ one day a week. Some have been in the faith a very long time but still don’t feel confident to lead someone into salvation. We must understand that our commission is to represent Christ every moment of each day, and as a daily practice, we must pray, read and study God’s Word, and meditate on His Word. This is the way to engage the indwelling Holy Spirit, and it’s the only way to be confident that we know and understand the scriptures for ourselves. The Spirit will teach and help us as we apply ourselves to reading and studying the Word. This is a very important way to partner with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
We should also pray continually that God will open our eyes to the many opportunities He has planted all around us to be a blessing to the lives of others. Many of us don’t do this, but we should begin to pray this prayer. Some believers have large platforms to teach and spread the Gospel, but most of us do not. No matter the size, instrument, or venue we use, whether large or small, God doesn’t look at one as being more important than the other. Our responsibility is to do what He’s called us to do and recognize that it is important to God’s plan that we partner with the Holy Spirit in this assignment.
We must remember that every detail of our lives is on purpose. We are strategically positioned by God right where we are. This is sometimes the first revelation we receive from the Holy Spirit, because there maybe someone or several individuals that are in our own family or close group of friends; God has ordained us to minister to them and pray for their salvation, and we may not have done so.
God knows every detail of our lives. Nothing escapes Him, and we can be confident that He knows the lives of every single individual whose path we will cross. Our responsibility is not to miss those opportunities to share the Gospel because we think we should be on a larger platform or that someone else should do what we’ve been called to do. Jesus Christ taught in Matthew 25:23 that when we show ourselves faithful in handling the small, our responsibilities will increase. So, don’t be concerned with the quantity or scale. Be confident in the quality. Know that God has given you the honor and privilege of sharing His matchless Word through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is one of the greatest privileges that God gives us. So, follow the Holy Spirit as he leads, guides, and helps you to minister and share God’s love, because when this is your highest priority, you will continually flourish, be rewarded, and grow in Christ.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
*= words of the writer
“Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ” written by Reverend Fran Mack. Edits by Kim Times and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.