Matthew 28:18-20 - Bible Study Challenge Day 7

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Question 1 - Where are the lost?

They are everywhere, all nations, including those who live near us.

Question 2 - How can we reach them?

We can reach them by teaching them to obey everything God commands. We have to seek out people in the world. Find people who are struggling and looking for answers. If we live as a Christian example, some people may come to us looking for the reason for our joy and faith.

Question 3 - Why do we not seek them out?

Fear. We are scared people will say no and think we are bugging them. They might think we are a hypocrite if we say we are a Christian, yet are not perfect. We might be sacred they will ask something we don't know the answer to. 

Lord, thank you for trusting us with this commission. Please help us to go out and make disciples. Amen. 

2 Thessalonians 3:3 - Strength and protection

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

We know satan exists and is in the world today, but we also know if we are Christians God will strengthen and protect us from him. We do not have to live in a fearful state. Living in fear of satan will only give him power. So put on the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) and stand firm in His promises.

Lord, thank you for giving us strength and protection from the evil one. Help us to not be fearful, but to stand firm. Amen.

Exodus 20:20 - The fear of God

Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

Does God want us to fear him? A healthy fear of God may keep us from sinning. I have a phrase I use to describe the development of morality: Trust, Obey, Do the right thing. As children, we come to trust our parents, they feed us and take care of us. We trust them so we obey them. Ultimately we hope to come to the point in our development where we do the right thing because it is the right thing. We have developed a sense of morality. The Israelites are learning to trust God as he provides for them. They will obey him based on this trust and fear of what will happen if they sin. When fear and trust wain, so does obedience. As Judaism develops into Christianity, sinning less is based more on doing what is right because it is right verses a fear of God.

Lord, thank you for guiding us. Please help us to do the right thing. Amen.

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I just needed this today.

Lord, I will not fear, for you are with me. Amen.

Joshua 10:8

The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you."

At this point Joshua and the Israelites were doing exactly what God was telling them to do. They had nothing to fear. In this battle God ends up killing more of the enemy with hail than the warriors do. If we are following God's will, truly listening to him and doing what he asks, then we also have nothing to fear.

Lord, thank you so much for leading us. Help us to always walk in your path so that we may never need to fear. Amen.

Philippians 1:14

And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the Gospel without fear.

I guess fear of proclaiming the gospel is nothing new. Why is it that we are so scared to tell other people about Christ? My biggest fear is I just don't want to bug people. It's the same reason I could never be a good salesperson. It's the reason I have never wanted to do Mary Kay or Amway. So, I'm not sure how to sell Christ. Maybe I need to realize I'm not selling Christ.

Lord God Almighty, you are so magnificent, so amazing, so powerful. God, I just want other people to see and feel your power. Lord, I think evangelism is more about you than about me. Lord, please bring people into my life who want to know about you. Bring people into my life who need you. Bring people into my life who you have already been working on and I'm just the catalyst. Lord please use me to fulfill your will. Amen