An authentic church family shares the gospel.  In a recent lesson, we covered the four gospel commissioning statements of Jesus. These are found in Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-16, Luke 24:44-47, John 20:21.  We also looked at His “famous last words” just prior to His ascension as recorded in Acts 1:8.  When a person (even Jesus!) prepares for a departure of any kind, the last words are usually the personal life priority.  

Jesus had a plan for those disciples.  He always planned for them to become apostles.  A disciple is a learner.  An apostle is one sent with a message.  Our Hobbs Commentary writer for this lesson uses the word “ambassador.”  By definition, an ambassador is one who represents one authority in the court of another authority.  

Jesus knew that soon His bride, the church, was about to be birthed through believers gathered in places like Antioch. More specifically, this “movement” needed to begin right in the spot where they were standing in Acts 1:  Jerusalem.  Then, the gospel could continue to spread to Judea and Samaria and reach the uttermost parts of the world. 

We all must start right where we are standing!  From the gutter-most to the utter-most, we must love others most by sharing the truth of the gospel with them as we go.  

Every person needs to be made right with God.  Sin has blocked our access to Him.  We are all born with a sin nature.  We cannot save ourselves.  God knew before He formed Adam from the dust of earth that he would choose wrong over right, disobedience over obedience, shame over perfection.  God knew when He fashioned Eve from a rib from the side of Adam that she would also make the same choices.  God had a plan.  This was God’s Plan A and there would never be a Plan B.  Jesus was the answer to the sin problem of man. 

Reconciliation would be possible only by the death of a perfect sacrifice.  Jesus would be born to make that gift of His sinless life, substitutionary death, burial and resurrection.  Death had to be DUSTED!  The shed blood of Jesus would make a way for us to have access to the Father.  Our belief in what Jesus accomplished at Calvary is our salvation, our rescue, our spiritual healing. 

Paul writes that “…if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  This news is meant to be shared.  We are the ones God chose to share through!  

A little boy and his parents went to Europe and toured lots of cathedrals.  Pictures of “saints” were seen in larger-than-life stained-glass windows.  When the little boy returned home to talk about his vacation, he told listeners that he had seen the saints!  One lady asked, “Well, who are the saints?”  He replied, “Well, the saints are the people who let the light shine through.”  OUCH. 

So, are you letting the light shine through your life?  Am I letting the light shine through MY life?  Second Corinthians 5:18 spells out our role with perfect clarity: “All things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ and hath give to us the ministry of reconciliation.”  What was His mission has now become our mission.  Second Corinthians 5:19 follows with this mandate: “…He (Christ) has committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”  We cannot drop the baton of faith.  We must run well to end well! 

Jesus said all three of these things:  I am the light of the world (John 8:12).  You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world (John 9:5).  The progression of His message to us leaves no doubt as to His plan for us.

An authentic church will share the gospel.