Check Boxes
Are you a list person? My experience has taught me that everyone can be categorized in one of three “list” categories. 1) People that live by “to do” lists. They make them and use them. 2) People that, with good intentions, make lists but never use them. 3) People that don’t make lists. I think Jesus likes lists. Not to help Him remember, but just for tidiness. Jesus had at least the following checkboxes on His list for His earthly ministry.
- To proclaim His gospel. Gospel means “a good or joyful message – glad tidings.” Jesus declared that He was anointed by the Spirit of the Lord, anointed like that of a king, such as King David, to usher in the kingdom of God. And it was first, for the poor, remission of sins, comfort for the mourner. Luke 4:17–19
- To fulfill the will of His Father. John 5:30
- To fulfill all that was prophesied about Him. Luke 24:43–45
- To pay the cost of our sin, provide our hope for resurrection, and become our righteousness and mediator. 1 Peter 3:18
- To choose, train, and prepare the men He would use to lay the foundation of His Church. Mark 3:13–19, Ephesians 2:19–20
- To preach and demonstrate His authority, validated by miracles from God, to the Jews, God’s chosen people. John 14:10–12
- To expand His gospel beyond Israel and make His provision available to anyone that requests His salvation. Romans 9:25–26
- To teach us about the kingdom of God and how we are to live as God’s children. John 18:36, Matthew 4:23
- To send the Holy Spirit to be on the people of His Church. John 14:16–17
Parable of the Sower
Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others.”
Mark 4:13–14 NLT
Evangelism was always one of those checkboxes. In Christ’s parable of the sower, we see this found in Mark 4:13–14 NLT and Jesus’ Great Commission, located in Matthew 28:18–20. Jesus’ parable in Matthew 22:1–14 of the king’s banquet tells us, “And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
It’s evident in the parable of the king’s banquet that we are the servants. The King commands us to go and gather. He doesn’t tell us to go and test and choose. No! We are told to go out and bring in people. The Holy Spirit will call and bring into the kingdom those that hear and heed. Our job is to take God’s word to others. Jesus does the saving. Jesus said, “For the Son of Man [Jesus] came to seek and save the lost.” Luke 19:10
Image by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz from Pixabay
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