The last time they were together, Jesus instructed his disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “God therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Just 50 days later, a dramatic event occurred during the Jewish holiday, the “Feast of Weeks,” that set the early Church on an unstoppable trajectory! In that week, there was a tremendous crowd in town, and on the Day of Pentecost, 50 days from the Easter event, the Holy Spirit came upon the crowd of disciples, and they all started speaking in tongues. People could see what looked like ‘tongues of fire’ among the crowd, and, more importantly, among the disciples of Jesus, because speaking to people from all over the world and overcoming the language barrier was no longer a problem! Somehow, the Holy Spirit moved among the crowd. Everyone could understand the disciples as they talked about Jesus, the Christ, and how he had been crucified and resurrected, so that all people might be saved from their sin. This is how the crowd responded, as they were moved to receive the message of Jesus: “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:41-42

This is how God works through His people! He teaches us, encourages us, leads us to be bold in our proclamations about Jesus, and, most importantly, to live a life that is shaped by the understanding that sharing the Gospel message is what we are to be about. Years later, the Apostle wrote about this very question in his letter to the Church at Colossae. He addressed this need by making two points: One, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak for the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.” 4:2-4 He was asking the Church to pray for his mission team, that God might use them to share the Gospel. In the following verses, he said this: “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, that you may know how you should respond to each person.” 4:5-6 Paul encouraged those in the Church to pray and be diligent, both in their Christian life and in the task of sharing the Gospel with those they encountered.

This was God’s plan for the Church! That Christians would learn eternal truths from scripture, pray for those without faith, and live and speak with others so that they might be saved. There were occasional miracles, to be sure, and, once in a while, a dramatic event might be brought about by God’s Spirit. God’s plan for reaching the world was the way of the individual disciple, working through the local Church, sharing the Gospel with their friends and family, and bringing them to faith.

This is God’s plan for you! Live and speak so that others may hear about Jesus, and make their salvation a matter of personal prayer. God can use our normal lives to bring others to faith as we are obedient to his leadership and love and serve others in the name of Jesus.

Please, join us in this grand endeavor; People need Jesus!

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Purposes of the Church: A Proclaiming People