Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Dispelling Disbelief - Part 2


Mark 16:15 -20 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed:
in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.”

(2) Go and tell. The second way to remove unbelief is by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Someone shared Jesus with Pastor Herk before he knew the Lord as Savior and it changed his life. It is a common story in most Christian lives. The second way is by hearing the “Good News” of the Gospel. Jesus says to go and tell. When you look what’s going on in this country, you see that the need for the life-changing Gospel is urgent. It’s a sin problem and God is the problem-solving remedy through Jesus Christ. Unbelief can be removing by simply carrying the “Good News” message that needs to be heard about sin and salvation. 

Why are so few coming to faith in Jesus? Why is church attendance decreasing, instead of increasing? There are plenty of people in every community that need to now about Jesus, that have not met Him or know of His offer of redemptive forgiveness and atoning salvation. Maybe we can talk to these people and help them rid their disbelief and lead them to saving faith in the Savior of the world. They may go to another church but be in the family of God; all Christian churches are a part of the same body of Christ. We need to do what Jesus called us to do. The Lord Jesus said in Luke 15:7,10 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Are we (the church) failing in the Lord command to “Go and tell,” to make disciples? Seriously, think about that. Did we become Christian and commit our lives to Christ, so we could be pew-sitters? Does that change the population in the kingdom of Heaven? No. Pastor Charles Spurgeon once said, “We are all called to be missionaries and if not, we are imposters” (making a profession of faith and carrying the title, but not engaged in the profession). And the mission field is right outside our door. Everywhere you look, you see the need for ministry. It’s not that God’s power is not available to us anymore or that God has turned His back on us as a nation, but we are simply neglecting our God-given mandate to share our faith, what is the Gospel and how it changed your life. People are thirsty to hear what they have never heard before, and when they do hear what truth you have to say, ripples from the Holy Spirit go through them that make that stop and think.  
  
Could it be that the Great Commission by our Lord to go make disciples and tell them about Him has become the great omission in His church? It’s easier to think that people don’t want to hear what you have to say and you’ll save embarrassment by not going. We have no right to keep the gospel truth in the “Good News” of salvation in Jesus Christ to ourselves. It was not meant to be consigned to silence. Take it into the world and let people heard it. Go and tell this message. We have to share it to those who do not know Jesus. 

The Lord tells us in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” Sadly, there are clergy and parishioners in the Christian church who are not going to inherit that kingdom of God because they never accepted Jesus the Christ as Savior and Lord. Share the gospel; go and tell.

(3) Stand in awe. The third way to remove unbelief is by signs. When we get turned around, signs point us in the right direction and guides us to the right paths. Those who believe, share the truth and direct others to come to Jesus. It confirms that Jesus is the Christ, who has the power to forgive sin, transform hearts and raise people to new life. Stand in awe as God works through you. Have you ever done something that was obviously from God and stood in awe because God has worked through you for others to see and believe in Jesus? There are times when God works through us in miraculous way and we stand in awe … awestruck.  

Mark 16:15-16 And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

The devil is real. We need to pray that the Evil One be cast out so Gospel truth and peace prevail. We have authority in Jesus name to cast out demons. Use your authority. The bigger lie that the devil has gotten the church to bite is that he doesn’t exist. Don’t buy into that lie and stay on mission. There are times when God intervenes to protect His people and He empower them to lead people to Jesus. You are a sign of God, so point the way. Everyone who comes to Jesus is a miracle. God is performing miracles and Salvation is the greatest of them. Unbelief is removed through miracles, of miraculous acts going on in and around us. Unbelief is removed when we see Jesus by faith. Unbelief is removed when we share the gospel with others and when people witness God’s signs and wonders around them. When in doubt, come and see, then go and tell as you stand in awe with all that God is doing all around us. Stand in awe and watch God working.   

Think about where you can get involved. We are not accomplishing anything out in this lost-i-sin pagan secular world by sitting in the pews. The church is equipping the saints to go out and make an impact on the unbelieving world, so get involved. If you want to be sure that you are in God’s Will and doing God’s work, see where HE is working and go join in there.

In Christ, Brian 

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