Tag: Matthew 28:18-20

The Power of Saying “Yes”

We’ve been on a journey together learning about the adventure of trusting God and His plans for us. Megan Fate Marshman wraps up her Meant For Good study with this blessing: “May today mark the day you say ‘Yes!’ to God’s invitation to call upon Him, come and pray to Him, and seek to find Him with all your heart. May you learn to walk in step with His Spirit and obediently say ‘Yes’ to the adventure of trusting Him and the good plans He has for your life!” (page 110)

She emphasizes that every believer has a role to play in fulfilling the Great Commission: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20, NIV) With the power of the Holy Spirit living within us, we’re called to let Him work through us to share the good news of Jesus with others. 

It all sounds so inspiring, doesn’t it? But truth be told, it’s a little overwhelming too. Keep in mind that saying “yes” to God starts with small choices every day. It begins by seeking Him in His Word and connecting with Him through prayer. It continues by plugging into a community of believers for spiritual growth. As we do that, He’ll reveal new opportunities for us to use our gifts and share the gospel with others. God often uses fellow believers to help us see the potential He’s given us and to show us where we can use it.

To give you a sense for how this works, I’ll share some specific examples from my life. Please bear in mind, the Lord uses us in varied ways and gives us distinct gifts. Our stories may be different, but they all have the same Author.

Fourteen years ago, an acquaintance from my kids’ school invited me to join a women’s Bible study called Focused Living. I’d been praying for God to lead me to more Christian women from my kids’ public school.  This seemed like the answer to my prayers, so I said, “Yes.  How do I sign up?”

A year later, one of the Bible study’s coordinators invited me to co-facilitate a small group.  I was flattered, but I didn’t consider myself the “women’s ministry” type. I had experience leading teens but wasn’t sure I’d be comfortable shepherding my peers.  However, I sensed God nudging me to branch out, so I said, “yes.”  Much to my surprise, facilitating women brought me great joy. It showed me that when we use God’s gifts to fulfill His call, it doesn’t feel like burdensome “work” to serve Him.

A few years into facilitating, I was asked by another acquaintance from my son’s school to serve as the Parent Education Representative for the PTA.  I’d never been involved at this level before, but after praying about it I felt prompted to say “yes.” Almost immediately, God gave me the idea to ask one of our pastors to adapt curriculum from our church’s men’s group into a parent education evening. A few months later, the pastor spoke to 150 men at an event titled: “Raising Boys to be Men of Character.” It was a huge success and taught me that every “yes” didn’t have to be at church. The Lord could use me to impact others in the wider community too.

After that PTA event, I was so excited that I shared about it during an open microphone time at Bible study.  This led to an interview with a reporter of a local news website, which led to an invitation to join her writers’ group. I said “yes,” despite feeling intimidated and fearful about sharing my writing with others. My involvement in that group opened the opportunity to say “yes” to writing two different series of blog posts for the same local news website. I’d never done anything like that before, but both blogs enabled me to share stories about the Lord’s transforming power on a secular website.  I was amazed to see how He used the blogs to touch lives.

Those writing projects prompted the Coordinator of Focused Living to ask me to start writing a regular blog that made the Bible relatable to every day life (which you’re currently reading). Although God had been preparing me, this newest “yes” felt daunting; I wasn’t technology savvy and felt overwhelmed about setting up my own website. It also meant I had to write something worthwhile on a consistent basis.  With trepidation, I said, “yes,” knowing I would have to rely on God every step of the way.

I’m now midway through my ninth year of writing weekly blog posts. Spending so much time studying the Bible and praying for the Lord’s inspiration has caused my own faith to grow exponentially. And in the years since then, God has continued to give me opportunities to say “yes”and expand my comfort zone. I’ve attended writer’s conferences, spoken in front of people at church, started a Bible study for seekers and young believers, and published two Bible studies. All of these adventures felt way beyond what I could handle. Saying “yes” to each one forced me to rely on the Holy Spirit for wisdom, confidence, and guidance.

Looking back, it’s clear how each affirmative answer prepared me for the next one.  In each instance, I was hesitant, worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle what was required of me. God never revealed more than I needed to know, He just asked me to trust Him enough to take one step at a time. And He always equipped me with what I needed. Through each experience I grew spiritually and felt a deep sense of joy and purpose.

Did you notice that every part of my journey included someone else inviting me to stretch in a different way? Often the people around us recognize spiritual gifts and potential within us that we don’t see in ourselves. So, how do you respond typically when someone invites you to serve outside your comfort zone? Don’t be too quick to say “no.” You could be missing out on an incredible opportunity to grow spiritually and impact others. Besides, how will you discover the adventure of trusting God’s plans for you if you’re never willing to try something new?

So, where do you need to step out in faith and say “yes”? Perhaps it’s time to start praying about that. Also, be sure to read my next post for some helpful tips. Until then, let Cade Thompson’s “Every Step of the Way” remind you that God walks with you and equips you for whatever He’s calling you to do.

Megan Fate Marshman, Meant for Good: The Adventure of Trusting God and His Plans for You, Zondervan 2020.

Be Fruitful and Multiply

If my kids ever decide to map out their family tree, they’ll discover that the branches aren’t balanced or symmetrical. Some of their ancestors came from enormous families and produced limbs that were laden with bountiful fruit. Some stand alone, signifying the final offspring of a branch. Until recently, I never thought about why we use the symbol of a tree when we depict our ancestry visually. Maybe it has a connection to God’s language  when He delivers His plan for humanity in the opening pages of Genesis. Moments after creating man and woman in His image, God gives them some clear instructions, usually referred to as the Cultural Mandate:

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28, ESV).

At first glance, the mandate He gives seems straightforward and practical: they need to “be fruitful and multiply” by procreating to populate the earth. Their job is to bring order and structure to His creation and to oversee it according to His plan. However, I think there is also a deeper meaning to His words. Along with multiplying the number of people in the world, God was calling Adam and Eve to advance His kingdom on earth—to rule with, wisdom, love, and justice. He wanted them to carry out His will so that others on the planet could know and love Him as they did. Unfortunately, their choice to sin complicated this plan, but it didn’t thwart it entirely.

Throughout the Old Testament we see God’s people in a continual cycle. It would start when they rejected His way and sinned, which led to their decline as a people. This would be followed by consequences allowed by God’s hand. Eventually this would lead to them to repentance, renewed obedience, and restored relationship with Him. In between failures, the Israelites fitfully furthered His kingdom at different points in history. But it isn’t until Jesus arrives on the scene that we fully recognize the magnitude of God’s plan. “From the beginning, humanity was mandated to represent God, build culture and bring shalom to His world. Although compromised by the Fall, the mandate remains in place and is in fact fulfilled in Christ, the true God and true man who will ultimately restore His creation.” (“The Cultural Mandate: Living as Divine Image-Bearers” by Subby Szterszky. Click here for the full article.)

With Jesus’ birth, God renews His plan for His people to be fruitful and multiply to expand His kingdom—only this time it’s not so much about increasing the population as it is about changing the culture one heart at a time. His goal was for us to view ourselves and the world from His perspective instead of our own, which is why Jesus says: “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3, NIV). It is not until we are spiritually transformed that we can recognize God’s kingdom all around us and participate in advancing it further. Jesus explains, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst’” (Luke 17:20-21, NIV).

God’s kingdom has always been present in the world. And once we identify the places He’s moving and join Him in His work, He uses us to impact our surroundings. That’s what we’re inviting Him to do when we say: “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10, NIV). Those words reveal our longing for God to carry out His will on earth so that His kingdom will continue to expand. This prayer acknowledges that we’re putting aside our wills and aligning ourselves with God’s agenda.

In the final days of His ministry, Jesus commissioned His followers to continue multiplying and bearing fruit when He said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20, NIV).

He assured them of His constant presence with them, reminding them that multiplying and bearing fruit was only possible by staying closely connected with Him. Perhaps they recalled His earlier teaching:“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5. NIV).

Every follower of Jesus represents another branch on God’s family tree. And by abiding with Him, we’re equipped to share His love with others so that the branches will multiply and continue to bear more fruit in His ever-expanding kingdom.

When we walk consistently with Jesus and allow His love to flow through us, we’re doing the work of advancing God’s kingdom in a world that desperately needs Him. One of my favorite songs describing the impact we can have on our surroundings is “Build Your Kingdom Here” by Rend Collective.  Listen and make it your prayer today.

Jen Wilkin, God of Creation: A Study of Genesis 1-11, Week 4 Lifeway Press, 2017

Note: the cycle of God’s people described in paragraph four is a commonly held truth among Bible Scholars.  This particular statement is paraphrased from Gideon: Your Weakness. God’s Strength by Priscilla Shirer.