Call of Duty

Dear Christians, are you satisfied with being saved? Don’t be.

Calling all Christians! It’s time for ‘real talk.’ Can you handle real talk? In a mere moment I spent with GOD, I received conviction and then a calling. Listen!

Call of duty. We have been given an assignment by our Lord and Savior, Jesus, who was given all authority by the Father. Would you disregard a task that your boss gives you to do at your earthly job? No. Would a soldier disregard an order given to him by his commanding officer? No. And how much more important it is that we do not disregard the task that [our Savior] Jesus Christ has given us.

“Take the news of his glory to the lost, news of his wonders to one and all!”
(Psalm 96:3) -MSG

As a Christian, the Great Commission is our real job. Our purpose in life is not to argue with an unhappy and ungrateful customer in our secular standing; however, our purpose isn’t to give someone a Happy Meal either. Our purpose isn’t to make a promotion within the company. Our purpose isn’t to sell a higher priced vehicle in order to earn a bigger commission. No. Regardless of what our earthly job may be, our purpose is the Great Commission – given to us by Christ!

“Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ ”
(Matthew 28:18-20) -NLT

We all have jobs to do here on Earth, but that job is not your purpose! Our purpose is to find the lost and show them the way Home. And we can do this through simple actions of helping people where they are in need. It is as simple as this: we meet them where they are. We need to live out the teachings of Jesus and show our love and compassion through our actions. Our purpose is to reach out to those who are drowning in misery and pull them out of despair. Our purpose is to help people and make a real difference. Our purpose is love. Our purpose is sharing the Gospel.

“Pity can be nearsighted and condescending; shared suffering is life changing and dignifying.”
(Eugene H. Peterson)

On too many occasions, we [Christians] are pathetic because we are sympathetic when we should be empathetic and offering support. Too often we pity people when we should be pulling for people. We need to get our hands dirty! We need to be in the places we wouldn’t want ourselves to be and help the ones that most people are too afraid to be near (Mark 1:40-42). We need to allow ourselves to feel others’ pain and sadness in order to connect with people on a personal level (Matthew 9:36). Religious people will offer a prayer and walk away. We should desire relationships with people. It’s good to pray, but don’t ever walk away!

“Write this down for the next generation so people not yet born will praise GOD.”
(Psalms 102:18) -MSG

We humans – especially in America (and big cities such as New York and Hollywood in particular) – are so busy trying to leave our mark in the world that we forget that it is not our mark that needs to be left behind. We act like dogs urinating on fire hydrants, one right after the other constantly trying to be on top of someone else, proclaiming territory and status. We are not called to be the center of attention and it doesn’t matter if we get personal recognition for the good we do. The purpose of doing good is so that good will be done. There are more important matters to tend to than leaving our ‘mark.’ Even nazis left a mark and it was called the swastika. Even knife wounds leave a mark and it’s called a scar. We need to leave the mark of GOD everywhere we go and be a constant and consistent reminder to others that GOD is real and His love is available. This is the goal: whenever good is done in the world, people should be able to ask, “Who did this good thing?”
The answer should be, “A child of GOD, a person called a Christian.”

If these events happen often enough, those who don’t yet believe will be inclined to to inquire about GOD. When they seek, they will find (Matthew 7:7-8). But why would unbelievers seek GOD if the representatives of GOD look and act just like every other miserable person in this world? That is why it is imperative that we not be conformed to this world, but instead be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2).

So, what does the mark of GOD look like? Smiles, laughter, and even tears of joy and gratitude. We can’t see the mark of GOD because it is written on their hearts and happens within their spirit, but we can see the fruit that grows from the seeds we plant. Just as true prophets can be known by their fruit, so too can true Christians be known by their fruit (Matthew 7:20). The fruit is proof of the seed. We can witness restoration!

We need to be a blessing to others whether we get praised for our actions or not (Matthew 6:1-4). It’s not about us. It is estimated that only 33% of the entire world’s population claims to be a Christian. That means that about 2/3 of the world’s population is not saved. There is a very large number of unbelievers in the world today. The number is so large due to one of two reasons:

(1) Christians are too aggressive and/or hateful and are scaring unbelievers away with threats of fire and eternal damnation (without even having a personal relationship with the person they scared away!);

(2) Christians are being cowards and aren’t sharing the good news [with love] due to fear of rejection and retaliation. We can’t live in doubt or fear! Many of us are so concerned about offending people that we never take the initiative to love them. If you love someone, tell that person the truth in a loving way (Ephesians 4:15).

The key to sharing the gospel is in the act of building personal relationships and showing others the truth by what we do, not only by what we say. Actions truly do speak the loudest. And that is why the Word became flesh and lived amongst us (John 1:14)!

Somewhere down the line, people have misdirected their focus onto their own desires instead of placing their focus on Jesus and other people. We must live our lives not only to reach the lost in present time, but in order to speak to those in the future whom we will not be able to meet. Everything you do matters and everything you do has a reach that extends much farther than you realize.

I want to challenge you: Do your earthly job (if you’re unable to do ministry full-time), but fulfill your heavenly purpose. Love people. Help people. Find those who are broken, hurting and lost and try to bring them to The One who can save. Jesus is the only One who can lead people Home. We must remember that. People are not to ever follow Christians to Heaven; people can only follow Christians to Christ and then Jesus will lead the way into Heaven. We [Christians] do not save people; we merely bring people to The One who saves. We must stay humble if we are to help others.

Find a need and fill it; find a hurt and heal it. Today, do what you can to lead others to Christ. Try to share the good news to someone who needs good news. Take the news of GOD’s grace and glory to the lost. Take the news of GOD’s mercy to one and all. Perhaps you can even share your testimony. Do what you can to save this generation; in addition, do what you can to save those who have not yet been born.

“Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. ‘There is still one thing you haven’t done,’ he told him. ‘Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!’ This amazed them. But Jesus said again, ‘Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!’ The disciples were astounded. ‘Then who in the world can be saved?’ they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.’ Then Peter began to speak up. ‘We’ve given up everything to follow you,’ he said. ‘Yes,’ Jesus replied, ‘and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.’ ”
(Mark 10: 21-29) -NLT
[also, Matthew 19: 21-20; Luke 18: 22-29]

In that story, that rich man left the presence of Jesus and was upset because he had his focus on himself. He told Christ that he was a good person; however, when Jesus asked the man to give up his life in order to help others, the man rejected what Jesus had said. Isn’t it amazing how people will claim to be good people yet they will refuse to give up their lives in order to help others?

Forget about leaving your mark. The only marks we need to be concerned with are the ones that were left in Jesus Christ’s flesh after He was crucified. There’s a message to be shared and there are people that are in need of hearing this message. In fact, about 67% of the world’s population is in need of hearing the gospel and witnessing the power of Christ’s love. Therefore, go. Get out of your comfort zone. Do your duty and may GOD be with you to equip you, enable you, empower you, advance you, and enhance all that you will do while emboldening you to speak Truth out from love. Build relationships. Love others. Share the gospel. It is our call of duty.