Articles by Dr. David Jeremiah
It was God who told Adam and Eve, and later Noah, to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28; 9:1). We are well on our way to filling the earth, for sure. But fulfilling that command has come more as a by-product of something else: trade and exploration. Trade began on land, of course, with famous trade routes like the Silk Road, the Grand Trunk Road, the Amber Road, the Via Maris, and the Trans-Saharan routes linking the continents. But eventually, the spiderwebs of roads found their way to port cities—it was trade by sea that catapulted human development to a new strata. Prior to the fifteenth century, sea trade was focused on the coasts of Europe, the Mediterranean world, and the coasts of Africa, India, and Asia. But when people realized the world was round, it made perfect sense to try to leave the coast of Europe sailing west and eventually arrive at the shores of Asia. A Portuguese explorer named Ferdinand Magellan set out with four ships to sail around the world (1519). Four years later, his last vessel limped into Portugal, minus Magellan (killed in the Philippines), proving that it was possible to sail anywhere in the world.
Have every considered, when we’re involved in sharing the Gospel, we’re part of the greatest international enterprise on earth. We are like crewmen on a ship and each of us has our own gifts, talents, opportunities, and positions. When it comes to evanglism, nothing beats the spirit and determination of a crew committed to the Captain and determined to complete the voyage. The crew is the “ye” in the Great Commission. Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15, KJV). The “ye” is ye and me—it’s us! You and I are called by God to take His cargo—the message of the Cross—to the ends of the earth. The Personal Responsibility of the Great Commission The Great Commission applies to each of us, to all God’s children. This is the way Christianity spread in the book of Acts and in the days of the Early Church. The church historian Philip Schaff wrote about the growth of the Church in Roman times: “Christianity once established was its own best missionary… It was a light shining in darkness and illuminating the darkness. And while there were no professional missionaries devoting their whole life to this specific work, every congregation was a missionary society, and every Christian believer a missionary, inflamed by the love of Christ to convert his fellow men…. Every Christian told his neighbor, the laborer to his fellow laborer, the slave to his fellow slave, the servant to his master and mistress, the story of his conversion, as a mariner tells the story of the rescue from shipwreck.”[1] [1] Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 2: Ante-Nicene Christianity (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1910), 20-21.
The New Testament says clearly that we are “sons of God” (Romans 8:14; Galatians 3:26). So as sons and daughters of God, how should we live in relation to our Heavenly Father? The relationship of God the Father and the Son of God provides clues. • Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His Work.” (John 4:34) • “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 6:38) • So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21) • Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) • “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” (John 12:49) As the Father’s attention was on the Son, so the Son’s attention was on the Father.
The twenty-four-hour news cycle began on June 1, 1980, when media mogul Ted Turner flipped the switch and launched CNN—the world’s first nonstop all-news channel. On that inaugural broadcast from Atlanta, Turner spoke these apocalyptic words: “We won’t be signing off until the world ends.” Since the world hasn’t yet ended, CNN is still on the air; but now they have lots of competitors—MSNBC, Fox News, Newsmax, and scores of other channels devoted to nonstop breaking news, business news, sports reports, and weather updates. If we’re not near a television, no problem. Our computers, tablets, and smart phones give us constant access to thousands of streaming services and news sites, including some devoted exclusively to Christian and religious news.
Each and every day, you and I will find ourselves sitting, standing, conversing or working with someone. But how often do we find ourselves actually sitting with another person long enough to make spiritual contact? When we do take the time, do we make ourselves available to God for His purposes? A friend of mine was required, for a pastoral care class, to spend a night as a chaplain’s assistant in the emergency room of a hospital. Early one morning, a woman was brought into the ER who had tried to take her own life—or at least that’s what her wounds suggested. After the doctors bandaged up her wrists and got her stabilized, they left her alone in an exam room. My friend ventured into the room to see if he might minister to her in some way. He did the best he could to comfort her and share God’s love with her, when all of a sudden, she blurted out, “Who are you—Jesus?!” No, my friend wasn’t Jesus. But I have no doubt that Jesus was there in that emergency room, using my friend to bring hope and heart-healing to a woman who needed both. When we, as Christians, sit down next to someone who needs God’s truth and love, we are simply doing what Jesus would do if He were here in the flesh.
Each and every day, you and I will find ourselves sitting, standing, conversing or working with someone. But how often do we find ourselves actually sitting with another person long enough to make spiritual contact? When we do take the time, do we make ourselves available to God for His purposes? A friend of mine was required, for a pastoral care class, to spend a night as a chaplain’s assistant in the emergency room of a hospital. Early one morning, a woman was brought into the ER who had tried to take her own life—or at least that’s what her wounds suggested. After the doctors bandaged up her wrists and got her stabilized, they left her alone in an exam room. My friend ventured into the room to see if he might minister to her in some way. He did the best he could to comfort her and share God’s love with her, when all of a sudden, she blurted out, “Who are you—Jesus?!” No, my friend wasn’t Jesus. But I have no doubt that Jesus was there in that emergency room, using my friend to bring hope and heart-healing to a woman who needed both. When we, as Christians, sit down next to someone who needs God’s truth and love, we are simply doing what Jesus would do if He were here in the flesh.
Life is a never-ending class in “how to.” Thankfully, reference materials and how-to and self-improvement materials exist in greater quantities than we could ever work through. The challenge is not finding help, but choosing among the plethora of options. But that creates a different problem: a little thing called trust. If you are looking for help, where do you go? If your question is in the objective realm, then almost anyone’s advice will work. There are some areas in which the beliefs, character, and reputation of a person are not critical. But what if you need help with your marriage, with knowing God, or with raising children—more subjective areas of life? Then, the beliefs, character, and reputation of a teacher are much more critical. It would be wonderful if there were a reference source that was totally trustworthy in everything it discussed. There is such a book—the Word of God.
Are you a Christian? If so, the battle for your faith is raging, and doubt, disillusionment, and discouragement are the weapons Satan employs to distract and detour you in your walk with God. At some level, the battle for your faith is ongoing. If you yield to his tactics, Satan receives glory, for your unbelief will affect others. Think of how the ten spies faltered in their faith and infected the entire nation of Israel with fear in Numbers 13. Your faith can strengthen others by your testimony, just as your unbelief can weaken them. Our spirituality, or lack thereof, is contagious.
Fill in the blank (with one word): “God is .” If you already know how the Bible completes that statement, good for you! But I’m sad to report that you are among a minority of religiously-inclined folks in the United States. While the vast majority of Americans profess to believe in God, a majority of Americans don’t have a very positive view of the God they believe in! Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion wanted to know what Americans think about God. So, in 2005, they hired the famous Gallup polling organization to find out.[i] A 400-question survey was filled out by 1,721 adults, and the Institute began releasing the results in early 2006. In part, the survey instructions said, “We know that a lot of Americans believe in God, but we want to know what you think God’s personality is like and how engaged God is in the world.” After reading the results, I can only say that most Americans who believe in God don’t know Him as well as they should or could. [i] http://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=41678 (accessed November 8, 2013).
