Hello! My name is Lydia Malec, I am twelve years old, and I am an MK (Missionary Kid) in Arequipa, Peru. I live here with my mom, my dad, and my two sisters. I am creating this blog to help all of us MKs grow closer to the One we are serving, God. If any of you would like to leave a comment or request a devotional on a specific topic or Biblical passage, please do so. I am open to your advice.
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The first devotional that I would like to post is about the reason we are in these different countries, which is summed up in this passage:
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 28:19-20 (NIV)
That's right, this post is about the Great Commission. Now, you may be thinking, “I already know about the Great Commission! It is why I became a missionary,” but please continue reading. I have something very important to point out.
Sometimes we may feel like witnessing and church planting and teaching people about God is our parent's job; and it is! Jesus is talking to them when He says to “go and make disciples of all nations,” but He is also talking to us. It's our responsibility, too! He never gives an age limit to fulfilling the Great Commission. He is talking to His disciples, which include us Christian MKs.
Jesus commands us to fulfill the Great Commission, but (thank God) He does not leave us to do it on our own. Read the following Bible verse to understand what I am saying:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on
you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8 (NIV)
Jesus tells His disciples (including us) to fulfill the Great Commission, but He also tells us that He is going to send the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and to guide and advise us.
The Holy Spirit comes on us when we become Christians. He helps us, working in us and transforming us to be like God. God sends the Holy Spirit to us so that we can tell others about Him. The Holy Spirit gives us courage to witness to other people.
Jesus does command us to witness, but we do not have to always be telling others about Him, so do not feel a burden to do so. We are allowed to get to know people before we start witnessing to them. It would be odd if the next thing we said to someone after “What's your name?” was “Jesus died on the cross for your sins”! God is not asking us to do that, but to use every opportunity that He gives us to witness.
However, we don't have to say everything about the Gospel to a person at once. We can go little by little, just starting with “What do you think about. . .” and then “Well, I think. . .” The Holy Spirit may give them a want to learn more, but if not, we did what we could, and it is all right if they do not show any interest in what we are saying. It is important that we keep on trying, though.
There is one more thing that I would like to say before I end this post. God tells us to witness, but we should also glorify Him. I am trying to point out that we can witness with a good attitude, or we can witness with a bad attitude. Which one do you think glorifies God? When we have a good attitude. We can memorize a script and recite it every time we witness like a robot, or we can read the Bible and use our knowledge of it to tell others about Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross. The second way I described comes from the heart, showing that we care for the person to whom we are witnessing and that we really want them to become a Christian. Sure, memorizing a script may be easier for you, but which way to witness praises the Lord? The one where we read the Bible and use it to tell people the Good News. If we witness in this way, it comes from the heart and worships Him. And here's a plus: glorifying the Lord is also a kind of witnessing. When we praise God, we tell others about Him and His greatness.
I ask you to pray today that the Lord would give you opportunities to witness. Ask Him also to give you courage and the right words to tell others about Him. Remember this: others may not pay attention to what you are saying. They may even make fun of you for your faith. Just keep in mind that you do not need them to approve of what you are doing. God's approval is enough. You are obeying Him, and that is what matters. Pray that He would help you to remember this and to not take insulting comments to heart. Ask Him to help you to simply obey Him and to do it wholeheartedly.