We're Over the Target

GodWords Newsletter #76

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My big brother Jeff was a war buff. He knew all about planes, and tanks, and military campaigns. I learned a lot by osmosis, but I figured war is hell and sometimes a necessary hell… and that it’s to be avoided where possible.

Anyway, as far as I can tell these are American B-25 Mitchells.

In war, you’re supposed to have a mission objective. A goal. For example, you might need to blow up a bridge so your enemy can’t transport munitions to the front line. With a clear and obvious mission objective, it’s easy to tell whether you’ve been successful. You either blew up the bridge or you didn’t… and you either did it before your enemy got there, or you didn’t.

Most Christians don’t seem to realize that we have a mission objective. It’s not as concrete as blowing up a bridge before the trucks arrive, but it’s clear and obvious nonetheless. Ask someone whether they’re currently succeeding at being a Christian and they might look at you funny. So, you ask, what IS our mission objective? What are we trying to accomplish?

It’s The Great Commission. A commission is an instruction, command, or duty given to a person or group of people.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 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.”

Along the way, we’ll learn more about what Jesus commanded, get good at obeying Him, learn to love even our enemies, and worship God in spirit and in truth. Let’s not miss the point, though: we haven’t been instructed to simply sit in church week after week, waiting to grow. We have a job to do… and we can look in the mirror and know the answer to whether we’re currently succeeding in our mission.

I don’t want to be too tough on y’all. Everybody is in a different place in following Jesus. I just want to remind people that following Jesus is about DOING STUFF. Taking action.

So what’s our objective? Better said, WHO is our objective? We’re after the hearts and minds of the lost. Our job is to do what Jesus taught, and do it in front of people who need to know what that looks like. Here are a few key items:

• We’re to love God, love His ways, love righteousness.

• We’re to love other Christians… that’s how they will know we belong to Him.

• We’re to love even people who mistreat us. Rather than repaying evil with evil, we’re to shock them by working for their good. That doesn’t mean joining them, of course… it means standing firm in our desire to see them saved.

Maybe you’re at the beginning of your journey. If so, read this as information you’ll need as you continue.

Maybe you’ve been following Jesus for a while, and wondering whether there’s more to it than you’ve seen. If so, this is probably what you’re missing.

Maybe you’ve been at this for a long time, and you’re on mission. If so, let God’s word encourage you:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

When you’re helping others learn to follow Jesus, you’ll know - without question - that you’re over the target.

I love you all.
❤️

Is Drinking a Sin?
For some, this question may seem silly. For others, it may seem very important. We should always look to what God has already said before drawing our own conclusions.

Seeking Him "First" - Not Enough
I love Matthew 6:33. It’s the motto of my alma mater, and a favorite verse. It’s good to know that first doesn’t always (only) mean “first.” Well done.

Growing Up
Growing up in Christ may be a long, slow journey - by design and our resistance. But it is a good journey, surprising and rewarding in the present and the future.

Let’s Stop the Kid Jokes
How often do we joke that our children are a burden? It’s one thing to share a laugh over the typical ways kids grow, yet another thing to talk as if teaching and training them isn’t our most important task in life. Let our words reflect our values.

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No Broken Bones

Imagine if someone wrote down a prophecy 1,400 years ago that explained how you would die. God’s instructions for Passover foreshadowed what would happen AFTER Jesus died.

Read It Now →

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If the man does not live differently from what he did before, both at home and abroad, his repentance needs to be repented of, and his conversion is a fiction.
– Charles Spurgeon

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There was a man from the desert with naps in his head
The sand that he walked was also his bed
The words that he spoke made the people assume
There wasn't too much left in the upper room
With skins on his back and hair on his face
They thought he was strange by the locusts he ate
You see, the Pharisees tripped when they heard him speak
Until the king took the head of this Jesus Freak

Jesus Freak by DC Talk

This is the song that turned Christian music upside down.

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