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Written by Kat Bittner, volunteer and Board member with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Colorado
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Ro 10:15b, NIV)
Good news is a good thing. Even better is the good news of Jesus Christ. And those who share the good news of Jesus Christ are beautiful. What a descriptor! You see, God wants everyone to know Him. He wants a personal and enduring relationship with all of us (1 Ti 2:3-4; Lev 26:12; 2 Ti 1:9). But for anyone to know God personally and genuinely, they must know Jesus.
My life verse is John 14:6 where Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The only way to know God is to know Jesus. So, everything I do should be centered around helping others to know Jesus. It should be my main goal in life, far beyond any other aspiration.
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace (Ac 20:24).
As a faithful believer, I am to fulfill the call to make Christ known and share Jesus with others so that they will know God. I have never seen myself as a long-term missionary in a foreign country or publicly preaching the gospel as many are gifted to do. However, I can and do share the Good News in other ways. For example, I share stories of God’s redemption in my life and how my relationship with Jesus transforms me daily into a woman yearning to know God more. I share these “good news” testimonies speaking at ladies’ events in my church and community and in my regular job as a writer. I also share in small group Bible studies with women of all backgrounds, many of whom don’t yet know Jesus. Sharing my story makes Jesus more personable because others can see His wonder-working power and love in my life.
Another way I like to share the Good News of Christ is by meeting people in whatever need they have and then sharing my reason for meeting that need. My reason for meeting their need, whether it be a hot meal, a bus ticket home, or a coat to keep warm in winter, is always because of my love for Jesus. My desire to follow Jesus and know God compels me to love and meet the needs of others, especially those who don’t know Jesus. For me, there’s no better way to share Jesus than to answer the question “Why would you help a total stranger?” with a bold proclamation that I do what I do because of Jesus and His love.
Perhaps one of the most joyful ways for me to make Christ known is by singing in my community choir. The music we sing is primarily composed of gospel or hymnal collections performed free of charge for and within my community. Because the music we sing is sacred, concert attendees hear lyrics that richly honor God. But it also represents Jesus through varied expressions and names, some of which are not even recognized by believers deeply rooted in the faith. Combined with a brief tutorial on the origin and history of each piece of music, these songs are an opportunity to make Christ unmistakably known to those who don’t already know Him. And it’s done in the most delightful way!
It is no cliche to say that the world needs God. Truly, God has been so far removed from present-day civilization that those who don’t know God would be hard-pressed to find Him. Modern worldview culture has made it difficult to see God amidst all the disjointed and discombobulated beliefs. But God is here! He’s not hiding or avoiding us. God desires us! God is pursuing us each and every day. We need only to open our hearts to find Him.
…If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. (Jer 29:13-14a NLT)
To find Jesus is to find God. If those who seek God need Jesus to find Him, we who already know Jesus must make Christ known to those who do not. How we fulfill that call to make Christ known can be varied. The one thing that isn’t varied is the responsibility of every Christ follower to share Jesus.
In what way will you fulfill the beautiful call to share Jesus and help others know God?
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Written by Kassie Lamoureux, Executive Assistant for Iron Rose Sister Ministries
The week after our college graduation, my friend, Emma, was getting married. I was so excited about the wedding for many reasons; one being that I was finally going to meet Emma’s older sister. I had heard story after story about her over the past few years. And Emma always said, “Oh, you’re going to love her.” A few days before the wedding, Emma’s sister arrived! The first thing I said to her was, “We’ve never met, but I feel like I know you because of how much Emma has talked about you.”
Just as I felt as if I knew Emma’s sister through the stories she told, others should feel as if they know Christ through us as His disciples. We should be talking about the great things Jesus has done in our lives so that the world knows Him. We should be telling others about Him and saying, “Oh, you’re going to love Him.”
Making Jesus known should be a natural response to encountering His love. But it is also a command He gives us. In the book of Matthew, Jesus’ parting words to the apostles before He ascended into heaven were His instructions to spread the Good News so that more would come to know Him.
All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Mt 28:18-20 CSB)
It is significant that this command to the apostles is the very last event recorded in Matthew. Jesus had just resurrected, and we know from other gospels that He was about to ascend to heaven. I imagine the apostles were asking Jesus lots of questions about what would happen next. So, Jesus left the apostles with an instruction of what they should do once He was no longer physically with them: Go and tell!
This final command to the apostles is of such importance that it has been given a special name by which we refer: The Great Commission. The word “commission” comes from the same root word as “commitment.” As followers of Jesus, we need to be committed to telling others about Him.
The most notable disciple in Acts who committed himself to making Christ known is Paul. He went on several journeys, for years at a time to introduce people to Jesus. He often returned years later to encourage the church, reminding them of “the Lord in whom they believed.”
When they had appointed elders for them in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (Ac 14:23)
The Great Commission was not only a command for the early disciples. All are called to share the Good News of Jesus.
Another way to think about the word “commission” is to break it down into two parts:
- “Co” – with, together, joint
- “Mission” – assignment, operation, task, or goal
The Great Commission is the invitation for us as Jesus’ disciples to join (co-) in Jesus’ operation (-mission) to bring all people to God— to make Him known throughout all the world. How cool it is that we have an all-powerful God who doesn’t need our help, but He invites us to participate in the story He is unfolding!
Today, how can you join God’s mission in making Him known? Who can you tell about Jesus? And don’t forget to add “Oh, you’re going to love Him.”