September 1, 2005

 

For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

--Romans 9:3-5

 

What prompted Paul’s burden for others salvation? Conversion! Paul never got over the fact that he was saved, saved, saved! If you’re a believer and you’ve experienced salvation in Jesus and have had a personal encounter with Him, then it becomes the natural course of life to tell others about Him.

 

The Spirit of God dwells within us when we’ve accepted Christ. So what is His work after bringing us to salvation? It is to work through us, so that we may introduce others to Christ and equip them to be disciples and followers of Him. A witness simply tells what he or she has seen or heard. In sharing Christ, we are simply telling what has happened to us, just as Paul did.

 

Many times in the book of Acts when Paul shared his faith, he began with a personal testimony—his experience of grace in Jesus. Let’s face it—many people today are just not sharing Christ and what He’s done in their lives. Many Christians today have been saved, but they’ve gotten over it. Paul never got over it!

 

Paul couldn’t believe that God would love him so much and he spent the rest of his days telling others what Jesus had done for him. We also should be compelled by the love of Christ to share His name and the truth with our lost world. So many are looking for truth or maybe their idea of truth has been distorted. It is our job as believers to take the truth of God’s holy Word to them. Ask God to equip you to share His message.

 

OUR BURDEN IS TO BE PROMPTED BY OUR CONVERSION AND COMPASSION FOR OTHERS WHO NEED JESUS.