01/10/2025
Why are we called, and for what reason do we deliver the gospel to the unsaved? As I contemplated my scripture and devotional reading this morning, I recalled Oswald Chambers speaking on this subject with these words:
"The first sovereign work of grace is summed up in the words "that they may receive remission of sins." When a man fails in personal Christian experience, it is nearly always because he has never received anything." - Oswald Chambers
Chambers is referring to this scripture in Acts where Paul is being spoken to by the resurrected Jesus. The Lord reveals in this scripture why He has sent Paul to the Gentiles. In this short verse we realize that we, like Paul, are sent to turn people to God. The second part of this scripture tells us why... so that they can be forgiven their sins and receive an inheritance with those who have already been sanctified. Let's read the passage of scripture:
“But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’”
Acts 26:16-18 ESV
Just realizing that our God, the God of the Jews, is the one true God, and claiming Him for our own, and accepting Jesus Christ as His son, is not enough... it is simply the first step in a pilgrimage of faith that will carry us through life. Don't get me wrong, these are essential, and absolutely amazing steps, but they are none the less the first steps down the road towards eternity. The next step is to ask for and receive forgiveness for our sins. At this point we have been given a dispensation of grace and mercy that carries us forward to the next steps in the journey. It is in baptism and communion that we are taken around the first bend in the road that brings us to a place where we can no longer see our starting point. We are beginning to receive the knowledge and an understanding of who our God is and begin receiving blessings from Him.
What would have happened if we had merely recognized God and Jesus for who they are, claimed them for our Lords, and asked for forgiveness of our sins... then gone no further? This is a precarious place that many find themselves in. As babies in their faith, they can only receive the food of babies, and like children, they are easily led in the wrong direction.
I love to watch nature documentaries on television, and especially enjoy those that show new life... young animals being born. But it doesn't take long to realize that this is perhaps the single most dangerous moment in their lives. It isn't dangerous because of the birth process (although that isn't without its own difficulties), but because of the predators who see these young animals as an easy meal.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
1 Peter 5:8 ESV
New Christians are an easy meal for Satan. They need to get on their feet and stay within the herd of adult Christians for protection... and they need to do this quickly. The scent of the afterbirth must be cleaned from them and the afterbirth itself left behind. This is accomplished through baptism, communion, and following the congregation as it navigates life by the will of God. Until we receive these initial gifts, we are incredibly vulnerable and easily identified by the evil that would devour us.
So, Chambers is right, until we receive something from God, we are prone to fail in our quest for abiding faith, and until the church takes this new soul into its midst and nurtures it, there is much danger and uncertainty. As missionaries, our job is to bring new souls to God, but it can't stop there. We need to encourage these young Christians to get up on their feet and join the herd; we need to feed them their first meals of scripture and bring them to a place where they can feed themselves; and then we need to teach them those early lessons that will make them hard for Satan to take down… how to answer temptation with scripture just as Jesus did by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3.
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:1-4 ESV
“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for those who brought me to you, and I especially thank you Lord for the early days of my faith and all the lessons I was taught, and blessings I received. Father, in those early days of danger, I felt your hand upon me, ensuring that I would not succumb to Satan, or the world once again. Thank you for the knowledge, wisdom, understanding your Spirit brought, and your many blessings as you nurtured me. Now, as I bring others to you, give me the same patience and wisdom used in saving me to encourage these newborn babes and young children. Use me Abba to protect and preserve them for your kingdom. Help me to clothe them in your holy armor and to arm them with the weapons of your Word, so that they too will be strong in their faith and stand tall in their understanding… able to teach and defend the generations upon generations to come. Praised be your name Lord God, and praised be the name of our Savior, your Son Jesus. Hear our voices as we defend ourselves against temptation with your Word and pray scripture in the name of Jesus. See us as pure and call us worthy as you bless us you’re your promise of eternity in your presence. Great are you Father, and greatly to be praised. Holy are you my God, my Lord, my Father, and my Abba forevermore! And to this all of God’s children say…
Amen! Amen! Amen!
“5 He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.”
Psalm 78:5-8
Rich Forbes