Impacting Our Own Corner

As Christians we can become quite overwhelmed with the command Jesus commissioned us with: 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…” (Matthew 28:19-20).

We can make the mistake believing that the whole world is on our shoulders. While this command was for all Christians, even Paul and Peter, the great apostles, knew who their calling was to and filled it intentionally. They did not go to all the nations. They each had a slice of this earth in which to spread the gospel.  Paul went to the Gentiles and Peter to the circumcised (Jewish).

Now let me ask you a question, “Why do you think God had 120 disciples gathered at Pentecost to receive the Holy Spirit who enabled them to speak many different languages?  At the same time this was happening every nation under heaven was represented in Jerusalem. Was that coincidence? Of course not. God does not work in the world of coincidence. He works in His sovereign, meticulous laid out plan for mankind. Each disciple was anointed with the Holy Spirit and given a gift of ONE foreign language, so they could speak the gospel to the ONE slice of this earth represented in Jerusalem. Once the gospel was received by that person, they in turn could go to their nation and share the gospel.  Each of the 120 disciples was faithful to their calling and to their gift. Result: the gospel spread like wildfire!

God has given you and me, and each Christian a slice of this world to share His good news of Jesus Christ. Some He has given a country (even in this, only a slice). Some, he has given neighbors, co-workers, or family members. Parents, God has given you your children. He did not give each of us the whole world, only a slice. When we start trespassing in the areas God has not given to us to reach, it keeps us from impacting those God has assigned to us. Sadly, when we don't focus on God's assignment, we constipate the process of the gospel being widely spread. 

I know too many parents who focus more on missions and serving their community than their own children. They forget the very young disciples in their home, or at best give them the leftovers (if there is any left). God does not just give us children to enjoy or to pass along the family line. We have a responsibility to make disciples of each one. This is our Jerusalem. We may find as parents we are in our Jerusalem more than any other place. It's a season, but one that is critical to the spiritual upbringing of each child. If we are not careful to disciple our children, we end up adding to the masses of the lost that need to be reached, when we could be adding to the ranks of disciple-makers who are leading those far from God to Christ. 

Let us be laser-focused on God’s calling for each of us. We all have one mission: share the gospel with the lost. But we all have different people, groups, and communities in which to fulfill that mission. Time is passing – let’s stop wasting it by playing in another’s corner and start impacting our own corner whatever that may be.