Author: Nathaniel Colt

Read about It

Read: Acts 16:6–10

Paul, the missionary, traveled far and wide, telling others about the love of Jesus. He started churches, trained leaders, and encouraged new Christians. The Holy Spirit led Paul. He knew that he needed to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading so the Church could grow. He kept traveling and preaching, but the Holy Spirit stopped him from going to a certain place. What was he to do? Then, in a dream, Paul saw a man from Macedonia begging for help. Paul didn’t think twice. He immediately left for Macedonia to spread the good news about Jesus there.

Who do you know that needs to hear? Everyone needs to hear about Jesus! But, just one person can’t tell the entire world. Paul, the first missionary, who started many churches and saw many come to Jesus, couldn’t reach the whole world alone.

Like Paul, we need to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead us and guide us. He will show us where to go and who to talk to. Like Paul, we can obey when the Holy Spirit calls. Listen carefully for times you think the Holy Spirit is leading you. It could be in prayer time, or it could be during your day. He can help you know who to tell about Jesus. He helps you know where to go. Keep working for Jesus and sharing His love. When the Holy Spirit speaks to you, then obey!

Read about It

Read: Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13

Jesus reminded the Pharisees about an instructive Bible verse from Hosea. As religious leaders, they told others how to act and what to do to be close to God. The Pharisees offered sacrifices and taught the Law. They did certain good things for God. But their hearts were far from God, and it was clear because they weren’t ready to offer mercy. Mercy means to show forgiveness to someone who deserves to be punished.

When these leaders saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors, they couldn’t believe it! Why would Jesus spend time with bad people? Jesus knew that sacrifices and following the Law were good. But Jesus also knew that loving others was even more important. The sinners and tax collectors needed mercy. They needed Jesus more than any sacrifice or good deed. This was a time to put mercy before rules.

Imagine you are playing soccer with your friends. The score is tied, and you are about to score the winning point. But as you are about to kick the ball, you notice someone from the other team has tripped. The kid is hurt. The rules say you should score the goal. But what would mercy tell you to do? Jesus always looks at people first. He loves them. He shows them mercy. Sharing God’s love means sometimes we have to look beyond the man-made rules. We have to look at the person and show love and mercy the way Jesus did.

Read about It

Read: Matthew 9:11–12

Matthew made a quick decision to follow Jesus, which forever changed his life. So, what was the first thing he did to celebrate his new life? He had a dinner at his house! Matthew invited other tax collectors and sinners to come to sit at the table with Jesus and His disciples. Matthew knew that the One who called him loved these other sinners too. The Pharisees, however, seemed unhappy about it. What kind of man was Jesus who hung out with sinners? Why did Jesus sit down and eat with these types of people? Jesus replied, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Jesus knew that He came to heal the sick and broken. Matthew was one of those people. Because Jesus saved him, Matthew could not help but tell others who needed to hear!

Jesus wasn’t talking about people who had a cough, fever, or even needed to go to the hospital. He was talking about people living in a way that wasn’t honoring Him. There may be many people in your school, your neighborhood, and even your church who aren’t living for Jesus. Some people may have forgotten about them. Others may have labeled them as cheaters, liars, or bad kids. Jesus hasn’t forgotten them. He offers them new labels like friend, worthy, and good. We can be like Matthew and “set the table.” What does that mean? We can invite others and allow them to meet Jesus!

Read about It

Read: Matthew 9:9–11

Jesus was assembling His team of closest disciples. Some of the men He called were from different places. Jesus called fishermen from their boats. In this Scripture, He called a tax collector from his booth. These men had something in common. When they had an encounter with Jesus, each man’s life turned upside down!

Matthew was a tax collector, a person many people did not like. They thought that tax collectors were bad people. When Jesus called him, Matthew had a choice to make: Would he go with Jesus? The Bible says that Matthew immediately left his booth and followed Jesus. Something about Jesus made Matthew go without hesitation. His life would be forever different!

What was Jesus like that made people decide to change their life in an instant? While we don’t have Jesus with us in the flesh today, we know from the Bible who He is. Jesus is the King of kings. He is the Lord of lords. Jesus is good, kind, and merciful. He is the Best Friend we could ever ask for. We don’t even have enough words to describe how great Jesus is!

Have you experienced how great He is? There are millions of people in the world, just like Matthew, whom Jesus is calling to come to follow Him. He uses us to share the good news with them. They may be people that others don’t like. Some may be people others think badly of. Even so, Jesus loves them! He has an amazing plan for each person’s life. One encounter with Jesus can change everything. Let’s share the good news with others so they can leave everything and follow Him.

Read about It

Read: Acts 22:17–21

Paul, the person God is speaking to in these verses, was a hero of faith. He chose to go and tell others about Jesus. Paul was different from some Early Church leaders. He didn‘t preach just to people like him. God told him to go to people in other places, too! Paul was a Jew, and God sent him to people who weren’t Jewish—the Gentiles. Paul’s call meant the good news was for everyone! Paul became a missionary. A missionary is someone who is sent to a different place or people group to share the good news about Jesus. Jesus sent Paul on a mission. Paul had a role to play. Paul chose to say yes. Because of this, people all over the world now know Jesus!

Over two thousand years later, millions of people now know Jesus because Paul chose to go. In the same way, God is calling you to the missions field He has for you. It could be your neighbor next door. It could be your friends at school. It could be people in your city or another country! The good news of Jesus is not just for you. The good news is for you to share with others. Always remember that you have a role to play. People’s lives can be transformed when you choose to obey Jesus and go!

Read about It

Read: Luke 10:17–20

The disciples came back from their mission, and they were excited! They had likely seen some amazing things when they spoke the name of Jesus. The disciples now had confidence. They had been faithful in this role. Jesus had given the disciples authority over the power of the enemy, the devil, and they had acted on that. They could walk into danger and be safe. More people could hear about Jesus because the disciples were walking in authority!

What does having authority mean? Think of a talent you have—something you are good at doing. You can confidently join in when you walk into a room and someone talks about that. Why? Because you have the authority to do so. A doctor has authority in a hospital. A pastor has authority in a church. A teacher has authority in a classroom. They know what they are doing. They have experience. They are an authority!

Followers of Jesus can walk in authority as well. Our authority as Christians comes from Jesus. We know Him and have experienced His love and power. We know that Jesus saves, heals, and sets people free from sin. So, we can tell others about Jesus with authority because we know who He is.

Read about It

Read: Luke 10:10–16; Acts 13:48–52

Jesus wisely prepared His disciples about how to handle being rejected. Sometimes, people did not want to hear about the love of Jesus. Sometimes they did not just refuse Jesus, but they refused His disciples too. For the disciples, that could be a moment that hurt their feelings. When people said no to the disciples, they also said no to Jesus. Because of this, Jesus told the disciples to wipe the dust from their feet and keep going! In the world, not everyone is going to say yes to Jesus. Our purpose is to tell others the good news. Our role is how we do it—by writing a story, playing a sport, being a missionary, working in a store, whatever we choose to do. It is up to them to accept Jesus for themselves.

Being told no can hurt. We love Jesus so much that we want others to love Him too! Jesus gives us this reminder so that we will not give up. When others say no when we tell them about Jesus, they are not rejecting us. They are saying no to Him. Is it still worth it to tell others about Jesus? Absolutely! Even though someone may say no now, God is always working on that person’s heart. In time, we can have faith that their no will turn into a yes for Jesus as we continue to show them God’s love.

Read about It

Read: Luke 10:1–4

The seventy-two disciples had their mission from Jesus. Two by two, they were sent out ahead of Jesus to prepare for His arrival. So many people needed to hear about Jesus! How were the disciples going to reach all these people? The work ahead was going to be hard. They needed to trust God for their protection and needs. Many things could distract them from their mission. But they obeyed Jesus anyway. These disciples chose to go!

Imagine that you are on a life-or-death mission. The road ahead is long, and you have to get there quickly. You don’t have time to stop because the task is too important. This mission sounds tough! But, this is a lot like how Jesus tells us to be on our mission to share the good news about Him. The message of Jesus changes lives! When He tells us to go and tell others, we must choose to move forward in faith. When we join with others who love Jesus and work on the mission together, we become unstoppable!