Author: Nathaniel Colt

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!

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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.

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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.

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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!

Read about It

Read: John 1:32–34

Before Jesus was named as Messiah at the Jordan River, God had been speaking to John. He had spent years getting to know God. John knew what God loved and hated. He knew the good and faithful God that He is. God had told John about the coming Messiah. Because of this, John could boldly tell others, or testify, about Jesus’ identity before the people. John made this moment simple for those people there to understand. John also confirmed the truth from his heart. In case the people didn’t get it before, he told them directly. Jesus was the Messiah, the Chosen One!

The longer and more seriously we follow Jesus, the better we’ll know Him and His truth. When you spend time with a friend, you know more about who they are. You know what they like and dislike, their great qualities, and their true heart. If someone were to ask you about your friend, you could tell them directly and truthfully who they are. The same is true with Jesus. When we spend time with Him in prayer, reading the Bible, and being with others who are following Him, we can give testimony to who He is. Our testimony is part of our purpose to bring others to Jesus!

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Read: John 1:29–31

John the Baptist knew his purpose. He worked for years to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. Yet, for most of that time, he did not see who he was preparing for. John had preached and baptized people in water. People were repenting of their sin. John had prepared the people and himself so well. Because of this, everyone was ready for the great reveal of Jesus! John’s preparation led people to Jesus.

Think of preparing a cake. You need to have all the right ingredients in the right amounts. You must have the right tools. You have to bake the cake for the perfect amount of time. Sometimes, putting in all that work is a long process, but it is worth it in the end when we have a delicious piece of a sugary, sweet dessert! God’s purpose for our life can work in the same way. We prepare, we work hard, and we plan. We listen to God’s voice. We read the Bible. We serve, give, and tell others about Jesus. We creatively use our talents and gifts for Him. All this preparation can lead to one sweet result—Jesus can be revealed to the world!

Read about It

Read: John 1:19–24

The word purpose means the reason something exists. God has a purpose for each one of us. John the Baptist was confident in his purpose in God’s kingdom. He knew exactly what he was born to do. He baptized people in the Jordan River and surrounding areas. He told people to get their hearts ready for God’s kingdom.

In the same way, John knew who he was not. The priests and temple assistants asked him. John boldly and clearly told them he was not the Messiah, Elijah, or the prophet they were looking for. Instead, he let them know his purpose. John’s purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus.

We all have a purpose too. Each of us must do our job so that Jesus’ mission can be completed. God is the one who lets us know our purpose when we seek after Him. When we know who God is, we know who we are. Each of us has a unique purpose. But God also calls each of us to one purpose that’s like John’s—to point people to Jesus.