Series: Bridges
God sent Jesus into the world on a mission - to seek and save that which had been lost to God. But before we can understand Jesus' mission, we first have to see the world the way God sees it.
But how could God reach out past the walls that we put up around our lives? God created people with the ability to make their own choices in life. But people have used this ability to reject God - sometimes out of ignorance, sometimes out of rebellion. Mankind has chosen a path that does not include God. As a world, we've shut God out. And this is the condition of so many lives today.
But the good news is: "...God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).God sent Jesus into the world to break through the walls we build against God. Jesus became the door through the wall. Jesus became our link back to God.
The biggest change that can happen in your life is when you begin to love God more than anything this world has to offer. We are special people. The Bible calls us "aliens and strangers in the world" (1 Peter 2:11) and says that "our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20). Jesus Himself said about you: "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it" (John 17:16).
What a difference this makes to your life! All the old struggle is gone. You are a dead person to this world! The simple secret to living in the world is to live in the life of Jesus! Listen to the words of Jesus:
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing...As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love" (John 15:5,9).
Jesus said: "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me...This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples" (John 15:4,8).
Jesus said: "...As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21).Jesus has given us the same mission that the Father gave Him: to introduce people back to God. When God sent Jesus into the world, His priority was reconciliation - bringing people back into relationship with Himself. Read 2 Corinthians 5:18-20. This is now our mission: to bring others into relationship with God.
God is not asking you to go and bring others back to God all by yourself. He gives you His Spirit to help you in this mission. Even Jesus - God's own Son - said He couldn't do anything by Himself. But He saw the work God was already doing in people's hearts and He then joined God in His work. As you reach out to your friends and family, ask God to help you to understand the work He is already doing - and then co-operate with God.
Jesus said: "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). You don't have to wait until you "know it all" before you begin telling others about Jesus. God just asks you to give to others what you yourself have received from God - nothing more, nothing less.
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Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in these studies are from the
New International Version of the Bible, & copy; New York International Bible
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