Are You Fulfilling the King's Mandate? Here Are Tips to Get You Going!

Imagine your best friend has just invited you to his wedding, and told you to invite everyone you know to the special event. Those who hear of the event will be the ones who are lucky enough to attend it. If you do not share this good news, you will be guilty of not obeying the order.

So it is up to you to tell your friends, family, co-workers about the mandate. You may even need to travel out of your town or province to spread the word. The fate of your friends--whether they will be privileged enough to attend the wedding--lies in your hands.

What would you do? Would you ignore your friend's order and keep the news of the wedding all to yourself? Would you attend the ceremony alone, knowing that your friends are at home, being left in the dark?

What would you decide if this situation were real?

Actually, this situation IS real. You WILL make a difference in other people's future, depending on whether you do share the good news. If you share the good news, they will be able to rejoice alongside you once the day arrives. If you do not, would you truly enjoy the day when it arrives, without your friends with you?

What is this "day"? What in the world am I really talking about anyway?

The friend's mandate and the situation are real, but with some differences, of course. Here is the actual situation we are in:

Instead of your best friend, it is our future King Jesus Christ. Instead of the order to spread the news of the wedding, it is the order to spread the Gospel, the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, and the Kingdom of God.

Jesus' specific order is: "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:19-20)

Note that we are to "go" and "make," as he commanded. We are to reach ALL nations. In order to reach nations, we need to reach every ethnic group in the nations, just as we would need to reach each individual in any given group.

Also note that we are to teach others what we are commanded. Therefore, in order to teach others what Jesus commanded, we first need to know ourselves what he taught. Where can we learn what he taught? How can we obtain the necessary materials for us to teach others?

Fortunately for us, Jehovah God, who is the Father of Jesus, has recorded down all the necessary teachings of Jesus in the Bible, along with his good works, which are examples we can and should model after. Once we obtain the knowledge from reading the Bible and studying it, we need to first apply what we learn to our daily living.

What makes a good teacher?

Is it someone who teaches not to steal but does it himself? Or is it someone who teaches not to steal in both speech and conduct? It is the teacher who teaches through his words and actions, isn't it?

To be effective teachers, we must do what we teach. By first applying Bible teachings in your lives, you can then be the teacher others can learn from. If you do not do what you teach, you will confuse your students, and worse yet, you can wrongly give the impression to them that it is okay to say one thing and do another. This is why it is important to familiarize yourself with Jesus' teachings and do them.

What did Jesus teach?

He taught us...

• To love Jehovah and our neighbors--any person around us. These two principles are the most important of all principles; they are the principles upon which all other principles are built. We should treat others the way we want to be treated. Hate people lying about you? Then don't lie about others. Don't want your spouse or significant other to cheat on you? Then don't cheat on them.

• About the Kingdom of God. What is the Kingdom of God? It is a Kingdom that will be fully established upon Earth, governed by Jehovah and Jesus from Heaven. It is a Kingdom that will rule for eternity, putting an end to all human governments. Inhabitants of this Kingdom will never grow old, get sick, or die. It is a Kingdom of perfect holiness, love, peace, and joy.

• About our salvation. Jesus said that he is the way, the life, the truth, and that no one can go to God without going through him. What does all this mean to us?

Jehovah God is the King of His Kingdom, which will be entrusted to Jesus as King for one thousand years. If we cannot connect with God, we surely cannot enter His Kingdom. So when we can have connection with God only through His Son, it means we can enter the Kingdom only through Jesus. No one can enter the Kingdom without accepting Jesus as Savior. He is the "way" to salvation. He is our eternal "life." He is the "truth" that will lead us to God and God's Kingdom. Jesus is "Yahooshua" in Hebrew, which means "Jehovah Is Salvation." "Christ" means "the Appointed One." So Jesus is the one appointed by God to provide us salvation, while salvation ultimately comes from Jehovah.

What is salvation? Why is Jesus our "Savior"? From what are we "saved"?

Those who do not put their trust in Jesus will be "unsaved" or lost. Simply put, they will not enter the Kingdom of God. Instead, the lost will be lost forever--they will be dead for eternity.

Death is a state of non-existence. It is the same condition as before you were born. We all die eventually, but the saved will be resurrected on God's appointed day into eternal life; the unsaved will be resurrected, judged, and sent into eternal death. So the unsaved will remain as though they were never born. They will enter the second death we know as "hell." The first death is temporary death, whereas the second death is eternal death. When we have faith in Jesus, we will be saved. He in turn becomes our Savior. Salvation is what we experience and receive when we are saved.

When are we saved?

We are saved the moment we 1) repent of anything bad we've ever done and 2) accept Jesus as Savior. Accepting Jesus as Savior means that we have accepted his teachings and diligently applied them to our lives. Simply believing in Jesus does not give us salvation. If belief is all that's needed, then Satan can be saved, too!

Why do we need salvation?

Salvation is saving us from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death. What is sin? Sin is an offense you commit against God, just like a crime is an offense we commit against one another. We have all sinned one way or another, so we are all prone to die eternally. But Jesus, through his sacrifice, has saved us from eternal death. We will all die someday, but the saved will be resurrected just before God's Kingdom is established upon Earth. That's when our eternal life begins.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him." (John 3:16-17, ASV)

In conclusion, people who do not know about salvation will be lost. This is why it is vital to spread the Gospel--the good news of salvation and God's Kingdom. Yes, you play a crucial role in spreading the news! Do you want your friends and family to be saved? Then it's up to you to tell them about the Gospel!

Now that you know the basics of Jesus' teachings, it is up to you to go on to the next steps on your way to fulfilling Jesus' Great Commission.

This is what you should do before you teach the good news:

• Personally accept Jesus as your Savior. You can't tell others to receive salvation when you haven't done it yourself!
• Repent for all the bad things you've ever done, ask God for forgiveness, and live a renewed life by applying Jesus' teachings.
• Forgive others as God forgives you.
• Humble yourself. Humility opens the door to wisdom, whereas pride closes it. Modesty allows God to work His powers in you. Remember, you are sent out to fulfill your responsibility, in order to serve God's purpose; you aren't doing God a favor.
• Pray and study the Bible regularly. Pray from your heart, not just from your head. Be truthful and sincere. Pour out your heart to God. Pray for His will to be fulfilled on Earth, as it's in heaven. And pray that He will help you as you evangelize. Ask Him to send you His Holy Spirit, who empowers each believer to be a powerful witness of the Gospel.
• Make sure your lifestyle reflects what you learn and teach from the Bible.
• Keep in mind of these basic elements of the Gospel:
*The first people were created in perfection, but when they sinned, they died because death is the penalty of sin. Since all people sin, all people must die.
*Jehovah does not like everyone to die, since His purpose is to fill the Earth with people who could have an everlasting fellowship with Him. So He has a solution...
*That solution is Jesus Christ, who died in order to wash away our sins, so we can saved into eternal life with God.
*Jesus died, and on the third day, was resurrected by God.
*Jesus' sacrifice doesn't automatically ensure us salvation. Each person has to personally respond to it by 1) repenting and 2) accepting Jesus as Savior and Master.
*Each individual's positive response has to remain for their lifetime. Otherwise, they will lose this gift.
*Salvation is only through Jesus, not through anyone else, nor through doing good works only, nor through any church or denomination. Denominations are manmade. We should never focus on the manmade, but God-made.
*Remember, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (II Peter 3:9, ASV)
*For more basic facts about the Gospel, including why particularly Jesus had to die in order to save us, read my article: http://tinyurl.com/ylaafno

Tips for evangelism:

• Be gentle, loving, and compassionate. Without love, everything else is useless; it profits nothing.
• Stick to the facts in the Word of God. Don't argue.
• Ask, "Do you have any questions," "Do you understand what I just said?"
•In the end, ask for the ultimate response: Do you want to be saved?

One final word before you go on to spreading the Gospel: do not be discouraged or give up when some people refuse your message. Your responsibility is to share the Gospel; only God can convict and convert people. While we wish all people to be saved, not everyone will be saved. It is a very sad fact, but it should not hinder us from moving on to those who will accept our message.

Also, when you spread the good news, you will encounter problems of all kinds--your friends may discourage you, strangers may mock you, and you may even question yourself.

But be strong, ask God to guide you, and do the work of an evangelist (someone who proclaims the good news), steadfastly, compassionately, and boldly. Use your very best effort. Make evangelizing your number one priority in life, the natural part of your daily routine. Let your concern for the lost motivate you!

Do not be discouraged for the sake of others whom you can positively affect for eternity! Yes, this is the only work where you can change someone's life, forever.

When we recognize the importance and urgency of reaching the world with the Gospel, we will be motivated to constant action. The unsaved are lost sheep. We must find them and lead them back to God...before the end comes.

"And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14, KJV) "The end" is the end of our evil world and the beginning of God's Kingdom. Indeed, the Kingdom will come only when the world is reached with the good news!

All my best to you as you fulfill the King's mandate! If you need a bit of guidance, or have some questions about salvation, God's Kingdom, Jesus' teachings, etc., I'm here to help! So please do not hesitate to e-mail me via http://www.shirleycheng.com