Responsibility

I grew up going to church and hearing all the Bible stories. I believed them and believed in God. I knew they must be true but I didn't know that I was missing something very important. Until I was seven years old and visiting a friend's church, no one ever told me that believing the stories wasn't enough. I knew who Jesus was, I believed what I had heard and read, but that wasn't enough either. That day during a children's worship service, I learned that I needed to make a decision to accept salvation in order to be a Christian, to have eternal life. I knew I already believed and I was ready to make that decision. Why hadn't anyone ever told me this before? Toward the end of the service, the pastor asked anyone who wanted to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior to walk to the front of the church. I remember praying for Jesus to save me from my sins so that I could go to heaven when I died. At that time, I didn't understand my faith fully, like an adult, but I knew that Jesus was the answer. I had always known that I think, I just didn't know the question. I'm still not sure I know the full depth and breadth of the question, but Jesus is the answer.

Acts 8:26-40
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, Go over and join this chariot. So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, Do you understand what you are reading? And he said, How can I, unless someone guides me? And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him.Who can describe his generation?For his life is taken away from the earth. And the eunuch said to Philip, About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else? Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized? And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

If Philip had not been there to explain the scriptures to the Ethiopian, he would have stayed in the dark spiritually. The Ethiopian was a lot like I was as a young child. He had the scriptures in front of him and he could read them for himself, he may even have believed that they were true; however, he was unaware of the full meaning in the stories and the necessity for him to make a decision one way or the other. Without someone to share with him and explain to him, the Ethiopian would have remained spiritually dead, lost in the depravity of sin.

Just as Philip had a responsibility to share the message of Jesus with the Ethiopian and present him with the truth, so am I faced with that same responsibility. I must share the truth and allow the Holy Spirit to move in me to let others know about the most important decision they will ever be faced with. If I don't tell them, who will? If I won't face my responsibility to present Jesus' offer of salvation, their lostness is my fault.

Ezekiel 2:7
And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house

Just as the Lord commanded Ezekiel, I must speak His words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear. It is not my job to decide who will accept His offer and who will refuse it. My job is obedience in speaking His words and sharing the truth in love. Ezekiel obeyed God and ate the scroll; he spoke the word of the Lord and fulfilled his responsibility. Just like Ezekiel, I must eat the scroll, fill myself with the word of the Lord so I can share the truth in love to those the Lord brings me to. I must speak His word to them. Lamentations should fill my heart for those who don't know the choice that sits before them of glorious reunion with the Father. How selfish am I to not share that?

As I sit and think about the coming months, I am filled with anticipation. I know that the Lord is going to move and work through our team, but I have no idea what that will look like. I want very much to leave Johannesburg having seen the work the Lord will so there. I want to see the whole city come to know Christ. I want to be used by the Lord in the process. I desperately desire for those people to know the Love that is waiting for them. However, I know that the Lord's ways are not my ways and He may only choose to use me to plant seeds there. I may spend four and a half months planting, watering, and tending those seeds only to pass their care on to another who will see the growth the Lord is doing and reap the harvest for Him. I have often been a sower and seldom a reaper. I understand that all jobs are equal in the Lord's service as we work together to bring other closer to Him, but so much sowing leads to discouragement.

Lord, please fill me with Your joy in whatever role You place me. I know You have a plan and a purpose for every conversation, every seed planted, watered, tended, and reaped. Please allow me to fill whichever of those role You have for me. I want to be Your love to the nations. Please, give me Your eyes to see and Your arms to reach further than I can even fathom. I want to see others the way you see them and to love them the way You love them. Help me to shine Your light so others can get a glimpse of You, Jesus!