Obeying the Command

(Matt 5:2) “And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,” 

A command is not obeyed unless it is yielded to, and obeying is not obedience unless it is done in its entirety.  I am reminded of the lyrics of the popular song: “Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe: Doing exactly what the Lord commands.”  I am also thinking about King Saul who was rejected from being king because he was disobedient.  In 1 Sam 15:22, the Bible declares: “… Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” Beloved, if disobedience is not a good thing at all, and obedience is what the Lord delights in, would it not behove us to make sure we are obeying our Lord and Savior’s commands?  I know there are many of them and obedience in one does not excuse disobedience in another, however the command I want to touch on is found, among other places in scripture, in Mark 16:15: “And he said unto themGo ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”  When do we actually preach the gospel? 

Let us start by answering when we do not preach the gospel.  We do not preach the gospel in our lifestyle.  I am not suggesting that we live anyhow we feel (Matt 5:16).  Anyone who names the name of Christ and lives how he feels – it is highly probable that he is not saved.  However, the Christian who thinks that his holy life sufficiently negates the need to tell anyone about the only One who can save everyone is not obeying Mark 16:15. 

We do not preach the gospel by inviting folks to church.  Many folks have been saved after having been invited to church.  I stand as a fruit of being invited to church and responding to the gospel.  But if we only invite folks to church who, more than 50% of the time, do not come anyway and neglect to diligently preach the gospel to them, we are not obeying Mark 16:15.  See: A Warm Invitation to Church

We do not preach the gospel by handing out a tract.  This may seem a bit farfetched for some, but while handing out a tract may prove to be a good tool to disseminating the message, it is not preaching the gospel.  I can think of many men who were saved by reading a tract, however that does not excuse us from the responsibility to go and preach.  

Beloved, while inviting others to church is admirable, and handing out a tract is commendable, and living Christ-like is profitable, when these things are done, we cannot say we have obeyed the command in Mark 16:15.  Many times we may just be hiding behind these good works as an excuse to not actually obey.  So when do we actually preach the gospel?  We preach the gospel, and thereby obey Mark 16:15, when we actually open our mouths and expound the gospel.  Observe the apostles of the early church in the book of Acts.  They did not just go around having people look at their separated lives, though they did live separated lives.  They did not just go around inviting others to church and handing out tracts.  No!  They preached!  Let me encourage you: when the next opportunity is presented for you to share the gospel with someone, prayerfully and boldly open your mouth.  If that opportunity is truly not there, a tract is an excellent tool, but not an excuse. 

Another good read: 5 Reasons You Are Not Soul-Winning

Removing Barriers Blog

Apologetic argument doesn’t save people, but it certainly clears the obstacles so they can take a direct look at the Cross of Christ. -R

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