“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isa. 6:8 NIV)

 Where are you meant to go?

If you’ve been a Christian for a while and attend church regularly, you’ve probably been exposed to Bible passages that tell you to “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15). Or maybe you’ve heard amazing stories from missionaries who tell about their calling to go and share Christ in far away countries like Africa. But even though you appreciate what they do, you don’t feel “called” to do the same as them or to leave where you are now living and go to some remote location to proclaim Christ. You feel like you’re an average person who just lives and works day-to-day within your own community, and you’re going about trying to make a living. So, how do you handle those “go and proclaim the gospel” verses? First, let’s start by considering what Isaiah did.

Isaiah responded to God 

The Bible says plainly in the passage at the top of the page that Isaiah was responding to what he specifically heard God say and he answered accordingly and did exactly the right thing! And we should of course do the same when we know for sure that God is speaking to us (James 1:22).

God speaks clearly to us this way

God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16–17). And as we read it, the Holy Spirit teaches, instructs, and leads us (John 14:26; 1 John 2:27). When we find a passage that’s a general command directed to all, we don’t have to do any guesswork, we just do it. Just before He left, He said, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all creation.” It’s a commandment given to all Jesus’ followers, and that’s you, too!

One more time!

Let’s look a little closer at that verse again. “Jesus said, go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all creation.” Understand that “all the world” and “all creation” include your present community right where you now live and work along with everyone who’s in it—that’s the place and the people He placed you among to reach! Yes, you! It’s no accident you’re there, it’s by God’s design!

Therefore

So, your response to Jesus’ great commission should be the same as Isaiah’s, “Here am I, send me!”

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15)

“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 1:19-20 NLT)

On Easter Sunday, we celebrated the most powerful event in the history of the world: the resurrection of Jesus! And all of that power, according to the passage at the top of the page, is available to you as His follower and joint heir. That’s right—you have access to the same power displayed on the first Easter that raised Jesus from the dead 2,000 years ago! Just think about that for a moment and understand what it means to you and your future. The power of the resurrection is yours! So, no matter what you may be facing in your life today, God’s power is far greater!

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, (Eph. 2:20) 

Therefore

“Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;” (Col. 1:11)

And remember this, too! 

The resurrection of Jesus comes with another wonderful promise for you to look forward to. When you die some day, it won’t mean the end of your existence!

“By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also” (1 Cor. 6:14 NIV).

“That you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” (Eph. 1:18-21)

We have the good news

Yesterday, in the USA, was April Fool's Day, a time when people often play harmless jokes. However, there's a more serious kind of foolishness worth considering. In yesterday’s writing, I discussed a man whom God called a fool for selfishly planning his future, unaware of his impending death. Another example of this is the rich man from Luke 16:19–31, who also lived selfishly and suffered torment in hell, forever filled with regrets and with no hope of relief. The good news is that we don't have to meet the same fate. Jesus Christ offers us redemption, as demonstrated in the Easter celebration just past. Jesus explains this to Martha in the following passage.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” (John 11:25-26 NIV)

Therefore

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9)

“And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.” (Luke 12:18) 

Jesus told the story of a rich man who had obtained much wealth. But, instead of using it to help others, or to serve God, he had selfish plans!

“And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ (Luke 12:19)

It’s foolish to be selfish! 

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’” (Luke 13:20) 

In other words,

You never know how long you will live in this world. And once you die, what you attained will no longer be yours to do anything with; it will be out of your control and wasted.

Therefore

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4 ESV)

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:18-21)

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor. 15:17)

Because He arose, we are no longer in our sins!

Today, Easter Sunday, we have a lot to celebrate! Jesus did it for us! Not only did He lay down His life and shed His precious blood to pay for our sins, He also clinched it by rising from the dead!

Therefore

 Now we have forgiveness for our sins, we have new life while here, and we have new life with Him in heaven, forever!

“who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,” (Rom. 1:4)

“…from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood” (Rev. 1:5)

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” (1 John 5:11)

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” (1 Peter 3:18 ESV)

The righteous for the unrighteous

What Christ did for us on the cross is referred to by many as “the great exchange,” because He exchanged His righteousness for our unrighteousness.

Therefore

“But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence” (Col. 1:22)

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

Good Friday is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday and is the day Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross.

Jesus bore our sins, shame, and burden on the cross

We can celebrate on Good Friday because Christ's death was a sacrifice so that we could receive the gift of eternal life.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5)

The results changed the course of humanity

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Rom. 5:6-10)

Therefore

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isa. 61:10 ESV)

“Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” (Phil. 4:6)

The above passage is a command filled with great hope and promise. And if you examine each part of it, you can see that it’s a great passage to meditate on. One way to do this is to define each word and then read all the definitions one after the other. So, let’s do that below.

The primary words in the above verse defined

“Be ANXIOUS (Uneasy and apprehensive about an uncertain event or matter; worried.) 

…about NOTHING (No thing; not anything.)

…But in EVERYTHING (All things or all of a group of things.)

…by PRAYER: (A spiritual communication between man and God.)

…and SUPPLICATION: (A humble petition; an earnest request; an entreaty.)

…with THANKSGIVING: (The act of giving thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies.)

…LET: (To give permission or opportunity to; allow.)

…YOUR: (Belonging to you.)

…REQUESTS: (The act of asking for somethng.)

…be KNOWN: (Proved or generally recognized.)

…unto GOD”: (The perfect, omnipotent, omniscient creator, originator and ruler of the universe, the principal object of faith and worship.)

Therefore

The very next verse following the one at the top of the page gives you the promise that will happen when you obey that command: 

“and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7 NKJV)

Amen to that!

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12 NIV)

The people problem

Someone said the world would be perfect if it weren’t for people being there. You can say the same thing about your government, your city, your church, your neighborhood, and even closer to home, your marriage—about that, someone said, “I thought I was perfect until I got married, then my mate set me straight.”

It’s true for all of us! 

The Bible says every person is born with a sinful nature and is imperfect (Eccles. 7:20; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 3:23). Therefore, all of us suffer from being self-centered and impossible to please one hundred percent of the time (Prov. 14:12). If you have been born again and have new life in Jesus, you will still remain imperfect this side of heaven (Phil. 1:6). Therefore, since we’re all basically self-centered and imperfect by nature, there will continue to be misunderstandings and conflicts between human beings. But there’s another problem we must deal with! 

There’s something else going on, too!

Not only do we need to deal with sinful people, but we also have evil spiritual forces to contend with! The passage at the top of the page explains that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood (people), but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” So, when you’re struggling with others in some way, understand that you are actually dealing with two things: sinful human nature and the evil, invisible spiritual forces fighting against you behind the scenes. But don’t despair; having this knowledge of what’s going on will give you the upper hand and help you find a path to victory.

Here’s what to do

Pray with the understanding that the battle is spiritual and must have a spiritual answer.

“Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your waist girded with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace, and above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:19-17 MEV)