2 CORINTHIANS 10:1 – “I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!”

THEME OF THE DAY: THE GREAT COMMISSION AND OUR CHARACTER.  Ask any informed Christian to state the Great Commission Jesus left His followers and the answer would be quick and accurate – “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age”” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Ask the same Christian what the first personal responsibility in the Great Commission is and this answer also would be quick and accurate – go.   Any obedience to God includes the action “go”.  Christianity is not passive.  It involves willful steps of intentional obedience to known commands of God.  However, I want us to add another layer to the Great Commission.  It starts with the words of the Apostle Peter in his first letter – “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

I had a professor in college named Dr. Paul Fink – a great and godly teacher.  He was also the keynote speaker at my ordination service. I asked him once, “Dr. Fink, how do we reach our community for Jesus?”  He said, “It isn’t only ‘go’” (referring to the Great Commission). He then explained Peter’s words referred to in the last paragraph.  He went on, “Jim, why would people ask us for the hope that is in us?”  Before I could offer an answer, he said, “They see something different about us.  They see the Jesus they don’t know.”  He was right. Our hope is in a Person and when we are close to Him, people notice, not us, but the character of Jesus; the character that was in the Apostle Paul in today’s scripture – meek and gentle.  Those Christ-like traits are magnetic and will draw hurting sinners to ask the hope that is in us leading us to sharing the Gospel.

One of the greatest tools of evangelism is a Christ-like life; a life shaped into the character of Christ – “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23a). Such a life gives credibility to the Gospel because we are modeling Him who is the Gospel.

The Apostle Paul exhorts the Philippians to “let your manner of life (conduct) be worthy of the Gospel” (Philippians 1:19a). In our hurting world, people need to hear the Gospel of the Lord Jesus from us and observe the Gospel of the Lord Jesus in and from us by our conduct.  It is a life of Christ-like living that draws people to ask the hope that is in us . . . hope that is known and experienced through the Gospel.

So, the Great Commission.  It is our privilege and responsibility to obey it as we go into all the world and proclaim Jesus.  It is also our privilege and responsibility to model before the world the character of Him who gave us the Great Commission – the Lord Jesus. Such a life affirms the message!

PRAYER: Father, help me to not only proclaim the Gospel but affirm the Gospel by my spiritual character.

REFLECTION: Proclaim the message of the Gospel and give validity to the message by our conduct.