THE GREATEST ENTERPRISE
04.14.09
J.A. Matteson
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men…. Titus 2:11
The incarnation of the Son of God is the quintessential display of grace, for that which is known of God finds its expression in the divine initiative; recipients of grace are illumined to His Person and majesty, being conscripted to a global enterprise with eternal consequences. Imagine them now in darkness, helpless, hopeless, blind, deaf, despairing, pierced through with many sorrows, not knowing their right hand from their left, always learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth, thinking themselves wise but being detestable in every deed, idolaters, insolent, with eyes full of envy and lust, desiring and never being satisfied, blissfully ignorant of their spiritual
condition and of the deep pit over which they dangle by a thread, whose demise in hell surely awaits them, lest they repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And such were all of you.
Can you picture them, for they are your neighbors, family, friends, associates, co-workers, partners, those far and near. To be called by Christ is to be on mission with Christ, to co-labor with Him in His redemptive mission of mercy. The missionary call to pilgrims is inclusive, it excludes none. Recipients of grace become channels of grace whereby the Gospel of Jesus Christ is transmitted to the sons of men that they might be saved, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14).
The sacred trust of the Gospel requires its recipient to enter into the work of the Savior, to engage and dialogue, defend and propose, to juxtapose and refute, plead and warn. Response to the Gospel is none of your business; your obligation to your Master is to preach it passionately, consistently, and honestly, leaving the outcome of your endeavors to the Lord whose Word never returns to Him empty but always accomplishes His divine purposes in the hearts of men, “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, ‘We shall hear you again concerning this.’ So Paul went out of their midst. But some men joined him and believed….” (Acts 17:32-24).
Be not disheartened as some men will reject your message outright as foolishness, sneering at you, for the Apostle sneered at the message of the cross repeatedly and gleefully approved of the stoning of Stephen, all prior to being encountered by the risen Christ. Be hopeful when men express an openness to hear more about the Way, the Truth, and the Life, diligently interceding for them, that by grace they may come to the knowledge of the truth, and be given the gift of repentance which leads to faith and eternal life. Rejoice heartedly when men respond to your message of the cross with enthusiasm and faith, giving unbridled praise to your heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls. God is no respecter of persons and, therefore, neither is the pilgrim who diligently preaches the Good News of Jesus Christ, merci-fully extending it to all men, those of every tongue, tribe, race, religion, and nation. Salvation is of the Jews and by grace the Lord is now grafting into the Vine of Christ Gentile branches.
The present hour is that of grace when all men are implored to come to the Savior. An hour is coming, a Day is dawning, when the fullness of the Gentiles will have come in, when the grace of God will abruptly end; and just as the door to the ark closed without notice, so too divine judgment will commence suddenly, when the reaping angel of El Shaddai will cast the cluster from the vine of the earth “into the great wine press of the wrath of God” (Revelation 14:19).
Until that Day faithful pilgrims of the King of kings and Lord of lords will sojourn on the earth, keeping their hands to the plow, casting the seed of the Word, pleading with all men to be reconciled to God, to be saved from the fearful wrath of the Lamb, to become recipients of the blessed hope of His appearing, to become joint heirs of His glory, as benefactors of the Tree of Life, their names written in the Book of Life. Pilgrim, you possess the oracle of Truth, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord of glory who has entrusted you with the Word of Life is faithful and will empower you by His Holy Spirit as you preach His Word. There are many endeavors to which a man may give himself while on earth, and all are temporal; the greatest enterprise is to be a co-missionary with the King immortal who promised, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministry (“…the Word of our God stands forever. Isa 40:8)
(Reproduced with permission)
Originally posted 2009-04-14 17:00:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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Hi brother Tim
“”Response to the Gospel is none of your business; your obligation to your Master is to preach it passionately, consistently, and honestly, leaving the outcome of your endeavors to the Lord whose Word never returns to Him empty but always accomplishes His divine purposes in the hearts of men, “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, ‘We shall hear you again concerning this.’ So Paul went out of their midst. But some men joined him and believed….” (Acts 17:32-24).”"
How true these words are, but oh how long it took me to understand them. I mistakenly thought I had to save them. I was wrongly taught and it put me under such law and condemnation that I could barely lift my head at times for the constant failure I lived with, to bring this about in any small measure. Praise God He has shown me His utter Truth in this as is shared above, and it brings both freedom and joy with it, to know the outcome is not in your hands at all, but in One Whose hand is not too short that it cannot save…
I sat on Sunday evening sharing this Life of Christ in me with a very dear friend. She said she is not ready to give anything to the Lord yet, but knows you are supposed to give him 100%. Long ago I would have wrongly ‘wrestled her to the floor’ with misguided zeal. I was able to sit and love her with His love and hand her to the Lord in prayer. His Truth brings Light, which illumines the darkest of understanding.
Psalm 119:130
The unfolding of Your words gives light;It gives understanding to the simple
Thank you and bless you for sharing this brother’s ministry once again.
I to had gone through that as well. It seems that there is this thought/teaching out there that our responsibility in this endeavor of preaching the Good News entails alot more than we actually have. God does it all, and we just need to be ready in and out of season. Nothing more, nothing less. Let us plant and He will water.
I echo a big thank you too Tim, this brothers writings have been an absolute blessing to me.
With regards to this subject in general, I’m still very much in the learning process. Trying to discern what I do because of my faith in Christ, and what I do from any other motive, for it’s something I don’t find easy to identify if I’m honest. One of the things that I know many churches use to establish whether or not their evangelism is a success, is the actual growth of their fellowship in number. But in my own opinion for a long time, I cannot help but think that growth in number is purely a by-product, and nothing more. The only measure of success is to answer a resounding yes the question;
“Have I been faithful in preaching the full Gospel message, of Jesus Christ and Him crucified for our sins, and calling for repentance and belief upon His completed work alone?”
In my own personal life, which I know I am accountable for, I’m afraid the answer to the above question is far from a resounding yes. The desire in my spirit is there, but so often my flesh rises against this desire, and causes me to remain silent. For this reason more than any other I am fully aware of my need for continuing grace and forgiveness, and that contrary to popular preaching, even now I remain a sinner. The only difference being that I am now a sinner saved by grace, through faith in Christ alone, which itself is a gift from God that I have no reason to boast.