When people ask me why I’m doing the WorldRace I say I’m doing it to spread the gospel.
But I’ve realized that the word ‘gospel’ has become a word that seems to be very nonchalantly thrown around these days so I am going to write about what the gospel is in my own words and what spreading the gospel looks like.
The word gospel means “good news.” So, to spread the gospel of Christ is to spread the “good news” of Christ.
The news that God came down from the perfect place of Heaven to the distraught, sinfilled, can’t do anything right for longer than 3 seconds place of Earth, in order to provide a way for the people He created to get to spend their eternity in Heaven with Him.
He realized that we couldn’t do it alone; that we as humans are weak. He realized that we can’t put our heads on straight enough, for long enough, to ever be enough to deserve to get to spend any amount of time in the perfect place of Heaven.
We don’t deserve to be in the midst of the perfect and almighty creator of the universe, and He knows that, but yet He so badly wants to simply just spend time with us. He so totally rocks for us in every single possible way and wants nothing more than for us to want to rock with Him.
God’s passion is people.
In order to fix this situation that has been created; of people sinning and sinning and giving up on trying to be righteous because eventually they’ll fail and be damned to hell anyways, (Old Testament thinking), God decided to bridge the gap between Heaven and earth.
He bridged the gap by taking on the physical and human form of man. He was tempted in every single way that we are tempted now, never sinned, lived an absolutely God-pleasing, perfect life (proved that it was possible), and died on the cross as an atonement for our sins, claiming our redemption.
He brought Heaven down to earth.
Bringing Heaven down to earth meaning that He made it to where our time spent on earth should reflect the way that the angels spend their time in Heaven; praising God. That we are to walk with the light of Christ shining through us.
His perfect blood being spilled enabled our forgiveness. Enabled us to be able to walk in His spirit and take every step with purpose because we now know that when we stumble and sin, it’s not okay, but we are okay.
His act of love gave to us a glimpse of the way He cares for us.
Instead of our sin being a prominent ticket to hell, it is now a beautiful opportunity for us to learn from the wrong we’ve done and repent of it (never intentionally doing it again) and providing an opportunity as well for us to lead the people around us away from the sins that we have been taught from.
Jesus paid the price of death for us. God saw that there was absolutely no hope for the people He created to make it to Heaven and get to be with Him so He sacrificed His son, His life, in exchange for us to just get to spend time with Him.
He came down from Heaven and died the death that WE deserve to die.
This act of love shows God’s character. He’s the most selfless being. He could have said heck with it and gave up on the sinful world and rejoiced with the angels in Heaven and it would be absolutely amazing, but He didn’t.
God doesn’t take the easy way out.
He decided He’d put His shoulder into it and just keep pushing because He thinks we are worth it.
He couldn’t love us more.
No sin committed makes Him love you any less. You are His passion. He absolutely adores you. He favors you.
He is willing to accept you in the exact form and way that you are, at the exact place that you’re in. You’re not too bad. You’re not too far gone. You are exactly where He wants you to be, all you have to do is open your heart to Him.
It’s okay to not be from a christian background. It’s okay to not know all the “rules.”
Paul, the author of the majority of the New Testament, was formerly a christian killer before He became sold out for Christ. He literally killed christians as a profession and yet God still used him to be a steward for Christ in so many amazing ways.
All it took was for Paul to have a “yes” in his spirit.
God didn’t need him to be qualified, He just needed him to be willing.
Paul let God have complete reign over his life. All it took was a simple “yes” and God transformed him from being a murderer to being a carrier of the gospel.
You are not too far gone.
It’s okay to be abnormally born into the kingdom of God. Abnormal meaning coming from a background that is not of Christ or a background that has chosen the world and its many pleasures over righteousness. God still wants you. He can still use you. You are still His passion.
You are not too far gone. Ever.
Harvest a “yes” in your spirit. Lean into God and just watch what happens. I promise it is so so worth it.
With Christ, if you got rid of everything you have, you would still have abundantly more than you ever need. Simply because when you abide in Him, He abides back in you. John 13:35.
Bringing the kingdom isn’t just raising the dead and healing the sick and preaching to people, these things happen after a seed has been planted and watered before you; bringing the kingdom and spreading the gospel is to live like Christ did when He was here. To love on everyone. To treat people the way that Christ would treat them; with compassion and love and gentleness and patience.
Sometimes spreading the gospel is just giving someone your time, just simply paying attention to them and making them feel valued.
To spread the gospel is to completely put yourself to the side. Following Christ goes against every human desire; pride, selfish ambition, competitiveness, and desire to take the credit for your actions. Following Christ just isn’t about you.
God doesn’t need us to do His work, He chooses us to do His work. He calls us to live like we’re already in Heaven. Making every action we take reflect Christ and bring glory to His name.
Here are a few quick ways you can easily bring a piece of Heaven to Earth every single day:
- Take prayer walks with your friends, meditate over Scriptures in a Bible study, or take time to pray together with those closest to you.
- Invite your neighbors in for a meal or give them a bottle of cold water on a hot day.
- Listen to the homeless when they talk to you. If you can, give them something to eat or drink. Better yet, put them in contact with someone who can help them out of their situation, if possible.
- Volunteer your time and talents at your church, homeless shelters, nursing homes, animal shelters, or anywhere else that is in need of your kindness and skills.
- Put aside your differences and listen to others with an open mind and heart.
- Forgive those who have harmed you. Yes, it’s easier said than done, but it is possible. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you the courage to let go of the hurt and move on.
- Pray every day for your spouse, family, friends, and anyone else who may need it like the elderly, the discouraged, the sick, and the dying.
- Smile and say “hello” to those you pass on the street. Even a simple smile can change someone’s life!
- Listen to a friend who is in need with a clear, caring, and compassionate heart.
- Hug a loved one when they are hurting. Sit beside them in silent commiseration. Do what you can to support and love that person when times are hard or seem hopeless.
These are only a few ways you can bring Heaven to Earth in your normal, everyday life. Don’t just simply go to work or school, visit with friends and family, and enjoy your life. Go the extra mile – make it your mission to bring the Kingdom of God here on Earth. Say yes to God as much as possible, and you will see how much He will bless you and those around you. Remember, even the smallest action, word, or kind gesture can change someone’s life and reveal the Lord’s great glory to him or her!
Right now what that looks like for me is to be humble and let things be and to remember that I don’t have to be in control of my circumstance.
My ministry team and I are working in a trauma hospital for part of the day for this month and our work includes playing games and hoping that the caregivers around (who don’t have anything to do in the mornings) are interested enough to want to play board games with us and if we aren’t doing that, we’re making Christmas cards.
It took me 3 days to get over being frustrated about the fact that we are in a TRAUMA hospital playing games and making Christmas cards in SEPTEMBER.
It took 3 entire days for me to put myself aside. 3 entire days to harvest the mindset that if Jesus were in my position He would craft the Christmas cards so humbly and with utter joy as if He were working for the Lord. 3 entire days to remember that my prayers reach through walls and that the credit isn’t mine in the first place and that I don’t need to see the miracle I just need to be obedient. That is all.
The Lord smacked me right in the face with some good ole conviction on this one.
I needed to remember that it absolutely does not matter the task that is at hand, what matters is the place my heart is in. I needed to be reminded as well that I was only 4 days in, He isn’t gonna entrust us with something big if we can’t be trusted with something small. Luke 16:10
This reminder blessed the rest of my week. My mindset toward ministry completely flipped and was filled with joy because when you’re working for the Lord, you find purpose in all that you do no matter the situation or task.
The Lord often has to remind me to chill out and be still and rest in His presence because when I’m moving too fast and am focused on getting things done rather than focusing on the hearts and well being of those around me then my heart is typically not lined up with His. He brings me back to His dwelling place where I find peace!
That’s all I have to say, so if you made it this far, I appreciate you! sorry it was so long lolz:) Walk in the Lord’s presence and confidence today, you have purpose, lots of it!
xoxo, lots of love =)
