Andrew and his friend heard John attesting that Jesus is the Christ sent by God to save the world, and they immediately followed Christ to become his disciples. Andrew later invited his brother Simon Peter to meet Jesus. The scripture reported,
“One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus” (John 1:40-42). Meanwhile, in the following day, Jesus also found Philip and made him his disciple also. However, Philip also turned around to invite Nathaniel to join his new boss. The invitations continued, and more people joined Jesus to become his disciples. The more people honored Jesus’ invitations, the more they became children of God. However, as the kingdom of God was becoming populated through Jesus’ invitations, the kingdom of Satan was becoming depopulated at the same! The invitations still continue today.
Lesson:
It is a good thing to preach the gospel of Jesus to all people. Everyone may not equally respond to our invitations, and the train of salvation may not pick everyone at the same time, but the trend will surely grow. The more invitations we send out to people, the better opportunity we have to catch more people for God’s kingdom. Hence, believers must venture to preach Christ’s gospel to all people – without exceptions. However, we should not be discouraged if we do not see a quick turnout. The results of our actions may or may not be visible on earth, but they are visible in heaven. Meanwhile, some people may listen to the gospel now and convert later. No Christian should wait for a convenient time to preach the gospel, and no one should wait for people’s approval before he or she carries out God’s tasks! All Christians should engage unbelievers in dialogs that may open their minds to the gospel. We do not need any special platform to preach the gospel. We should endeavor to at least reach out to one soul at a time. We have friends, neighbors, schoolmates, and coworkers that we can approach with the gospel. Therefore, no excuse is valid for the inability to preach the gospel. God will bless his obedient children, but he will frown his face at people who fail to extend his salvation news to others.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus Christ, I am ready to preach your gospel! I will not procrastinate anymore; I am now more determined than ever before! I will preach your good news to my friends, family, neighbors, schoolmates, and coworkers. In fact, I will utilize every opportunity that I have to preach your gospel. Meanwhile, I ask you to please grant me grace and everything that I may need to be your fruitful and faithful child. Empower me through your Holy Spirit to prosper for your kingdom throughout the days of my life. For in the name of Jesus Christ, I make my requests. Amen.
