The Hazards of Haphazard Discipleship

BY DAVID STEEL

Jesus once said, “The student [disciple] is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher” (Luke 6:40). The statement is freighted with implications. It means that the goal of being a disciple of Jesus is to become like him and that reaching this goal depends on being fully trained.

We know that in the Jesus school of discipleship, being fully trained means learning to obey everything he commanded (Matt. 28:19-20). Therefore, any approach to disciple making that settles for teaching people to obey some—as opposed to all—of the things Jesus commanded not only falls short of our master’s commission but, strictly speaking, makes the goal of discipleship unreachable. This is not to say that teaching people to obey some of the things Jesus commanded is not worthwhile. On the contrary, this is exactly what we must do on the way to teaching them to obey everything he commanded! It’s only a problem when we decide that some of what Jesus commanded is enough.

Whether it’s due to ignorance of what constitutes everything Jesus commanded or complacency about teaching disciples to obey all of it, the “hit or miss” approach to disciple making is not just ineffective. It can actually be detrimental to the disciple’s development. That’s because deficiencies in discipleship training naturally result in corresponding spiritual deformities in the disciple. For instance, a disciple who embraces Christ’s teaching that, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36) but is unaware of Christ’s other statements, such as, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24) might get the wrong idea that coming to Christ is just a transaction that’s unrelated to transformation.

Many evangelical writers, in fact, have lamented this very deformity among Christians today. Keith Matthews, for example, contends that,

We have substituted a reduced gospel that focuses solely on “forgiveness of sins and the assurance of heaven” as our present gospel appeal. But here’s the most obvious problem: This conversion-centered approach to the gospel has for many people been interpreted as a finish line or an ending, instead of a starting line or new beginning. . . If being forgiven and now having heaven assured is what it means to become a Christian, anything I do from there on is an add-on. “Why talk to me about discipleship? Why do I need that? I’ve been forgiven. I’m already going to heaven. What more do I need to do?”[1]

What Matthews is describing here is one of the deforming effects of a haphazard discipleship, one that has not taught disciples everything Jesus commanded.

No doubt, one of the first steps in remedying these kinds of deformities is to identify and synthesize everything Jesus commanded.

Most pastors and church leaders will find this to be a daunting task, which is one reason I’m so excited about the release of the first guidebook in the Get DISCIPLED series. This series of nine guidebooks is based on an exhaustive synthesis of well over 600 commands of Jesus. The research has already been done. Everything that Jesus taught and modeled has been synthesized into this highly accessible and transferable disciple-making resource. Check it out here.

Discipleship was never intended to be haphazard.

[1]Keith J. Matthews, “The Transformation Process,” in The Kingdom Life, ed. Alan Andrews (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress), 86.

A New Song for a New Year

BY DAVE STEEL

We are born homesick—longing for a land and a way of life we have never directly experienced, but which we know is somewhere, or at least ought to exist. —James Wilhoit

My family will tell you that I like to tie on the feedbag as much as the next guy. Still, I look forward to New Year’s Day, even though it can’t compete with the more flavorful holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s because, as much as any holiday, New Year’s Day gets me reflecting on what God is doing in my life and where he’s taking me.

Each of us is on a spiritual journey. We’re all headed somewhere. This is just as true for those who rarely think about spiritual things as it is for those who are preoccupied with them. For me, the start of a new year is a chance to reflect on the journey.

I imagine ancient Hebrews doing this during their pilgrimages to the temple, driven by a desire to feel close to God and to pray to him.[1] On their way up to Jerusalem, they would sing “songs of ascent.”[2] Psalm 84 vividly portrays the longing of the pilgrim when it says, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (v. 2). These pilgrims would “go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion” (v. 7). In other words, they were strengthened by God along the way, which is why the psalmist prayed, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage” (v. 5).

The writer of Hebrews explains that they admitted, “they were foreigners and strangers on earth. . . . they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13, 16).

Centuries later, Jesus came proclaiming a kingdom that’s “not of this world” (John 18:36). And when we answered his call to discipleship, we too became spiritual pilgrims in the best sense of the word. We may have experienced surprises and set-backs this year, but like our ancient counterparts we press on, celebrating our progress and anticipating our destination in due time.[3]

Discipleship is a journey, one that fulfills an ancient longing to be with God. We yearn for the heavenly city prepared for us. Along the way, we sing songs of hopeful anticipation.  

My prayer for you is that as you anticipate this new year our Lord would put a new song in your mouth, a hymn of praise to your God (Ps. 40:3).

[1]Many of the psalms of the Bible were sung during these pilgrimages up to Jerusalem, fifteen of them (Psalms 120-134) being designated explicitly for this purpose with the label “A song of ascents.”

[2]See Ps. 120-134.

[3]See also Phil. 3:13-14.

What Your Obedience Reveals about Your Heart, Part 2

BY DAVE STEEL

Obedience to Christ is the most reliable evidence of our saving faith in him. As the apostle John put it, “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands” (1 John 2:3). Our obedience to Christ signifies a sincere faith in our hearts. This was the point of my previous blog post. But that’s not all our obedience reveals about our heart.  

Just as obedience to Christ reveals our faith in him, it also reveals our love for him.

The New Testament has plenty to say about this. Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15) and “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. . . . Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (John 14:23-24). D. A. Carson refers to this as “the uncompromising connection between love for Christ and obedience to Christ.”[1] Jesus modeled this obedience-producing love when he said, “I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me” (John 14:31).

The apostle John describes this love-obedience connection with crystal clarity: “This is love for God: to keep his commands” (1 John 5:3) and “This is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands” (2 John 6). There’s no missing John’s point here: to love God is to obey him.

So we should ask ourselves, “Do I, in my heart of hearts, desire to be conformed to the will of Christ? Am I drawn to his instructions? Do I want to obey him?  

If so, rejoice! You’ve come to know and love the One who first loved us and gave himself for us. You belong to him! 

Since this is the case, let’s revel in our obedience to Christ. Let’s be quick to be reconciled to one another (Matt. 5:24), eager to love our enemies (Matt. 5:44-45), vigilant to reject self-righteousness (Matt. 6:1), committed to seeking his kingdom and rejecting our worrisome distractions (Matt. 6:33-34).

For that matter, let’s help one another obey everything Jesus commanded (Matt. 28:19-20) and let it be known that we love him and desire that others might come to love him too. This is what it means to be and to make disciples.

[1]D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1991), 498.

What Your Obedience Reveals about Your Heart, Part 1

BY DAVE STEEL

In the New Testament, obedience to Christ is the standard evidence that someone is a true believer. There faith and obedience are inseparable. Dietrich Bonhoeffer saw faith and obedience as so intertwined that he said,

“Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.”[1]

If this is true, then obedience is not optional for a disciple of Jesus. Nor is helping others obey Christ optional for the disciple maker. And since a Christian is both a disciple and a disciple maker, the topic of obedience to Christ must be of utmost importance to us as believers.  

But do you ever find yourself downplaying the importance of obedience in order to steer clear of legalism? Jesus gave us good reason to repudiate legalism when he repeatedly chastised the Pharisees for it. But we need to take care that we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. A legalist obeys in order to earn God’s approval. A disciple obeys because he has received God’s grace. The fact that obedience to Christ has been counterfeited in the pursuit of self-righteousness doesn’t make Holy Spirit-driven obedience any less valuable or necessary.  

The apostle Paul alludes to the necessity of obedience when he opens his Epistle to the Romans by describing his apostleship as a mandate to “call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith” (Rom. 1:5; italics added).  He closes the letter with that same phrase: “the obedience that comes from faith” (Rom. 16:26). In between these two bookends, Paul unpacks what that phrase means, though no one is more concise than the apostle John: “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands” (1 John 2:3). Obedience, according to John, is a litmus test for authentic faith in Christ.

James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the church in Jerusalem, devoted an entire chapter of his Epistle to this subject, concluding that, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (Jas. 2:26). Doug Moo explains that James is here saying that, “Faith that is not accompanied by works ceases to be. It becomes mere profession and has no claim to be biblical faith. . . . James is not arguing that works be ‘added’ to faith, but that one possess the right kind of faith, a ‘faith that works.’”[2]

Numerous other passages could be cited, but these will suffice in demonstrating that, in the words of Jonathan Lunde, “Biblical faith inevitably expresses itself in obedience. Where the latter is lacking, the former is most likely illusory.”[3]

So ask yourself, “Do I find in my heart a holy desire to do what Jesus says?” If so, never deny this urge. Trust it. Act on it. It reveals that something supernatural has happened in your heart: you have come to faith in Jesus Christ.   

The urge to obey Christ reveals something else about your heart as well. We’ll address that in my next blog post.

[1]Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, rev. ed. (New York, NY: Collier Books, 1963), 69.

[2]Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000), 144.

[3]Jonathan Lunde, Following Jesus, the Servant King: A Biblical Theology of Covenant Discipleship (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 279.

Is It Time for a New Catechism?

BY DAVE STEEL

It may seem out of fashion presently, but the idea that the church should take a systematic approach to grounding believers in the basics of the faith finds strong precedent in church history.[1] This process of ordered learning has been called catechesis, and its content has been referred to as catechism.[2] The tendency in recent generations to approach discipleship rather haphazardly has led Packer and Parrett to call the church back to systematic catechetical training. They write,

As we contemplate today’s complex concerns, hopes, dreams, and ventures of Christian renewal, discipleship impresses us as the key present-day issue, and catechesis as the key present-day element of discipleship, all the world over. The Christian faith must be both well and wisely taught and well and truly learned! A far-reaching change of mindset about this is called for, without which such well-worn dictums as “American Christianity is three thousand miles wide and half an inch deep” will continue, sadly, to be verified. Recovery of the educational-devotional discipline that we are advocating cannot, to our mind, come a moment too soon.[3]

Far from being an exclusively Roman Catholic term, “Catechesis,” according to Packer and Parrett, “is the church’s ministry of grounding and growing God’s people in the Gospel and its implications for doctrine, devotion, duty, and delight.”[4] These same authors point out that,

Richard Baxter, John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, and countless other pastors and leaders saw catechesis as one of their most obvious and basic pastoral duties. If they could not wholeheartedly embrace and utilize an existing catechism for such instruction, they would adapt or edit one or would simply write their own. A pastor’s chief task, it was widely understood, was to be the teacher of the flock.[5]

Michael Horton highlights the urgent need for this kind of disciple-making catechesis today. He writes,

When Jesus included in his commission “teaching them everything I have commanded you,” he underscored the point . . . that a disciple is first of all a learner—of course, more than that, but not less. This is why the early church gathered regularly for “the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). It is why the ancient church founded catechetical schools and expected converts to go through a rigorous period of detailed instruction in Christian doctrine and practice. It is why the Protestant Reformers wrote up catechisms for the instruction of the people, especially the young, when few adults knew even the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, or the Apostles’ Creed. Judging by the statistics, we are at that point again now in American Christianity.[6]

If it’s true that there’s an historic precedent and an enduring need for some kind of systematic curriculum for training people in the way of Christ, then what would you want to see in a contemporary discipleship catechism?

Are there certain topics you think should be included? Certain features that should be incorporated? What would be most helpful to you and the people you know? I’d love to hear your comments.

[1]Packer and Parrett, Grounded in the Gospel, Kindle Electronic Edition, location 320.

[2]Packer and Parrett, location 427.

[3]Packer and Parrett, location 241.

[4]Packer and Parrett, location 461.

[5]Packer and Parrett, location 340.

[6]Michael Horton, The Gospel Commission: Recovering God’s Strategy for Making Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2011), 175-176.

Does God's Grace Render Discipleship Unnecessary?

BY DAVE STEEL

A misunderstanding persists among Bible-believing Christians about the intended results of God’s saving grace in our lives. In his book, Following Jesus the Servant King: A Biblical Theology of Covenantal Discipleship, Jonathan Lunde poses the question that springs from this misconception:

Why should I be concerned to obey all of Jesus’ commands if I have been saved by grace? Doesn’t the one who strives to obey all of Jesus’ demands risk becoming bound up with a legalism that denies the sufficiency of Jesus’ finished work? In fact, aren’t the extravagant demands of Jesus better used as prods to goad us back to him for more grace since our salvation is always dependent on his righteous life? Why, then, ought we to be concerned about obedience—especially the extravagant obedience that Jesus demands?[1]

It's an important question. Lunde points out that, “The answer to this question turns on the nature of the covenantal relationship we have with God through Jesus. What we discover is that grace has always grounded God’s relationships with his people, but that same grace persistently brings the demand of righteousness.”[2] Lunde carefully traces God’s covenantal relationship with his people throughout the Old Testament and concludes that, “Covenantal grace never diminishes the covenantal demand of righteousness—righteousness that flows out of covenantal faith. As a result, faith and works of obedience will always be found in God’s true covenant partners, regardless of the type of covenant in question.”[3]

And how does the apostle Paul view the relationship between grace and obedience? “My dear friends,” he says, “as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12-13).

This passage prompts Warren Wiersbe to suggest that, “The Christian life is not a series of ups and downs. It is rather a process of ‘ins and outs.’ God works in, and we work out. We cultivate the submissive mind by responding to the divine provisions God makes available to us.”[4]

Understanding the relationship between God’s grace toward us and our obedience to him—that the two are not only compatible but inseparable—is crucial to our discipleship to Jesus. Willard puts his finger on why this is important when he says,

We must stop using the fact that we cannot earn grace (whether for justification or for sanctification) as an excuse for not energetically seeking to receive grace.  Having been found by God, we then become seekers of ever-fuller life in him.  Grace is opposed to earning, but not to effort.  The realities of Christian spiritual formation are that we will not be transformed “into his likeness” by more information, or by infusions, inspirations, or ministrations alone.  Though all of these have an important place, they never suffice, and reliance upon them alone explains the now-common failure of committed Christians to rise much above a certain level of decency.[5]

What, then, should be our response to Christ’s saving grace? Energetic, extravagant obedience—not to earn grace but precisely because we possess it.

 

[1]Jonathan Lunde, Following Jesus the Servant King: A Biblical Theology of Covenantal Discipleship (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 35.

[2]Lunde, 35.

[3]Lunde, 50.

[4]Warren Wiersbe, Be Joyful (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor, 1974), 70.

[5]Dallas Willard, The Great Omission, 76.

Living Every Day with Jesus

BY DAVE STEEL

What would it look like to live every day with Jesus as your closest companion? Does the thought appeal to you? Is it even possible?

According to Jesus, it’s not only possible. It’s necessary.

Jesus put it like this: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Disciples of Jesus are as dependent on him as a branch is dependent on the vine from which it grows. Without the enabling presence and power of Jesus, we can do nothing of spiritual significance.

For some, the thought of being that dependent on anyone sounds demeaning. But to a genuine Christ follower it sounds like freedom, because admitting our dependence on Christ actually frees us from our delusion of self-sufficiency. (No one was ever really convinced anyway.)  Coming to grips with our dependence on Christ clears the way to pursue a wholehearted discipleship with him, one that’s not hindered by foolish pride.

Ultimately, the decision to admit our inadequacy and embrace Christ’s sufficiency is a decision to leave behind a life that yields nothing of spiritual value for a life that yields much fruit. 

To remain—or as some translations put it, to abide—in Christ is to live in utter dependence on him. As R. A. Torrey put it,

To abide in Christ is to renounce any independent life of our own, to give up trying to think our thoughts, or form our resolutions, or cultivate our feelings, and simply and constantly look to Christ to think His thoughts in us, to form His purposes in us, to feel His emotions and affections in us. It is to renounce all life independent of Christ, and constantly to look to Him for the inflow of His life into us, and the outworking of His life though us.[1]

Living out this radical union with Christ is what being his disciple is all about. Andrew Murray was a nineteenth century disciple who understood this, as reflected in one of his prayers:

Thou sayest: Abide in me! O my Master, my Life, my All, I do abide in Thee. Give Thou me to grow up into all Thy fullness. It is not the effort of faith, seeking to cling to Thee, nor even the rest of faith, trusting Thee to keep me; it is not the obedience of the will, nor the keeping of the commandments; but it is Thyself living in me as in the Father, that alone can satisfy me. It is Thyself, my Lord, no longer before me and above me, but one with me, and abiding in me; it is this I need, it is this I seek. It is this I trust Thee for.[2]

Does Murray’s prayer stir something in you? If so, why not offer Christ a similar prayer in your own words.

[1]R. A. Torrey, How to Pray (Chicago: Moody, 1900), 66.

[2]Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer (New York: Fleming H. Revell, n. d.), 166-167.

Why We Need Each Other

BY DAVE STEEL

To become a disciple of Jesus is to become part of a new family, the family of God (1 John 3:1). In fact, Jesus spoke of the bond between members of this “faith family” as surpassing that of our own biological family.

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matt. 12:46-50)

Think about that for a minute. If you know and follow Christ, then he considers you his brother or sister!

This, of course, means that we’re brothers and sisters to one another as well, a fact that the New Testament writers took to heart. They not only referred to fellow believers as “brother,” “sister,” “son,” or “mother.”[1] They also had plenty to say about how we should treat each other in this faith family. Relational phrases like “one another” and “each other” show up dozens of times in the New Testament. The writer of Hebrews, for example, exhorts us to, “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Heb. 3:13). Perhaps the most prominent “one another” of all is found in John 13:35, where Jesus says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

What these verses suggest is that disciples who choose to “go it alone” are not only jeopardizing their chances of staying the course as a disciple. They’re already off course.

A loner disciple is a contradiction in terms. There’s something Jesus intends to accomplish through our relationships with each other that can’t be done otherwise. As such, we need each other, even if we don’t think we do.

As Joseph Hellerman observes:

Spiritual formation occurs primarily in the context of community. People who remain connected with their brothers and sisters in the local church almost invariably grow in self-understanding, and they mature in their ability to relate in healthy ways to God and to their fellow human beings. This is especially the case for those courageous Christians who stick it out through the often messy process of interpersonal discord and conflict resolution. Long-term interpersonal relationships are the crucible of genuine progress in the Christian life. People who stay also grow.[2]

It turns out that doing life together in community is not just a good idea. It’s God’s idea, which is why we need each other if we’re going to mature in our discipleship to Jesus.

 

[1]The apostle Paul, for example, referred to fellow believers as “brother” (1 Cor. 15:58; Col. 1:1, 4:9), “sister” (Philem. 2; Rom. 16:1), “son” (Philem. 10; Phil. 2:22; 2 Tim. 1:2), and “mother” (see Rom. 16:13).

[2]Joseph Hellerman, When the Church Was a Family (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing, 2009), 1.

The Special Sauce in Christian Discipleship

BY DAVE STEEL  

"Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame-seed bun." This classic jingle detailing the ingredients of the McDonald's Big Mac has been lodged in my memory since I was a boy. Four decades later, it still makes me hungry.  

You don't have to be a fan of the Big Mac to know that it's the special sauce that made this a culinary classic. Perhaps you've seen the McDonald's signs boasting "over a bazillion served," or something like that. How did that happen? Special sauce, that's how.   

In fact, the term "special sauce" or "secret sauce" is becoming the common shorthand for "the thing that helps someone or something flourish."1

So I'd like to suggest that there's a "special sauce" when it comes to following Christ.  

Spiritual disciplines may help us get a grip on things, a bit like the Big Mac's sesame-seed bun. But without the special sauce I'm referring to, there can be no flourishing.   

The special sauce in discipleship is something the Bible calls God's grace. Whenever we hear this term, we often think of God's forgiveness. And it's true that God's grace is the basis for our forgiveness. But the grace of God is much more than that. Think of his grace as the source of every blessing we ever receive, the enabling power behind every positive step we ever take on our journey with Christ.  

When the apostle Paul was at the end of his rope, Christ told him, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor. 12:9). And when the apostle Peter wanted to offer a parting blessing to the believers he loved, he said, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).   

God's grace is always a gift, always sufficient, always necessary.  

Charles Spurgeon put it this way:  

Every good thing that is in a Christian not merely begins but progresses and is consummated by the fostering grace of God, through Jesus Christ. If my finger were on the golden latch of paradise, and my foot were on its jasper threshold, I should not take the last step so as to enter heaven unless the grace which brought me so far should enable me fully and fairly to complete my pilgrimage.2

So thank God for his grace. Savor it. Rely on it. It's the special sauce that makes following Jesus so satisfying. Without it, there can be no flourishing. 

1. http://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-we're-watching-secret-sauce.

2. Charles H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit: Sermons Preached and Revised by C. H. Spurgeon, vol. 15 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1908), 291. 

What Christ Followers Have to Offer a Weary World

BY DAVE STEEL

“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened,” Jesus said, “and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29). No doubt our world is just as weary now as it was when Jesus first offered this invitation some two thousand years ago. It was intended for all of us, which is why Christ followers have something to offer this world. 

“The world can get on very well without you and me,” D. L. Moody said, “but the world can not get on without Christ, and therefore we must testify of him.” Jesus’ first disciples did just that, declaring, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). 

This, as it turns out, is Christ’s will for all his followers. Shortly before his ascension to heaven, Jesus solemnly charged his disciples with these words: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20). 

This final charge of Jesus is often referred to as “The Great Commission”--and for good reason. Notice that it’s backed by all authority. It extends to all nations. It encompasses everything Jesus commanded. And it remains in effect until the very end of the age. It’s a great commission. It’s our commission.

It means that to follow Christ is not just to know him but to make him known as well. Disciples of Jesus make disciples of Jesus. As Paul told Timothy, “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2).

Writing during the nineteenth century, Charles Spurgeon shared a timeless word about the joy of pursuing this commission: 

Even if I were utterly selfish, and had no care for anything but my own happiness, I would choose, if I might, under God, to be a soul-winner, for never did I know perfect, overflowing, unutterable happiness of the purest and most ennobling order till I first heard of one who had sought and found a Savior through my means. I recollect the thrill of joy which went through me! No young mother ever rejoiced so much over her first-born child, no warrior was so exultant over a hard-won victory. Oh! the joy of knowing that a sinner once at enmity has been reconciled to God by the Holy Spirit, through the words spoken by our feeble lips.

If you’re a follower of Christ, you have something significant to offer a weary world. Introduce them to the one who offers rest for our souls.