Pioneering Evangelism: Responsibility
In the first article, we started to discuss the concept of pioneering evangelism, and in this article, we will begin by talking about a critical principle of pioneering evangelism – Responsibility.
What is Responsibility? You may ask. Well, in simple terms, it means a sense of ownership. As part of a new movement or initiative, God is entrusting a great privilege into your hands and with that comes specific responsibilities or obligations.
Jesus understood his responsibility to fulfill the mission and mandate that God had intended for Him and applied Himself towards its accomplishment by the sheer force of determination, grit, and focus. He knew that it was not only up to God to make it happen and that He (Jesus) had a critical part in it. The success of this ministry does not lie solely on the leaders, but you as well. You must see yourself as a vital piece in the puzzle and that your actions could and will make or break God’s purpose.
At a very young age, the Lord taught me a lesson that has stuck with me for almost two decades. I remember, one morning, as I studied the word, he whispered to me these words, “the burden of my kingdom.” It took every experience that I have had serving Him to understand those words to mean ‘Take Responsibility.’ The Lord was trying to teach me that what He was about to commit into my hands will require conscious participation to make it happen. As a result, everywhere I have served, church, work, or ministry, I always give my best, knowing that it was my responsibility to bear the kingdom’s burden. You have to ask yourself, ‘I am a sycophant, a flatter, sympathizers, or a key part of the vision?’
Movements need true pioneers, trailblazers, and pathfinders who understand that the journey ahead may not be rosy but are determined to remain faithful to the vision until the end. Paul understood this, and therefore he writes about the vision he had received from God on the way to Damascus:
““What could I do, King Agrippa? I couldn’t just walk away from a vision like that! I became an obedient believer on the spot. I started preaching this life-change—this radical turn to God and everything it meant in everyday life—right there in Damascus, went on to Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside, and from there to the whole world.”
Acts 26:19-20 MSG
Paul remained focused and faithful to the vision regardless of the constant threats to his life and the continuous discomfort and persecution he faced. Will you stand your ground when it becomes difficult to continue? Will you sacrifice your convenience for God’s will for your life? Will you continue in the face of adversity? This call to responsibility applies to your personal life and purpose in God.
I pray that this ministry isn’t just one of the things you are involved in, but something you indeed are responsible.
Please share your thoughts.
- 3 Replies
Verified
Kingdom Explorer Wow. This is so encouraging! Thank you for sharing and enlightening us. I feel like there is a general sense of responsibility in the body of Christ versus a personal responsibility to God’s calling on our own personal lives. I think when we have a shared sense of responsibility to encourage/exhort/comfort/etc one another, we are participating as a body of Christ. In this way we way holding each other accountable and working together to share the gospel and further His Kingdom. On the other hand, when we accept God’s call on our lives (I.e., missions, adopting, business, etc), we become responsible to carry that out into fruition. The fruits of our labor can be exemplified by displaying the fruits of the Spirit such as “love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). I think when we demonstrate these qualities, it provides evidence that we have been in communion/fellowship with God in our own personal time. We become more like Him when we are responsible to stewarding His word to each other, the world and to ourselves.
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Trusted
Kingdom Pioneer
Awesome Feng. Glad to know that it blessed you. Just now I was discussing with Marlin in my living room how that we need to rise up as partners and co-laborers with God to steward His purpose for our lives. We must strike a good balance between corporate and personal responsibility.
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Verified
Kingdom Explorer
Great article. It made me think of conversations I’ve had with unbelievers who want to blame God for all of the evil and corruption in the world, instead of acknowledging that God made a way for us to be born again and become salt and light in the world.
Before we were born again, we were so prone to play the blame game for everything we didn’t like about the world or our own lives – blaming God, blaming our parents, blaming whoever… In fact, if you check Genesis, Adam and Eve started the blame game right after they ate the forbidden fruit! We have to unlearn that behavior, because it’s not of the kingdom.
Living in the kingdom means we have reclaimed our rightful status as royalty, as sons of God. We have power and authority in Jesus. We have destinies that were crafted in heaven. So we need to live that way by taking our responsibilities seriously and not making excuses.
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