Believe, Repent, Turn and GO!
I had someone tell me recently that the most difficult part about being a leader is having a clear vision for your team, and then clearly communicating that vision in a way that the team can understand it and act upon it. As I was digesting that advice, I had a revelation of how it applies to the gospel. Most people would agree, even a lot of unbelievers, that Jesus Christ was the greatest leader to ever walk the planet. There are even many atheists that would concede that. In 3 brief years of ministry, Jesus touched thousands of lives in His immediate sphere of influence. His message was so powerful that it has impacted billions of lives even after His death. Whether they believe in Him or not, almost anyone would have to concede that He was the embodiment of a perfect leader.Not only did Jesus have a clear vision for His purpose on this earth, but He was an expert at clearly communicating that vision in a way that His followers could understand it and take action to bring it to reality. Jesus’ message was not confusing. In fact, it was so clear that it offered no gray area for people to hide in. It demanded a decision. He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14: 6), and we are either with Him or against Him (Matthew 12: 30). When Jesus shared His message with people, they either fell to their knees in repentance and followed Him, or walked away from Him sad or so angry that they wanted to kill him. Jesus offered people no other alternative, because He knew that He was the only thing that could restore them to His Father. He knew that He was their only hope!In order for the greatest leader of all time to demand such an important decision from us, His message had to be crystal clear. In other words, it had to be simple enough for us to understand it. So what is His vision? What is He offering to us? I submit that His offer can be broken down very simply:
- He is the Son of God. Believe in Him!
- He loves us and He died for us! Repent of our sins and receive the sacrifice He made for us.
- Obey His teachings. Turn from our sins and live as He has called us to live. He said that if we love Him, we will obey Him!
- Go! Share the good news with everyone! Once we receive His love and forgiveness, we joyously share it with others at all costs!
An even simpler way to say it would be that Jesus beckons us to believe, repent, turn and GO! He made it simple for a reason. He didn't want any room for misinterpretation. He didn't want it to be too complicated for any of us to understand. We only make it complicated for one reason, because we are afraid to just take Him at His word and follow. If we just believe, repent, turn and go, the Holy Spirit will speak to us about every situation we face. He will personally teach and guide us!We don't have to have all the answers. We don't have to have a list of all the potential pros and cons that come with a life submitted to God. We just have to know that He is God, and then follow Him because He loves us and we can trust Him. We don't have to be afraid of screwing up or making a fool of ourselves, because He will be there to guide and teach us. When Jesus sent the apostles out two by two to call people to repent and turn to God, He told them only to take the clothes on their back and GO. That was about as specific as it got. Jesus was telling them to just trust Him and GO!Today, I am asking you to just trust Jesus and GO! Keep it simple! When that opportunity comes today to witness, to pray for someone, or to love in any way that takes you out of your comfort zone, just go! I can't promise you how it's going to turn out. I don't know what the other person's reaction will be. But I can confidently say that it's God's will for you to try, and He will be there with you no matter what the outcome. He loves you, and He loves the person you are reaching out to. So GO! And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money. He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes (Mark 6:7-9).