Worship ... Grow ... Serve ... Share

by Nathan Meitner

Nathan wrote the following "epistle" for a church as an assignment connected with my New Testament course on the book of Acts and the epistles.

“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” (Matthew 28:19-20a).

Brothers and sisters in faith in Jesus,

            Nearly two thousand years ago, our Savior Jesus Christ stood on the Mount of Olives and ascended into heaven. Before he left, however, he gave his disciples—and ultimately all Christians—this Great Commission. This vital assignment is our purpose for living, and it governs our hearts from day to day. That is why our mission in our congregation today is to live our faith and share Jesus' love with all people—one heart and home at a time. Together, we will accomplish this by worshiping, growing, serving and sharing the gospel message.

Our Savior certainly deserves our praise, so we worship our God by coming together around his Word and Sacrament. The early Christian church set a wonderful example for believers today. Luke writes, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people” (Acts 2:46-47). This early church pattern in Jerusalem motivates us to also eat, meet, and mingle together. We as Christians have the amazing opportunity to gather around God’s Word and freely declare our faith. Therefore, we can understand the importance of meeting for Bible study and worship. This fellowship will be both beneficial and God-pleasing.

As Bible-believing Christians, we will also grow spiritually by faithfully studying God’s Word at home and together. The apostles of the early Christian church established a number of congregations. These ministers of the gospel knew, however, that faith also needs to be exercised. Paul wrote to the church at Colossae, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7). Since we are blessed with this wonderful gospel message in our lives, we also want grow in our faith so that we do not lose it. Whether you’ve been a Christian your whole life or for just a few days, you can always increase your faith and spiritual skills. The power of reading Scripture will help us put our faith to use.

We are thankful that Christ has redeemed us, therefore we serve God and others by using our distinct gifts. As new congregations were created in the early Christian church, the apostles stressed the need for people of different talents to work together. Paul writes, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (Romans 12:6). The Lord has blessed every one of our congregation’s members with special gifts that can all be used for his glory. From musical talents to social skills to cleaning our facilities, all these God-given blessings can be used to maintain our worship and invite visitors to join us. We pray that the Holy Spirit would grant each of us a servant’s heart to use these wonderful abilities.

          Most importantly, we want to share the hope of heaven by telling others about the grace of Jesus. Christ died for all people. It didn’t take long for believers of the early Christian church to realize this. Luke tells us, “Some of them . . . began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:20-21). This verse speaks volumes. For a long time, many people believed that Jesus’ work was solely for the Jews. We know, however, that it was for Jews and Gentile’s alike. While we don’t often speak of Jew and Gentile today, let’s not forget that the good news of the gospel is for all races and cultures in our community.

          Christ did not leave us here on earth to sit around idly. He gave us a mission. Luke writes, “So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers” (Acts 15:5). The early Christian church set a powerful precedent. When we worship, grow, serve, and share, however, we also can accomplish much in the name of our Savior.  Our local congregation is here to reach out to one heart and home at a time. So the next time you see that unchurched family member, friend, or coworker, ask yourself: Who will tell them about Christ’s love? You will.

Sincerely,

Nathan Meitner