Friday, August 16, 2013

The Race to Give the Message

While in the Dominican Republic, we were blessed to attend a church service where the message was about our duties and responsibilities to share God's message.  

During the sermon: The paster gave these verses -
I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (Romans 1:14-16 NIV)

The pastor talked about how messengers in history would carry important messages by running with the  message rolled up like a baton (scroll) and would run a marathon of miles to spread the message to the next destination.  Jesus as he died past the baton to Peter, Peter past the baton to Paul, Paul past the baton and so on.  We now have the obligation to grab the baton and take the message to as many people as we can who need to hear the message until it is time for us to pass the baton to someone else.  

In this DR photo, it is the Sunday School teacher giving a lesson before the service started:
Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
(Colossians 1:24-29 NIV)

Paul is speaking to the church about not only their sufferings but his own and all Christians.  

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