Acts.20.24 “But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus–the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love”. (NLT)
The dictionary definition of the word commitment means “dedication to a cause, activity”, etc. It also means “a promise”, or “an obligation” to do (or not to do)a thing.
The Christian’s life, from the new birth experience all through to the time of their admittance into heaven (whether by the rapture or at death) must be one of dedication to God’s Kingdom, of promise to faithfully defend the truth of His holy Word, and of obligation to share this truth with as many people as they can.
We shall consider each of those italicized words separately and see how we can use them as an encouragement to build a life of true commitment to God.
- Dedication To Jesus Christ: Rom.12.1 – “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?
Rom.12.2 – Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is”. (NLT)
Upon the Christian’s new birth experience, God expects them to demonstrate a strong sense of dedication, for their whole life, to the services of His Kingdom. Failing here may adversely affect their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ because He does not expect anything less, and will not have what we did not give with the whole of our heart. But how can we achieve this? Well, God Himself makes it possible by filling us with a burst of spiritual energy, by the Holy Spirit, the moment we accept His Son Jesus Christ, and He comes into our heart. With this experience comes the silent, solemn realization that we have a duty towards our new relationship with the Lord.
Mark.5.19 – “But Jesus said, “No, go home to your friends, and tell them what wonderful things the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.”
Mark.5.20 – So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to tell everyone about the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.” — NLT
There’s no soul whom Jesus Christ sets free from sin and bondage to Satan who does not feel a debt of gratitude to share their experience with others, and their dedication to continue doing this is what gives them more grace for spiritual strength to keep walking with Jesus Christ.
We can see another example of this, below, in the life of Saul (who was later called Paul) when he was newly converted.
Acts.9.17 – “So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you may get your sight back and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts.9.18 – Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.
Acts.9.19 – Afterward he ate some food and was strengthened. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days .
Acts.9.20 – And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!” — (NLT)
When God fills you with the Holy Spirit, you will find it hard containing yourself from speaking to others about your new birth experience. I’m tempted to say that you simply cannot resist sharing the gospel when the Holy Spirit of God comes upon you, but the sad truth is that some people resist Him! If you’re that kind of a person, you will never grow spiritually; you might even backslide when the Holy Spirit becomes grieved with your uncooperative attitude and leave you.
Eph.4.30 – “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.” NLT
God has given us His Holy Spirit to work with us but, until you dedicate your life to knowing and obeying Him, you cannot achieve much in your relationship with God. A conscious, positive and deliberate approach towards God’s command to spread the good news of His saving grace to others is what fuels our dedication to serve Him.
I remember, as a young Christian, how restless I always was unless I witnessed Christ to someone. On one of such occasions, while I was working late into the evening with the Boss overseeing the branch office of the government Department I worked with at the time, the Holy Spirit suddenly urged me to go into his office and share the gospel with him. I was hesitant for two reasons: first, he was a muslim, and here in my country they don’t take it kindly when you do that. Secondly, he was just newly posted to head the branch office, so he was not well known to me. There seemed to be nothing to connect with and use as an excuse to enter into his office and begin a conversation about Jesus Christ. But the Lord had said to go in and preach to him! I became restless, but then I found the courage to do it anyway. So I entered his office and asked to have a talk with him. To say the least, he was very receptive of my sermon as though he had been needing someone to talk to him about Jesus Christ. He listened to me with rapt attention and engaged me on some issues whenever he needed to, which further emboldened me to speak more. In the end, my mission of sharing the gospel with him was successful, and I went on to have a cordial relationship with him thereafter. Praise God!
If you must be a dedicated follower and servant of Jesus Christ, you must first of all put all your fears away, and understand that He owns you; whatever you lose or gain for His sake should be considered a worthy sacrifice.
1Cor.6.19 – “Or don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
1Cor.6.20 – for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body”. — NLT
If things had gone differently, and my boss had querried me or recommended to our head office that I should be sanctioned for preaching the gospel to him, I’d have been okay with that because I considered my dedication to God’s work to be of utmost priority to me than my job. The words of Apostle Paul below captures the essence of true dedication to Jesus Christ, which we should also do well to emulate.
Phil.3.7 – “I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.
Phil.3.8 – Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ. “
- Promise To Remain Faithful. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ..for I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities , nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Romans 8;35,38,39 . KJV
When we make a promise to anyone, we do it with the hope that God will help us to remember our duties or obligations to them, and to be able to fulfill it. The Christian’s commitment to Jesus Christ must also be sustained by a personal promise that they would not withdraw their loyalty to Him come rain, come sunshine; come sword, come peace; come whatever may!
Consider apostle Paul’s experience below, and see how he resolved to continue in his duties to the churches of Christ even when it was evident that trouble awaited him in the way.
Acts.21.10 – “During our stay of several days, a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea.
Acts.21.11 – When he visited us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Romans.'”
Acts.21.12 – When we heard this, we who were traveling with him, as well as the local believers, begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem .
Acts.21.13 – But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! For I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but also to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts.21.14 – When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The will of the Lord be done.” NLT
Apostle Paul knew what God had commissioned him to accomplish for His Kingdom, and he was committed to that call. His promise to continue his journey to Jerusalem, notwithstanding Prophet Agabus’ prophecy, was a proof of his commitment to God’s work.
We may have had our own fears to deal with in the course of our duties to God, and sometimes what pulls us through is our resolve; the promise to not give up on our commitment to Him.
Many years ago my Christian friend was exiled from his village for his faith in Jesus Christ. His father disowned him. The villagers escorted him away to the border of the village. He could return if he was willing to deny Christ, but he resolved not to. It was already evening, and the next village he wanted to travel to was too far to arrive in before night. In West Africa travelling in the bush paths at night is extremely dangerous due to malevolent spirits.
As the journey wore into the night, he could clearly see the white flames of spirit beings igniting at different places in the surrounding bushes, and then going off as suddenly as they came. At a point in his journey, a grotesque, dark image emerged from the bush into his path, and stood some distance ahead. At first he was alarmed, but he resolved to not turn back towards his village. He moved on towards that beast with courage and faith, and declared: “…it is written that at the mention of the name of Jesus Christ every knee must bow; I command you to bow in the name of Jesus!”
He said that immediately he made that declaration, that grotesque image stopped and bowed what appeared to be its head, and he just passed by its side and went on his way. Halleluyah!
More than a century ago, John Ernest Bode (1839-1925) wrote the great hymn below, which many Christian faithfuls have sang over the years as a pledge of loyalty to God and His Kingdom:
” O Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from Thy pathway
If Thou wilt be my Guide.”
Our promise to remain faithful to Jesus Christ and our heavenly Father, let come what may, is a sign of the unshakeable commitment we bear to Him, bound within our heart.
- Obligation To Others
Our relationship with the Lord cannot be complete if we do not bring others into it. Jesus Christ
brought us to His Father; that is how we got accepted as His sons and daughters. He wants us to bring some other persons to Him, too, so He can also present them to His Father.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me”.
John 14:6. KJV
While we await our departure to heaven, we must keep ourselves occupied in soul winning through evangelism. See Acts 20:17-21; John 1:35-45; Proverbs 11:30; Daniel 12:3.
We must understand that we are obligated to God to preach the gospel to others for whom Jesus Christ also died a sacrificial death in order to save them. You must remember that evangelism is not a choice, but a duty, and a solemn one for that matter! We have to constantly remind ourselves of the need to create an opportunity to share the gospel with others.
Personally, I think that with the advent of the cell phone and social media, preaching the gospel has never been easier. In the years before we have them here in Africa, I did street evangelism, painstakingly trying to reach one person at a time. I still do street evangelism occassionally, though, but not as quite often as before, because with my smart phone, I can reach a few thousands of people with the gospel, through various social media platforms. If this does not give encouragement for the body of Christ to evangelize the world more earnestly, then, I wonder what else would.
2Tim.4.1 – “And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus–who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom:
2Tim.4.2 – Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching”. NLT
Have you been reaching out to the unsaved world with the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Some people are so fearful and mindful of what their family and/or friends would think of them if they try to preach the gospel to them. Well, I wonder why people’s opinion would mean anything to a Christian who wants to please God! He is not asking you to preach; He commands you to do it! It is an obligation. It is a duty. You may choose to dispense with your conscience, and look the other way while souls die every day without knowing of the salvation that has already been made available for them in Christ, but that will in no way relieve you of your obligation to them; it is a debt that you owe to the lost!
Prov.24.11 “Rescue the perishing; don’t hesitate to step in and help .
Prov.24.12 If you say, “Hey, that’s none of my business,” will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know–Someone not impressed with weak excuses”. (MSB)
Building a life of commitment to God can be very challenging, but it can also be much more interesting if you really love Him more than yourself.
Faith in God is a love thing, but I have seen people treat their relationship with God as though it were a contractual thing: they serve Him and expect that He pays the bills. And if it doesn’t get paid fast, they quit! There’s some fundamental flaw with that kind of Christianity because no one is doing God a favour by serving Him; the favour is to us and other lost souls who must perish forever unless we’re saved from our sins through Jesus Christ. So must we seek for a blessing or a reward in order to help rescue the lost from a bleak eternity in hell fire? Only the unwise will think so!
Dan.12.3 “Men and women who have lived wisely and well will shine brilliantly, like the cloudless, star-strewn night skies. And those who put others on the right path to life will glow like stars forever. “ (MSB)