Sharing Christ – Our Priority (edit, back)
01/20/2010
A fellow ASI member once told me, “I work with computers to make a living, but I live to tell others of Jesus.” He stated well what our priority should be as followers of Jesus.
Sharing Jesus with others is our destiny. We are chosen “that [we] may proclaim the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV). “Christ’s followers have been redeemed for service. Our Lord teaches that the true object of life is ministry” (Christ’s Object Lessons, 326).
Do you ever worry, though, whether there will be fruit for your labor? “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’ There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort. . . . We are to weep with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit” (The Ministry of Healing, 143, 144).
Best of all, serving others has positive effects upon our own lives. “By living to minister for others, man is brought into connection with Christ. The law of service becomes the connecting link which binds us to God and to our fellow men” (Christ’s Object Lessons, 326).
“And the effort to bless others will react in blessings upon ourselves. . . . Those who thus become participants in labors of love are brought nearest to their Creator. . . . [I]n His infinite love He chose to make us co-workers with Himself, with Christ and the angels, that we might share the blessing, the joy, the spiritual uplifting, which results from this unselfish ministry” (Steps to Christ, 79).
In making ministry our priority, we not only lead others to know Jesus, but we are personally uplifted and grow spiritually. In fact, spiritual growth is a direct result of ministering to others. “One of the divine plans for growth is impartation. The Christian is to gain strength by strengthening others. ‘He that watereth shall be watered also himself’ (Prov. 11:25). This is not merely a promise; it is a divine law, a law by which God designs that the streams of benevolence, like the waters of the great deep, shall be kept in constant circulation, continually flowing back to their source. In the fulfilling of this law is the secret of spiritual growth” (God’s Amazing Grace, 286).
Serving others also strengthens our characters and improves our mental and physical health. “The spirit of unselfish labor for others gives depth, stability, and Christlike loveliness to the character, and brings peace and happiness to its possessor” (Steps to Christ, 80). “The pleasure of doing good to others imparts a glow to the feelings which flashes through the nerves, quickens the circulation of the blood, and induces mental and physical health” (4 Testimonies for the Church, 56).
Sharing Jesus with others through unselfish service to our fellow men truly is a “win-win situation,” a term often used in business circles. What is the priority of your business, your life, your ministry? Is sharing Christ your priority?