The Great Comission Lifestyle

     At my church, Evangel Community Church in Snellville, GA, one of our values is to live what we any many other churches call a "Great Commission Lifestyle." We believe that "Reaching Lost People Here and Around the World" is our job. When Jesus ascended into heaven (Matthew 28) He commissioned believers to go into all the word and make disciples in His name and to spread the Good News to the four corners of the earth. He did not call us to do this once. He called us to do this with our lives. In a sense, everything in our lives should exist just to support our evangelism efforts.

    If humans are good at one thing it's complicating a simple task. It's rather easy for us to make reasoned efforts to talk ourselves out of sharing our faith with those who desperately need it.

    We make excuses like: "I'm really busy today." or "I'm not in a good place right now." or "Who am I to tell them how they should live?" or "I've got my own problems..."

    Let's take a look at a biblical example on that last one:

Acts 16:22-36 
     The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 

     About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 

     The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 

     They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

    If anyone had a good reason to excuse themselves from the Great Commission for a moment it was Paul and Silas. If you read the beginning of chapter 16 you will see that they were beaten and jailed for casting out an evil spirit that was tormenting a young slave girl. It's not until later that we find out that her owners were making money off of her torment. They had lost all of their income. So Paul and Silas were brutally beaten and tossed in jail.

     There are so many parts to this story that just baffle me.

    First, they were singing praises to the Lord.  Am I the only one who will bare their poor miserable soul and admit that I might not be inclined to sing three verses of Just As I Am right after being publicly beaten and tossed in the slammer?

    Second, they didn't run for the hills as soon as the doors clanked. I would've been out like the Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs. But they stayed. My first thought is, "Why?" We get our answer in the next verse.

    Third, they led a man and his entire household to the Lord! In their condition, after the day they'd had they held an altar call! These guys are awesome!

    I know my excuses like "I'm tired today" or "I've been through a lot recently" don't hold much water in the light of Paul and Silas.

    What about yours? Which of your excuses does this story shatter? How can you live out your Great Commission Lifestyle today?