Five Things Ready
We are one month into the school year, and I can definitely tell. Being at school all day is a lot for our small kids. They have to practice using their intellect, regulating emotions, playing well with peers, and listening to instructions. So it’s no real surprise that when they get home many of those skills they worked on got a little overworked at school and maybe are not as well utilized in the house. I recently asked my five year old daughter during a particularly challenging bedtime what her teacher tells the class when it is time to listen to instructions. Without skipping a beat, she sat on the floor “crisscross-applause” and told me her teacher tells the class to get “Five things ready”. She proceeded to tell me how they get ready to listen with their whole body – quiet mouths, listening ears, looking eyes, quiet hands and quiet feet.
It is amazing how much God teaches me through the eyes of my children.
Jesus commanded many things that we must grow in learning to do as we abide in His love. One of these instructions to His body of believers, the Church, is to share the Gospel. In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus gave us the Great Commission:
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
In a day where the call of Christ to share the message of the Gospel and make disciples feels urgent to many, we need to have Five Things Ready in order to follow this crucial command of our Lord Jesus.
- Mouths – when we think of sharing the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, we usually think of speaking. God spoke order into chaos in Creation, and the Word was with God in the beginning. The power of words is a mighty force. We must learn to use our words to speak the name of Jesus to our family, friends, and neighbors. We must also learn how to use those words to contextualize the relevancy of the Gospel into their lives. Learning to speak from a place of personal experience in your relationship with Jesus is a starting point to share your Jesus story with others.
- Ears – while the power of the spoken word is crucial, the power of choosing not to speak and listen to others is arguably more important. To share Christ effectively, we must have ears that hear the needs, challenges, and stories of others. Jesus said “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15) We must grow in spiritual discernment to not only hear the words of Christ spoken into our hearts, but to also hear the words of our neighbors. Meeting a need for the Gospel in Christ requires that we listen to the need for the Gospel in Christ.
- Eyes – Jesus called the eye “the lamp of the body”. (Matthew 6:22, Luke 11:34) He was referring to the eye as the vehicle for illuminating spiritual light or darkness within us. We must seek Him to have eyes that light our inner darkness with a focus on God and others. In response to that, our eyes then see the needs of others. Without sight, seeing the need for the love of Christ, both in the spiritual and physical sense, would be impossible. “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:16-17)
- Hands – Jesus performed many miracles using His hands. He was moved deeply and compassionately to individuals and crowds, performing healing miracles and feeding thousands. These signs and wonders were a manifestation of His glory and power. While we do not have the divine power to perform such miraculous feats, the Holy Spirit moves us to use our hands to minister to the needs of others. Sharing the Gospel includes using our hands to touch the lives of others physically when we hear or see a need.
- Feet – Jesus walked towards others. As a Shepherd tends its flock, Jesus physically moved His body walking to tend to the sheep and seek the lost. Sharing the Gospel requires responding to the instructions by moving toward people. It is an action that requires we follow, not only in our minds and hearts, but then on our feet to seek and find God and others. The Church is the Body of Christ. And a Body moves.
Brothers and Sisters, in a world that needs the Light of Christ, let us be Salt and Light as we are called to be. I pray that each of us grows this week in preparedness, having “Five Things Ready” to share the Gospel in whatever context we find ourselves in. Your life in Christ is a beautiful mission. Are you ready?
KB