WHAT IS OUR MAIN WORK FOR JESUS AS WE ARE WAITING FOR HIS COMING. Josimar Salum

WHAT IS OUR MAIN WORK FOR JESUS AS WE ARE WAITING FOR HIS COMING. Josimar Salum

The expression "win souls" doesn't reflect what Jesus told us to do before He "physically" left the Earth. 

He ordered His disciples to do what He has done which is to make disciples of all nations. That is not making disciples of individuals only, but of nations, all nations.

The expression win souls appears only once in the Bible in Proverbs 11:30 - “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise." - and it has nothing to do with evangelism or making disciples. In Hebrew "laqach" - translated as win - means "take, seize, accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, use." The word soul ("nephesh" in Hebrew) means "a soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion"

In another version this verse could be read as follows: "He who fetch, get, seize his own soul, his own desire, his own passion, his own appetite and his own emotion is wise."

Winning souls is a myopic vision of Jesus teachings. 

“Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” Psalms ‭2:8‬

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew ‭28:19‬ 

““When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” Matthew ‭25:31-34‬

This understanding will shift your thoughts to a broader perspective and change your paradigm or mindset completely when you begin to look into your nation to be discipled and not just individuals. We always think in terms of individuals. Yes, Jesus calls us individually and we respond individually to Him, however as we follow Him we discover we are not alone, we are a family of disciples. It is the same application when people say "I have the mind of Christ". No, you individually don't. We have the mind of Christ. We, not me. 

Thus said, please, consider the following:

1 - The eternal purpose of God is to make us into the Image of His son so He may have a family of children like Him.

The main purpose of God for our lives is not related to the work we do for Him, it is not how many "worship services" we attend - actually such thing the Scriptures don't even mention - and it is not what we want to do, but the work He is doing in is. This is the eternal purpose of God: "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans ‭8:29‬ 

2 - Church according to Jesus and His Scriptures is about relationship, fellowship, koinonia (eating bread together) and all encounters of His disciples anywhere and everywhere. 

Jesus never had a "church service" with His disciples. He had spent a long time with them building and fostering relationships. The church today is more about a pulpit in a building than a table where equals sit around like a family. The church today has more meetings rather relationships, more performance rather fellowship, more formality rather alive connections and more platform rather dining together. The church today has more chiefs than brothers among brothers like Jesus was and still is a brother among brothers and a friend who wore the same cloths like the others, He was so similar to them that Jude had to kiss him to let the soldiers know who He was. The church today has lots of members and very few disciples, because the emphasis is upon filling the "churches" with members and not making disciples to make disciples of nations. 

You and I must understand, especially Christian pastors, that we don't have sheep and we don't have disciples of our own. If the sheep and disciples are ours, they are not of Jesus. Jesus is the Shepherd, therefore we may shepherd his flock and Jesus is the Master, therefore we make disciples for Him.

3 - We should fulfill the great commission only upon living the great commandment. 

“Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”” Matthew ‭22:37-40‬

Jesus Himself explain the reason:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”” John ‭13:34-35‬ 

FINALLY I propose we read our great commission and fulfill it every day and everywhere so that it will not become our great omission.

Then Jesus said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. 

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.

It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. 

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, 

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,

Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

Teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” 

Matthew ‭28:18-20‬, Mark ‭16:15-18‬, Luke ‭24:46-49‬, Acts ‭1:7-8‬ 

And we may never forget. To begin to obey Jesus starts with each of us independently of how or if others will respond.

“Jesus said to him (to me), “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”” John ‭21:22‬

‭#ASONE