SEND FORWARD – 6 …who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well… 3 John 1:6 NKJV
23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. Jeremiah 7:23-24 NIV
It’s hard to believe our 40-day journey is coming to a close. We’ve read and prayed so much about going, stepping, reaching, looking, and sending forward. Prayerfully the Lord has done a new work in your heart and you are excited to move forward in all that He has called you to do.
Only those who “do well” will hear Jesus say, “Well done.”
Being excited is a great thing! So is being willing and wanting and hoping to move forward. Now, we actually have to do and live out the work that He’s done in our hearts. Only those who “do well” will hear Jesus say, “Well done.”
Today’s verses are a powerful way to summarize this prayer journey. In this passage, the Lord is clear on what is necessary to move forward, and that’s obedience. In Luke 11:23, Jesus says, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (NIV). There is no place for neutrality. There is no option to stand still. We are either going forward and are helping to accomplish the Lord’s mission, or we are moving backwards and are hindering it.
Every word we say and every decision we make is an opportunity. Which way do you want to go? Will you obey and move forward or will you chose your own way and go backward? Will you live in such a way that you hinder the cause of Christ or will you help launch it forward with all that you have?
It is a privilege to get to be a part of the Lord’s work. May we do whatever it takes to keep going, stepping, reaching, looking, and sending forward!
APPLICATION
– Spend some time praying about specific ways you need to obey in order to send the Gospel forward. Commit to follow through with what the Lord has spoken to your heart during this prayer journey. Ask Him to help you keep moving forward.
– Thank God for a church who desires to move forward to send the Gospel forward for generations to come. Thank Him for His work in and through our church. Thank Him that He has given us a practical way to be involved in His activity here on earth.
– Pray that our church would always obey what the Lord has called us to do. May we be quick to offer what is required in order to accomplish His work.
– Pray that many would commit to taking part in the Forward initiative at Liberty. Pray that the Lord will use it far beyond our imaginations!