Take Your Task Everywhere

One of Christ’s final instructions to His followers was, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). That means you have the opportunity to help people put their trust in Jesus Christ and become fully devoted followers of Him. Once they come to faith, they will have questions and need guidance. The following six illustrated lessons will equip you to help them.

Lesson #1—Follow Christ

Purpose: Through His life, death, and resurrection, you are able to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

At one time, God and man had such a close relationship that they could talk to each other face-to-face. Unfortunately, man chose to sin. That sin created a great separation between God and man, and as much as man wanted to have a relationship with God again, there was nothing he could do to fix the relationship. Man’s sin had created an impassable gulf between man and God. The ultimate result of that break in the relationship meant that you and I now have to face death. The punishment for my sin and your sin is death, being eternally separated from relationship with God (Romans 6:23).

God loved us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in our place in order to bridge the gap that separates us from God (Romans 5:8). Jesus, in obedience to His Father, came to earth as a man, lived a life without sin, died on the cross to pay sin’s debt, and then rose again in victory over death (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). In doing so, He created a bridge across the great divide that separates you and me from God. That bridge is faith in Jesus as Friend and Leader of your life (John 1:12).

What’s even more awesome is that Jesus wants everyone to accept Him and cross the bridge into a new relationship with God. He is asking all people to open up their hearts and receive Him as Savior. He is knocking at your heart’s door right now asking if He can have a relationship with you (Revelation 3:20). All you have to do is open the door. The way you open the door is through believing in your heart that Jesus is Lord and saying it out loud with faith in your heart (Romans 10:9). God wants a relationship with you, and Jesus is the only way to have that relationship.

Lesson #2—You Can Know

Purpose: Once you believe in Christ, you are adopted into the family of God and your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Once you believe in Jesus, you become part of the family of God (Romans 8:15). You don’t stop being a part of your current family. Your parents are still your parents and your siblings are still your siblings, but you also join God’s family. When you join God’s family, you get all the rights and privileges of everyone else in the family. That starts with not having to worry about death anymore.

When you believe in Jesus and become part of His family, God gives you eternal life (John 5:24). Now, that doesn’t mean your body will not die someday. Everyone dies. When you die physically, your soul will go immediately to be with God. The eternal life that God gives us allows us to spend all of eternity in heaven with God and with everyone else in God’s family.

In order to enter heaven, your name must be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21:27). The Lamb’s Book of Life is where the name of everyone who is in God’s family is written down. When you die, if your name is in that book, you can go to heaven. You definitely want your name in the book. If you have accepted Jesus into your life, then you are set! The minute you believe in Jesus and confess Him as Lord, your name is written in that book.

Lesson #3—Live Free

Purpose: As a member of God’s family, you have the opportunity to live free from sin because of Jesus’ sacrifice for you on the cross.

Since you have believed and been adopted into the family of God, you should live like you are part of His family. God gives us a gift, the Holy Spirit, to give us strength and help us obey God’s commands. The Bible literally calls the Holy Spirit our “Helper” because He is with us to help us. The Holy Spirit will help us stay free from sin.

Living free from sin starts by forgiving others for the wrong things they have done to us (Matthew 6:14). Jesus said that if we forgive others, God forgives us. Forgiving others can be very difficult, especially if they have treated you very badly. Holding on to grudges is not what God wants for us. In order to love others, we must forgive them when they hurt us.

As you continue to follow Christ, you must daily separate yourself from sin (Proverbs 28:13). Temptation is common to everyone. However, you should avoid situations that open you up to be tempted. Part of staying free from sin is not voluntarily walking into the situations where it is easy to sin. It also means that you should surround yourself with people who want to do the right things. When you do sin, you need to confess your sins to God immediately, and He will forgive you (1 John 1:9). This is all part of staying free from sin. If you never confess your sins, you can never be free from them.

As a member of God’s family (1 John 2:1), you will absolutely be forgiven because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. The moment you confess your sins to God, the blood of Jesus washes your sins away (I John 1:7). It does not cover over your sins like paint over a stain but washes your sins away completely so they don’t exist anymore.

Lesson #4—Run the Race

Purpose: Being a follower of Christ requires recognizing that He is in control of your life and you are committed to following His plans.

Now that you are a believer in Christ, free from sin and living a life with the desire to follow Him, you have the responsibility to complete the work that Christ left for you to do. When Jesus lived here on the earth, He came to finish the work of God in the world (John 4:34). That work was to make a way for man to once again have a relationship with God. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection completed the work of God. Now you have a job to do, and that job is to tell others that there is a way to receive forgiveness and have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

In order to do that, you must first agree to cooperate and work His plan (2 Timothy 4:7). Some people want to live their lives the way they choose. God has a plan for you that is better than anything you could ever come up with on your own, and it includes finishing His work.

Second, you need to rededicate yourself to God and His work daily (Luke 9:23). You must have a daily relationship with Him. This daily relationship you have with Him will allow you to know Jesus and His plans (Philippians 3:8). If you are close to Christ and spend your days developing your relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit will help you know His plans for your life. Finally, you must remember to always acknowledge Jesus as Lord (John 20:28). He is the one in control of your life, and He deserves to receive honor from you. By living your life this way, you are prepared to share the good news of the gospel and complete His work.

Lesson #5—Conversations That Bring Life

Purpose: Through the study of God’s Word, you can grow closer to God through obeying His commands and following Christ’s example.

God has given you a wonderful gift to help you grow spiritually. The gift is the Bible. Reading your Bible every day will help you grow closer to Jesus as you learn more about Him and the plan that He has for your life. The Bible is God’s great love letter to you. It explains how much He loves you, and what Jesus did to make sure you could accept His love by developing a relationship with Him. The Scriptures are alive and powerful and will speak to your heart about things in your life.

Here are some tips to help you study and understand the Bible. Start each day by praying that God would open your eyes and ears to understand and love what the Scriptures say (Psalm 119:18). As you read, the Holy Spirit will use certain verses to speak to you (Psalm 119:16). Whenever this happens, underline them in your Bible so you can come back to them again later. Then, memorize them and think about them throughout the day (Psalm 119:11,98).

Having God’s Word constantly on your heart and in your mind will help you avoid sin. Remember these Scriptures throughout your day, and allow them to guide you in how you worship God, what you ask from Him, and how to show your thankfulness. The Scriptures will give you guidance on what is truly important in your life. Finally, tell others what the Scriptures are speaking to you (Psalm 22:22; 89:1–2). Sharing what God is doing in your life will encourage others by allowing them to see the Holy Spirit at work in your life.

Lesson #6—Talk to God

Purpose: Through prayer, you can worship and interact with God, seeing your needs met and hearing His voice.

In order to grow closer to Jesus each day, in addition to reading the Bible, you must pray and have daily conversations with God. Imagine having a friend that you never talked to. They wouldn’t be much of a friend, would they? You build relationships through hanging out with people and having conversations with them. It is no different with God. You can talk to Him every day, at any time of day, and if you listen you can hear Him talking to you. He wants you to talk to Him, and to depend on Him for answers to your needs (John 16:24).

When Jesus was on earth, He provided an example of how to pray. It is referred to as the Lord’s Prayer and is found in Matthew 6:9–13. It is a great example of how to pray. It starts with worshipping God, telling Him how great He is (verse 9). We should always approach God with an attitude of worship. It is true that He is our Friend, but He is also our Leader and worthy of respect and honor.

Then, we should affirm that we believe in His plan and are committed to it (verse 10). Being committed to the purposes of God is part of being in relationship with Him. It is then that we begin to ask God for our needs (verse 11). It is important to understand why we ask after we affirm—God will give us whatever we ask for as long as it is according to His plan. By affirming God’s purposes and our place in them, we know that we ask for the right things and God will give them to us.

Next, Christ teaches us to intercede for the important things in our lives (verse 12). We must confess our sins and ask God to forgive us, as well as ask Him to deliver us from the attacks of the enemy and the traps that Satan sets for us. Think about all the blessings and great things you have going on in your life. Those things only exist because God gave them to you. It’s important that our prayers demonstrate a thankful heart.

From a Deadly Car Crash Rises a Convoy of Hope: Hal Donaldson

The lasting legacy of Hal Donaldson cannot be measured. He has, quite simply, changed the world through his spirit of generosity, his dedication to Christ, and his determination to make a difference. He has also permanently imprinted his world-changing view on my heart. His story covers devastating lows and unimaginable heights, and clearly shows what God’s Spirit can do when we choose to go on an adventure with Him.

Hal was only twelve when his father was tragically killed in an auto accident. Hal, along with his brothers Steve and David, will never forget the day. From that day forward his mother was left with the challenge of raising three young boys alone. Finding work was difficult, and financial hardships set in immediately. The family soon went on welfare just to make ends meet.

Hal remembers, “When you’re twelve years old and you lose a parent, you really begin to ask God the hard questions: ‘Why did this happen? Why me?’ For a long time, my mother was grieving, and we didn’t want to burden her with our questions. So we often turned to our mentors, Royal Rangers leaders, for help and answers, and they were there for us.”

Hal credits his mentors for helping him maintain his faith in God through his father’s death and the subsequent struggles the family endured. “I was the oldest boy in our family, and in a situation like ours, you have to grow up pretty quickly. I began looking for people to emulate, for role models, and I found a lot of men to copy in my church. When you’ve lost your dad, the cupboards are empty, you can’t afford a haircut, and your clothes are not up to par, it’s very easy to feel inferior. But my mentors really took me and my two brothers under their wings and nurtured us. They gave me confidence,” remembers Hal.

“It would have been easy to become bitter over what had happened, but fortunately we had a church family and strong men that took care of us and really showed us the love of Christ in practical ways. Through it all, I learned God had a purpose in everything He did, and I resolved to keep my faith in Him no matter what.”

Convoy of Hope, founded by Hal Donaldson (left), provides food and humanitarian assistance to impoverished and needy people all around the world.

In 1994, God placed it in Hal’s heart to begin a ministry of providing groceries to families in need. One day, with a pickup truck and a load of groceries, Hal went into the most needy areas of his community and began passing out food. Over time, others joined in the effort, and nearly twenty years later, Convoy of Hope serves millions each year.

Today, Convoy of Hope provides food and humanitarian assistance to impoverished and needy people all around the world. Over the last ten years, this international effort, one of the largest relief organizations in the world, has mobilized over 200,000 volunteers to serve thirty million people, sharing the love of Christ with them in tangible ways.

“What started out with just one pickup has now grown into a fleet of semitrucks, a 300,000 square foot warehouse in Springfield, Missouri, and additional warehouses on five continents. We send supplies to our missionaries and national churches all over the world. God continues to bless and multiply this outreach to the poor and suffering,” Hal says.

Hal Donaldson is an example of a man who drew strength from pain. It made him better. He learned to relieve his suffering by serving others. In doing so he was extending God’s love. It became his career, a calling in fact. It is purpose anchored in God’s mission. Hal’s abilities are in full use, and he’s most alive when he’s expressing God’s love to the world.