Why did Jesus come to this earth? This weekend we celebrate what is know as Easter in the United States. I prefer to call it “Resurrection Sunday”. This holiday is the reason Jesus came to this earth. Jesus died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Christ rose again so that we could have new and abundant life (John 10:10. Jesus tells us, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. (John 11:17-27)
In the past 2 weeks we discussed how everybody in all the world should have a chance to hear about Christ and addressed the question “Do I have to go to church to be a Christian?”
Today I want to talk about learning to be like Jesus Christ by doing what He did while on earth.
What Did Christ do when he walked the earth?
When Jesus Christ walked this earth He preached the Gospel wherever he went.
The Bible says that Jesus began his earthly ministry preaching the Gospel:
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:17
He continued this ministry his entire life. Reconciling people with God was his purpose.
I love how Matthew 9:35-38 describes what Jesus did while on earth:
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary[and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Jesus Taught by Example
Today I’m in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The purpose of my trip is to do what Jesus did. We learn how to be more like Jesus by sharing the Gospel with others.
Jesus said to do everything he did while on the earth. The main things He did was to preach the Gospel and heal the sick. Then he taught his disciples how to do the same thing.
In Luke 10 Jesus said to find a person who is open to receive, then pray for God to heal him and share the Gospel with him.
Learning to be like Christ
As disciples of Jesus Christ we need to let our light shine and do the same thing Christ did when he walked this earth. Obedient disciples share Christ’s good news with people who do not know him.
Yesterday, while in downtown Colorado Springs we simply prayed for people’s needs. One of the guys on our team also met some homeless people’s needs by giving them a sandwich.
Many people openly received us as we showed a genuine concern for their needs. One woman cried for 15 minutes as we shared Christ with her.
I said that I’m learning to be like Jesus. We learn by doing. Please pray for our family as we learn to more effectively tell others about Christ.
Jesus discipled people who were open to learn from him.
We all know that Jesus had disciples.
He chose these men of God because they were receptive to him and his teachings.
Peter is a good example of this. Jesus said, come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.
Then Peter immediately obeyed Christ.
Person of Peace
Luke 10 calls people who are ready to listen to the Gospel “Person’s of Peace”.
Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) is an example of a man of peace in the Bible. He sought to see who Jesus was, and was a man of influence who was ready to receive from Jesus.
The family in this photo is a man of peace that came to know Christ during one of our visits to Asia. You can read that story here.
On May 4th- June 5th, Andre Provost and I will make a trip to Thailand and another Southeast Asian Country. Part of our trip includes a visit to an area in Northeast Thailand with a population of over 400,000 and no known Christians. We are planning to start a new work in this area.
Please pray that God will lead us to find “men of peace” who are receptive to the Gospel.
Thanks for being part of our team
Someone asked me how we are able to financially afford to travel to other places to share the good news.
I replied, ”
“We share the Gospel by teaming up with committed Christ followers who have the same desire to see the unreached come to Christ.”
We could never do what we do without people who love God so much that they would pray for us and support us financially.
That’s why we are so grateful for you! You are part of a life changing team that is truly making a difference.
What else did Christ do when he walked this earth? Let me know in the comment form below.