You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.  John 15:16 NIV

Probably everything we do for God starts with God’s call to us.  Jesus says that we did not choose him but he has chosen and appointed us.  We can be certain that we are not acting on our own when we are sharing the gospel but that we are acting on delegated authority because Jesus says “all authority is given to me.  Therefore, go …”  During difficult times, we are encouraged that we have been chosen by Jesus himself and that we are not doing any ministry by our own authority or ego.  

We have been chosen to “go.”  Go denotes a movement, a change of location.  We have been commissioned to take the gospel to every people group.  Jesus has called his disciples to go into all the world and to preach the gospel.  Jesus did not call the world to go to church to hear to the gospel.  Therefore every disciple of Jesus needs to share his faith to his network of friendship, family, neighbours and associates.  What does this look like in your life?

This last week, I had been privileged to be part of the triennial Evangelism Explosion International Congress of Nations at Tirana, Albania.  There are about 250 EE leaders from some 87 nations gathered there to pray, deliberate and to strategize for the next 3 years.  The theme of “Till Everyone Hears” kept us all focussed on the job at hand.  And we were reminded that we were chosen by the Lord to do this work and that we were to go to the ends of the earth with the gospel of Christ.

Not only were we called to go but we are to bear lasting fruit.  Lasting fruit reminds us of the eternal value of souls saved.  The result of some work that we do are not lasting.  Many of those tasks are like building sandcastles by the beach.  When the tide come in, it will wash away whatever we have built, no matter how beautiful or majestic the structure is.  How sad it is when we put all our energy and effort into something that does not last.

Finally, when we obey and do what God has called us to do, God will provide for us.  Jesus says, “whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”  It was Hudson Taylor who said, “God’s work done God’s way will not lack God’s provision.”