VB093 On Fire For The Lost
On Fire For The Lost
[2Tim 1:6; Mt 28:18-20]
Our foundation verse for the On Fire for Jesus, series is 2Tim 1:6.
2Tim 1:6 (ESV) –For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
“Fan into flame” or “stir up” (KJV) – to be enthusiastic, fervent, passionate, vigorous; to do something wholeheartedly or zealously; to rekindle or to stir back to life again.
God wants us to have zeal, so His gift will continually operate in us. If we have lost our zeal, we need to stir up the fire by adding some fuel to keep ourselves stoked for Jesus. An interesting “fuel” is to have a passion for the lost. A zeal, or passion for lost souls, will stir up our fire to do God’s will and run our earthly race.
The Early Church was on fire for Jesus. They had a passion for lost souls, and obeyed the Great Commission. Today, if we will go into all the world – our nearby world, and the ends of the earth to make disciples, God will regularly release His awesome power and presence into our lives.
Mt 28:18-20 (NASB) –[18] And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. [19] “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
v.18 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” What an amazing statement (cf. Mt 11:27; Lk 10:22; Jn 3:35; 13:3; Eph 1:20-22; Col 1:16-19; 2:10; 1Pet 3:22)! Jesus is the Messiah, and His resurrection confirmed His claims!
v.19 “Go” This should not be interpreted “as you are going.” “Going” is the most accurate interpretation. All Christians are commanded to be lifestyle witnesses (cf. 1Pet 3:15). It is a priority. This is the Great Commission – not the Great Suggestion. This is a direct order from our Commander-in-Chief!
“make disciples” This means “learners.” The Bible does not emphasize a decision for salvation, but a lifestyle of faith. The key to evangelism is discipleship.1 However, discipleship must start with a repentant faith profession, and continue in the same way unto obedience and perseverance.
“of all the nations” This must have been a shocking statement to the Jews, but it follows Daniel 7:14 which speaks of a universal, eternal kingdom (cf. Rev 5). This is a reversal of Jesus’ previous orders (cf. Mt 10:5-6). To include Gentiles and Samaritans earlier in Jesus’ ministry would have made it even more difficult to reach the Jews (remember Matthew was a Jew, he said “kingdom of heaven” instead of kingdom of God, etc. Jesus wanted to give covenant people the first opportunity). This commission is for the Ekklesia,[1577] (ek-klay-see’-ah), the church.
“baptizing” Here the meaning of the word baptizo[907] means “to be identified with.” When the preposition eis,[1519] “in, into or unto,” comes after the verb “baptize” (i.e., “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,”) it means “in identification with” that name and all that it stands for. Other Scriptures where the preposition eis is used after the verb “baptized” are Acts 8:16: 19:3.5: Rom 6:3: 1Cor 1:13: 12:13; Gal 3:2.
“…And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Mt 28:20 KJV).
When we come to verse 20, Jesus makes an awesome promise. He says, “…And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” The word “lo” in Greek is so strong and difficult to translate, but it means, “And, wow – this is just amazing – I will ever be with you.” The “lo” belongs to those who “go”!
Essentially, when we go as commanded, and keep going, He will regularly release His power and presence in our lives.
Obeying this command and maintaining a passion for reaching the lost guarantees the experience of His amazing presence and power. That means we have to regularly stir up the fire within us, with (the fuel of) a passion for souls.
The manifest presence of God regularly demonstrated in the life of any individual believer, church, or ministry organization, is the result of a compassionate lifestyle for going and making disciples.
Hell Is Real:
People don’t like to think about it, but it’s a fact that hell is a real place, and people really do go there. It is so real that Jesus spoke about hell three times more than He spoke about Heaven. Jesus came to pay the price so people could receive forgiveness of sin and not go to hell.
Every day around the world 166,234 people die. Approximately 6,930 people die every hour – that’s about 2 people every second.3 A steady stream of people are passing into eternity, and many of them are going to hell. That’s why we must burn with passion to make sure we take the Good News to every nation and make disciples.
Adam and Eve gave up their authority to rule the earth. Jesus paid a huge price to buy back human authority on earth. The enemy does not want you to know about your authority. The most important aspect of that authority is the ability to tell the devil, “NO, I’m not going to hell! Jesus is Lord!” Until the nations hear and understand the truth of the Gospel, people remain in the deception of the devil.
It is a miracle when God gives life to spiritually dead people. When they receive the gift of forgiveness and salvation, immediately they’re no longer destined to hell! Then those disciples can share the Word of God and teach their disciples.
Reaching the Unsaved:
Since Jesus is Lord, we must live for His call and purpose. We must reach people, and we must fund the Gospel to make sure other people hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. If we do not pray for or teach the unsaved – those people will go to hell.4
The early Christians were so infused with Jesus’ teaching on hell that it gripped their hearts, and they went to the world with the Gospel because they wanted to stop people from going there.
Recap:
To have the fire of God raging in our hearts, we must give ourselves over to what triggers the release of that fire, including a passion for lost souls. When we do, we’ll become more on fire for Jesus!
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, “Go therefore” and the Greek literally means go and keep going! This command is not to go on a short-term missions trip – we are to make disciples, perpetually. When we go and keep on going, Jesus makes the glorious promise: “…And lo I will be with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). God’s promise to those who go, those who seek to save the lost, is that He will show up, and His presence will be with us! So we must “go” – it’s a spiritual fuel we need to add to our fire!
Study The Word:
God never intended for people to go to hell, but many do because they have never heard or received the Gospel.
Find in your Bible where it says hell is a real place. It is good to remember what we have been saved from, it stirs us to share what we have in Christ. Describe how the Scripture affects you, and motivates you to tell others about God’s love and His redemptive plan.
What did Jesus mean when He said, “…And, lo, I’m with you always even unto the end of the world” (Mt 18:20)? Explain the significance of this verse as it pertains to being a witness for Jesus.
Look up Romans 1:12 – How do you relate to this verse? Be bold to share, there is little power without fire on the inside.
Using The Word:
When was the last time that you witnessed to someone about God’s love for them? How can you show the love of Jesus in your daily life so that unbelievers become open to hear the Gospel that can save their eternal souls?
Make a commitment to speak to at least one person about Jesus this week. Note the results and follow up with that person. How did the Holy Spirit move to help you speak to that lost soul?
God bless you my friend,
1See, Topical Study, The Great Commission.
2Zodhiates, Spiros. Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible–NASB (Chattanooga: AMG, 1984; rev. ed. 1990), 1517.
3In 2023 according to (worldpopulationreview.com).
