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In his second letter to the believers at Corinth Paul writes:

But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?                                                                                                     II Corinthians 2 14-16 (NLT)

       For the last couple of Sunday Mornings we have been reviewing the awesome Great Commission our Lord gave us his followers in Matthew 18:18.  It is the mission of the church and the mission of every believer.  In this text Paul alludes to the practice of conquering armies who would take home the people captured and parade then through the streets of their own cities.  Those captives really had no life of their own in terms of what they wanted to do or places they wanted to go.  God never forces anyone to be a follower of his son.  But when we willingly become Christians, he does want us ‘to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere’.  To use our lives to put action to the challenge of the Great Commission.

And as Paul points out the message is perceived quite differently depending on the perspective of the hearer.  Sharing the message of Jesus, who he was and why he came will not always be well received.  Anti Christian sentiment will not be hard to find as you share the good news!

Paul’s question “And who is adequate for such a task as this?” is an interesting one.  The Great Commission did not list any exceptions and looking at the resumes of the disciples, I.E. fishermen and tax-collectors, apparently there was no special education or experience required.

Anti-Christian sentiment cannot change the experience of a believer.  For those who genuinely and remorsefully confessed their sin and placed their faith in the saving power of our Lord’s work on Calvary their lives have been forever changed.  Sharing our story about how Jesus changed our lives is something we are simply called to do.  Besides being obedient, it brings praise and glory to the one who made our life change possible.

                                                                                                            Pastor Dave