Every true disciple of Jesus Christ wants to thank the Lord for the priceless gift of eternal life we have received because of the unimaginable torture He suffered on the cross for us. C. T. Studd was a rich young man who gained fame as one of England’s greatest athletes. Then he became a disciple of Jesus and answered a call as a missionary to Africa. Realizing that the real treasures of life could only be gained by complete obedience to Christ, he made this statement:
If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.
In 1956, a young missionary to Ecuador named Jim Elliott, along with four others, was speared to death by the Auca Indians he was trying to win to Christ. Here is what he wrote in his journal shortly before his death:
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
Jesus also had to make a decision to sacrifice His own life for those He loved and cared for – that’s you and me and everyone else in this world. He knew what He was talking about when He said:
And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26 NLT)
Additional Explanation
Every Christian is called to be a witness for Jesus: God may not be calling you to go to some foreign country as a missionary, but He is calling you and me to serve Him here in our own country. When C. T. Studd left England as a missionary to China in 1880, England was one of the leading Christian nations in the world. Later, he went to Africa, which was called the dark continent. Today, England is one of the most pagan countries in the entire world, with only 5 to 7 % attending church each Sunday. Both China and the Belgian Congo, where Studd served, have more Christians than all of England. Some are predicting that Muslims may outnumber Christians in England within the next 20 years.
The USA is in a downward spiral: Our own nation is on a similar downward spiral to that of England. America was for many years the bastion of Christianity around the world. Now, we are sad to say that this great country of ours that was founded on the principles of the Bible can no longer be called a Christian nation. Less than half of our citizens even identify themselves as Christians, let alone worship God in the company of other sincere Christ followers on most Sundays. Consequently, our nation is on an ever-accelerating decline in morality and virtue.
We can reverse the moral decline by reversing the decline in our Churches: We believe that the most important thing we can do to reverse this decline in our national morals is to reverse the decline in our churches. Our goal is not to fill churches with passive observers who are out to consume religious entertainment. Rather, it is to mobilize an army of dedicated followers of Jesus Christ who will passionately relay their commitment to Christ to their family, friends, and neighbors.
We have a number of ways that you can join us or request our assistance in this passionate crusade to put biblical Christianity back at the center of American life. You can examine the opportunities and resources we offer you at the following areas of our website:
Christian Ministries: If your interests are in the area of Christian ministry, check out our Coaching Division, our Consulting Division. and our Communications Division.
Compassion Ministries: If your interests are more in the area of helping people with the necessities of life, check out our Community Support Division.
All Ministries: For an overview of all of the ministry opportunities for service, visit the Partner With Us page.
What does it mean to partner with us?
When we talk about partnering with us, we are really talking about partnering with Jesus Christ in fulfilling the task He was given by His heavenly Father. The Bible tells us that God is not willing for any to perish, but He wants all to repent and turn to Him. One of the most famous verses in the Bible declares, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NASB).
Therefore, when Jesus gave us the Great Commission, He based His right to give such a command on the authority that has been delegated to Him by our Father God. He said:
…I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States military clearly has the power at his command to obliterate any other country off the face of the earth if he chose to order such a command. But, thanks to our constitution, the authority to use that power has to come from the Commander in Chief – the president.
Because Jesus created the universe, we know He has the power to accomplish anything that may be part of that universe. That is why verse 18 is so important to Christians. It demonstrates that He also has both the power and the authority to issue the command He gave us in the Great Commission. And, we can know for certain that we will have the blessing of God whenever we obey His clear command that we are to make disciples through our witness about Him (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47-49; John 20:21; and Acts 1:8).