By Glen Elliott

Moral responsibility is not a popular idea these days. But, don’t be fooled by the world’s message! We are each responsible to God and others. Love is the foundation upon which rests all other responsibility. One such responsibility is our responsibility to teach others the gospel.

What we lack most in outreach may not be training, methods, or opportunity. It may simply be a lack of love. Love is the single-most important ingredient to winning lost souls. Love will motivate personal study so that we will have something to share with others. It will also inspire us to reach out to others with the good news of Jesus Christ.

But, some are questioning whether or not we are personally responsible to teach others. It’s amazing that such a position would require justification. The Great Commission is not the Great Suggestion. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:19-20). Yes, these words were spoken to the apostles, but He also commanded them to teach the disciples to observe all that He had commanded them to do. That includes what He has just told them about going and making disciples of all nations.

God has a time table during which each of us is expected to grow and mature to the point where we should be able to use our God-given ability to reach out and teach others. Hebrews 5:12 says, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”

If we are not, in some way, teaching others, we need to go back to the basics and learn all over again what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Much of the guilt we feel about others who have either left the faith or have not responded to the gospel in the first place could be alleviated if we would simply develop the habit of using our opportunities to teach others when such opportunities present themselves. Paul said that he was “innocent of the blood of all men.” Why? Because he “did not shrink from declaring…the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:26-27). We are not responsible for whether or not someone responds appropriately to our message. But, we are responsible for presenting “the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).

"The Church Jesus Built"

In Matthew 16:15-18 we read this pivotal passage,

¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you yourselves say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. ¹⁷ And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

While Jesus was still alive, His church was still a future building project. Yet, after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus we see the beginning of the church of Jesus Christ. In fact, after Peter preaches his first gospel sermon, Acts 2:47 says, "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."

Later in Acts, we learn the "church" was so important to God that Jesus shed His blood for it. Acts 20:28 says, "...shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Paul added in Ephesians 5:25, "...Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her ..." The church is important to God. It was loved by Jesus. It also ought to be important to the godly and those who belong to Jesus Christ. Please spend time with your brothers and sisters placing high importance on the times we assemble together. Hebrews 10:22-26