“If you can’t feed a multitude of hungry, then feed just one…”  This statement by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India and holds a great deal of wisdom with regard to our limitations.  There are times when a job can be overwhelming, that when broken down into smaller tasks, is quite manageable.  I remember the first time we drove across our three acre lot upon which we built our house.  What was it going to require transforming this empty lot into a place we would call home?  When it was all said and done, after grading, installing water lines, septic systems, concrete, framing, plumbing, electrical and a host of other tasks, we finally had a home we could move in to.  You see, building a house is easier when looked at as a process of smaller tasks making up the overall task.

Now let’s consider the work of the church.  The work of the church in reaching out to the lost can sometimes be one of those daunting tasks.  The Gospel of Matthew Jesus gives very clear instructions to His disciples.  “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.” Matt 28:19-20 (NASB)  Lord, you mean we need to be making disciples of all the nations?  That doesn’t seem possible, how can we do that?  If we look at the commission as a whole we overlook the means of accomplishment.  We do it just like Jesus did, calling them one, sometimes two, at a time.  As Jesus traveled, He encountered a number of men and women, some of which were personally invited to learn from Him, while others were drawn by their own reasons.

What can we do to meet this charge given us by our Lord?  First we quit looking at it as trying to save the world.  I can’t save the world, but I can reach out to an individual.  I can talk to one person at a time, maybe two, and share my faith with them.  I can invite them to worship, for Bible study, fellowship activities, any number of ways to show them the love of Christ as well as praying for those we love and care for.  Before you know it God will give the increase and His church will grow, gets that much bigger.  Amen?!!

Copyright © 2007, Nolan P. Rutter