From the Pastor's Desktop

            This is a version of the Great Commission that we often overlook in favor of the one found in Matt. 28:19-20.  Perhaps the reason that the Matthew version is more palatable is because of what Mark includes in verse 16, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”  We don’t want anyone to be condemned but understand this; we will not be the ones who condemn anyone.  The Lord is the judge and is a perfectly just judge and can be completely trusted to do what is right.  This verse agrees with what Jesus said in John 3:18: “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

            Believing in Christ, that He is the Son of God, and that He alone can save is the requirement for salvation.  Whoever does not believe is already condemned because of their sin.  “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:23 Because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, all need a Savior, and only Jesus is uniquely qualified to be that Savior.  This is why sharing the gospel, or as we call it in the church, “evangelism” is so important.

            To that end, the Witness team here at Mt. Pleasant Church is hosting an Evangelism Training Seminar August 19, from 9-11 am, here at the church.  We, as a church, and as individuals—myself included, need to be better trained and equipped to share our faith with those who aren’t yet saved.  I hope that we will take advantage of this great opportunity to learn to use tools and methods that have been proven again and again, not just in distant lands through mission trips, but right here in the US. 

            So be thinking of who else that you might invite to come along with you to this event, but I invite you to also be prayerfully considering who you want to see get saved.  Who, within your sphere of influence or in your circle of friends or acquaintances do you know who needs to know Jesus, and to find the forgiveness and eternal life that He offers?  You may be the person that God desires to use to plant the seed of the gospel.  Their decision of what to do with Jesus is up to them.  We can’t change their heart, but we can share the gospel with them, and then leave the rest in God’s very capable hands.

By His Grace Alone,
Pastor Bruce Jacobsen

“And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Mark 16:15-16  ESV