Regarding Matthew, how do I apply this to myself?
The first time I ever read the New Testament, other than a few verses when checking out the Bible or on the rare occasion when I attended church, was about a year after I gave my heart to Jesus on April 15, 1990. Soon after turning to Jesus, I was told by a "Christian," John Carter, that I needed to read the Bible. More than one year later, when I was settled into employment as a paralegal, I decided to read the entire New Testament. The only Bible I owned, and possibly the only Bible in my family's home, which had been a gift in my youth, was a King James Version. Mentally tired out after a day of hard work doing paralegal duties, I would consistently read every evening on the orange line of the Washington D.C. area subway until I reached my stop at Dunn Loring. I read the entire New Testament, starting with the book of John, and then went back to complete the New Testament by reading Matthew, Mark, and Luke for the conclusion. After reading the entire New Testament, I considered how my favorite book had been Matthew. I felt like I clearly understood the teachings and the ministry of the Person I had turned to, Jesus. I felt more confident in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
One incredible moment in reading the book of Matthew the first time was when I read the teaching of Jesus where He states: "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48 NIV). As a rather new follower of Jesus, I looked out of the subway window. My first thought was, "That is impossible." Yet I continued to ponder the statement. Then my thought was, "If it was impossible, why would Jesus commanded it?" In the eighteen years since I have been following Jesus, I have learned that the perfection process by Jesus is a painful process, yet that the perfection process by Jesus leads to goodness. And though a person is not completely perfect until he or she is with Jesus in full, living by the love of the Spirit of Christ, a person is changed to be more loving.
How do I apply this to my community?
After a long morning of writing, how nice to end on an easy question. The book of Matthew contains what is termed the "Great Commission," which includes Matthew 28:18-20. The first command is to make disciples of people everywhere and anywhere. How do you make a disciple of Jesus? First of all, you have to tell them about Jesus. I always look for opportunities to tell people about Jesus. Those opportunities vary much in manner.
I mentioned my Bible reading on the subway. I remember an incident a year or more later when I was trying to relax by reading the paper after work. Note that I had changed my practice, reading the Bible when I was fresh in the morning, and reading the paper when I was tired on the ride home. Suddenly, this guy sitting next to me leaned towards me a bit and said, "I wonder what the Bible has to say about that subject." I proceeded to tell him what I thought the Bible had to say about the subject I was reading about. But I thought his interruption of my paper reading was rude. I have long tried to be a tactful evangelist, which for me means witnessing in ways which fit me, or during those times when I feel in my heart there is a special opportunity.
Indeed I work for appropriate opportunities to tell about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. Having a gift for evangelism, the work is still always a challenge, and I must rely on God to be enabled to speak the spiritual truths that He has revealed. Many people know some things about church denominations or a few facts about Jesus. Many people do not know what the successful mission of Jesus was. Jesus Christ died on a cross for anyone as the substitute for the consequence of sins, which is spiritual death. If a person believes in Jesus, he or she has eternal life with Him.
Regarding the second command to baptize people, this is also an important community need. Rather than getting into a full discussion here, I will state my conviction that only a person who acknowledges a desire to be baptized should be baptized. The command of Jesus was not to go out and force people to become disciples. Discipleship is a choice. You cannot make a person commit in his or her heart to following someone.
Finally, we are supposed to teach people about the teachings of Jesus. I can thank Jesus now that He has me spending my Tuesday doing all of this work in the CCU library for my New Testament class, as He further prepares me for more teaching. I love teaching, and that is one of the reasons I am blessed to be here at Colorado Christian University.
Hunter Irvine
