We are all faced with different challenges in life. There are challenges to doing well in school, challenges to succeed in our careers and challenges to reach our full potential in whatever endeavor we seek. Challenges are just a part of life. These challenges should be welcomed for life without challenges is simply boring, the result of which is going through the motions of life indifferently.
As Christians, we have a challenge set before us as well. That challenge is to be all we can be as servants of Christ. Being challenged as Christians is nothing new. Christ challenged His disciples in many ways during His ministry on earth. He challenged His disciples to bear fruit (Jn. 15:1-7); to deny themselves (Matt. 16:24), and to preach the gospel to the whole world (Mk. 16:14-16). These were all noble challenges. We have these same challenges set before us. Let’s look more specifically at a few challenges that we should take up.
The Challenge To Be Faithful To Christ
Faithfulness to Christ is the only way that heaven can be gained (Revelation 2:10). There is a lot involved in being faithful to Christ. It has to do with the condition of our hearts. Anyone whose heart is not right with God is not faithful to Christ. But, faithfulness involves action as well. Christianity is not simply something felt; it is something lived. It is a particular kind of life. Let’s look at a few things that are involved in faithfulness.
- Attending all services. We are urged by the Holy Spirit not to forsake the assembling of the saints in Hebrews 1O:25. There is a lot more to being a Christian than attending services; but, generally speaking, you can tell those who have made a commitment to Christ by how they attend. The child of God who is too busy to give God three or four hours a week to gather together with other Christians and worship God has not devoted himself to Christ. What is more important than worshipping God? A basketball game? A family picnic? An afternoon of relaxation? The fact is the kingdom must come first in our lives (Matt. 6:33). Why not challenge yourself to be at every service (Sunday morning Bible class, worship services morning and night, Wednesday night Bible study, and gospel meetings). When you stop and think about it, we do not assemble all that often.
- Participate in the work. We should all challenge ourselves to be involved in the work of the church (Eph. 4:16). Don’t just have your name in the directory, be an active member. Get to know your brothers and sisters in Christ and help them when they are in need. Use the talents that God has given you to help the local church be a stronger unit (Matt. 12:14 ff). Remember, Jesus, Himself, once said, “I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day…” That’s the challenge that we all have—to work for the Lord.
Be More Interested In Saving Souls
Can you think of a more noble challenge than winning souls? Here are some practical ways of doing that:
- Make use of every opportunity. We all sometimes let opportunities to win souls slip by. Challenge yourself to cut down those missed opportunities. Look for opportunities to win souls and when they come, seize them. That’s the challenge each one of us has.
- Use your time better. One reason many do not win souls to Christ is that they do not have time to engage in any kind of personal work. Using our time wisely can afford us more chances to win souls (Col. 4:1-6).
- Be bold! It takes courage to tell others about the Lord. We live in a society where you just do not know what kind of response you might get when you mention Jesus to someone. But the more boldness and courage we can develop, the more we will talk to others, and the more success we will have. Challenge yourself to be bold in your efforts to win souls to Christ.
Let’s challenge ourselves to be all we can be as Christians, and let’s carry out those challenges. One thing is for sure: we will not accomplish our goals if we quit!