CHRISTMAS IS CALLING

Five Sure Things Jesus Calls Us to Do

It’s the Christmas season. Everyone is thinking about decorations and parties and shopping for gifts. Christmas is a time for singing and celebrating – no doubt. Enjoy it. But, Jesus can also use this Christmas season to call you to something more!

Nativity Scene

Buried under all the Christmas plans is the baby lying in a manger. And Christmas is also a time when millions around the world focus on Jesus – why he came and what that means for us.

God sent his only Son that first Christmas morning. But he didn’t send him so that we would have an excuse to exchange gifts and drink eggnog. Jesus came to die for us and to call us to be something more than what we have been. I’m not sure what God is calling you to do with your life – that’s between you and Him. But, I do know that Jesus calls us, specifically, to at least five things.

 

1. Jesus calls us to be all about people.

Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people” (Mt. 4:19).

This, of course, was a play on words. His first disciples were fishermen. Jesus came to them while they were busy at work, fishing on the Sea of Galilee. And he told them that they could use the very skills they had developed as fishermen to do a work much bigger and more significant than fishing. They could fish for people. As we go through life – no matter what it is we do for a living – Jesus wants us to leverage our skills and talents for people. If you are a Christian, then you are in the people business. Always.

 

2. Jesus calls us to love each other.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (Jn. 15:12).

We can disagree on a lot of things – the first disciples certainly did. We can argue and debate all day long – the first disciples did that too (Mk. 9:33). But, the one thing we cannot survive is hatred. We are not allowed to hate each other. Jesus told his disciples that the way the world would know that they belonged to him – the defining character trait of a Jesus follower – would be the way they loved each other (Jn. 13:35).

 

3. Jesus calls us to make disciples.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations …” (Mt. 28:19a).

What Jesus actually said was (this is my translation from the Greek) – “As you go, make devoted-followers of all ethnic groups …” It was one of the last things Jesus said to his disciples before he left them. Wherever life takes you – as you live your life – remember that your real vocation is to lead people to a more deeply devoted walk with Jesus. Do it every day. Do it everywhere you go. And do it without discrimination.

 

4. Jesus calls us to love our enemies.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you …” (Mt. 5:44).

Wow. This is the hardest one. It’s the easiest to rationalize away. Love your neighbor I get – this one makes no sense. It’s not practical to love the enemy. In fact, it’s downright dangerous.

When Jesus was a little boy the Roman military crucified 2000 Jewish men in order to squash a revolt led by a man named Judas the Galilean. 1. It’s possible that some of Jesus’ family members were killed in the massacre. Pontius Pilate terrorized the countryside in his attempts to subdue the population, even massacring some while they worshipped (Lk. 13:1). 2. In short, Pilate created a terrorist state in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Jesus lived in a terrorist state. And in the face of that kind of evil, he said – “Turn the other cheek … carry the enemy’s backpack an extra mile … love your enemy” (Mt. 5:38-44).

Good luck with that.

 

5. Jesus calls us to Worship God.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only’” (Lk. 4:8).

Jesus called this the summation of all the Old Testament Law – Love God. All of life comes down to this – how do you express your love for God? Let me suggest a few effective ways to do that:

  • Go to church
  • Give to God, financially
  • Serve others who are less fortunate than yourself
  • Tell someone about what God has done for you

 

That’s it. That’s my list. God is calling you to be more today than what you were yesterday. I’m not sure what God is calling you to do with your life – that’s between you and Him. But these five I know He’s calling you to for sure.