By Glenn Metts
Pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church, Carthage
Focal Passage: Numbers 27:12-23
God calls and commissions believers in every generation to carry the message of the gospel to the world. One of the most special days of my life occurred on Aug. 18, 1991, when I was ordained to the ministry. As I knelt before the members of First Calvary Baptist Church in Leesville, S.C., the ordained men of the church laid their hands on me, prayed over me, and charged me to preach the gospel of Jesus.
I was humbled, excited and in awe of how God had worked in my life. More than anything, I wanted the Lord to use my life to share the Good News with my generation. My church affirmed and invested in me as they sent me out. The church still has the responsibility to affirm and invest in the next generation. There is still so much work to do!
When we come to Numbers 27:12-23, the Lord takes Moses to the top of a mountain to look over into the promised land. Moses is about to pass away and it must have been an incredibly emotional moment for him. Moses prays and asks the Lord to raise up another leader to lead the Israelites. You hear Moses’ heart when he says, “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”
The Lord answered Moses’ prayer and raised up Joshua, a man in whom was the Spirit. The Lord instructed Moses to lay his hand on him and to bring him before Eleazar the priest and before the congregation. He also instructed him to give him some of his authority so that the children of Israel would obey. Joshua would be the leader that would lead God’s people into the promised land.
God’s heart to save is seen all throughout Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. He commissions His servants to carry the Good News of Jesus Christ to their generation. Moses didn’t want the people to be “like sheep without a shepherd.” In Matthew’s gospel, 9:35-38, we discover that Jesus had the same heart.
The Scripture said, “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” The church today has a responsibility to care for the lost and to pray. We are to pray that God would raise up workers to carry the message of the gospel. Let us affirm and invest in those that God is raising up in this generation!
I want to share one final thought. All believers are commissioned to share our faith with those around us that are lost. We are commissioned under the very authority of Jesus. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
We have a work to do! Christian, share your own testimony with others of the difference Jesus makes in your life. Share how He forgave you and saved you. Share how He impacts your life daily. Then, pray for God to raise up workers to reach this generation. Affirm and invest in those that God is raising up to reach this generation and the next.
