MANY WAYS FOR HOW TO GET GOING
When does your spiritual life really get going? Not till you begin. Here’s some of the many ways. Mark 16 tells us ways on how to get going for the first time or starting all over again.
Get Out of the Tomb
Mark 16:7, “But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.’”
The angel at the tomb said, “Go! Get out of the tomb.”
Now, tombs don’t have to be terrible places. Jesus’ burial place was a new tomb, a limestone cave on the side of a hill. Not a gruesome place yet. No bones or bodies there, except for Jesus. And when they came to look, that body was gone! There may have been the aroma of spices and a linen cloth left in the tomb. In a world where you could be persecuted for your faith, that might be nice to have a nice, religious feeling experience in a tomb like they had.
There’s a sense of wonder in a tomb. They were awestruck. He has risen from the dead. There’s security in a tomb. No threats. Nobody imposing or watching what you’re doing. If you fell to your knees or on your face or closed your eyes or raised your hands, no one would know. But there’s limits to a tomb. A stagnant place, nothing new could come or happen. Not many know what’s happening in this secretive place.
Yet, what a sense of excitement in the tomb of Christ. Something had happened here that would affect the whole world. There’s some exciting things you can do when you’re out of the tomb.
I think we all wish we’d been a firsthand witness, to see the proof of the risen Jesus, His leaving behind an empty tomb. How do you get going as a witness?
Live Like You Were There
- Center your life around the excitement of the empty tomb.
Read the resurrection account often. Study the response of the disciples and others who were there, what got them going.
- Live in the eternal dimension.
Grasp that your life will be everlasting, ongoing, never ending. That means priorities change. Get in tune with Jesus’ timing, His different ways. Don’t get in a hurry because you and Jesus exist outside the tomb.
- Report what you’ve seen.
Mark 16:10, “She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping.”
How do you get going in your spiritual life? Tell what you’ve seen Jesus do. Look at how you’ve changed, differences in your speech, in relationships, or the way you think and act, as well as your plans for the future. What dramatic changes have you seen in others’ lives? Tell what you hear and see God doing, the miracles and surprises. What things have happened you didn’t expect? Any unexpected results in impossible situations?
Explain how God helps you with temptation, keeps you from wrong choices. What would you be like without God in your life?
Qualities of a Convincing Reporter
Report the truth without any exaggeration. Second, report with sincerity. No ulterior motive. Then, tell the important details of what God did. Emphasis the reasonableness, what makes sense. And be consistent. No fluctuation of methods or moods. Be enthused. Show how much you enjoyed His actions. And offer a challenge: here’s how it changed me.
But realize some may reject your message. One reason: it’s spiritual in nature. And nonspiritual ears, eyes, and hearts can’t receive it. Or it’s too hard to believe. If the people who hear are ego-centered, this truth threatens ultimate trust in themselves.
Sometimes what you report demands a big commitment they’re unwilling to make. But you still go out of the tomb to report what we’ve seen and heard.
Learn to Recognize the Voice of Jesus
Mark 16:12, “And after that, He appeared in a different form to two of them, while they were walking along on their way to the country.”
The two men walking on the road to Emmaus didn’t recognize His voice at first. How do we discern when He talks to us?
We check out the subject matter and tone. Does it pass the Philippians 4:8 test?
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”
Jesus speaks to us as a friend, in a loving manner. And He’ll tell us to love, sometimes with sacrificial love.
He said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24).”
Jesus Results
We can tell His voice by the subject matter, the tone, the action commanded, and the results of the action.
James 3:17 reminds us, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
What are the eternal consequences of our action? We’re to go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation, making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). The voice of Jesus will lead us there. And we can recognize His voice by the promises attached.
Matthew 28:20, “Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
He promises His presence, His abundance (Matthew 10:10), and His security (Matthew 10:28). He also promises provision and peace, health and joy, and power.
Get Going into the World
Mark 16:15, “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’”
We’re not to be of the world but we’re in the world. What’s the world like?
Satan’s power is evident. Jesus is put down. Self-centeredness rules. The world appeals to the senses and plays on our pride. But we’re to go into the world and preach the Gospel.
How does God get us reluctant ones into the world? He uses several methods. We can either go when He says, “Go!” Or He can use persecution. In Acts the disciples were told to go into all the world and they stayed in Jerusalem. So, they suffered persecution and left Jerusalem. God also brings the world to our door.
Peter on the rooftop saw a vision about bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles. Then a knock at his door and a man saying, “We want to hear your message.”
Other Ways
God gets us into the world sometimes by making our competitors successful. Some people saw Paul preaching the Gospel and decided that’s what they wanted to do. They liked Paul’s results. But Paul’s companions complained about their motives. Paul said, “I don’t care why they preach Jesus. I’m just glad they do.”
Sometimes God binds us and carries us off to where He wants us to be. Chained in irons on the ship to Rome, Paul ended up right where God wanted him. Sometimes we get in the straitjackets of ill health and in hospital beds where we should have been visiting all along. God gets us into the world, our part of it.
Sometimes He gets us into the world through explosive power, like on the day of Pentecost. The power of the Holy Spirit thrust the disciples into people’s lives. Or sometimes we get into the world by having our message rejected by those around us and we must go somewhere else. Like Paul finding the doors closed and being led to a new field.
We have to get into the world. And if we don’t, God will get us there. Then, we must accept the confirmation God brings to our ministry by His success.
Get Going and Accept the Praise
Mark 16:20, “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.”
We often heap praise on a little child that’s not in proportion to what they’ve done. We praise them as though they swam the English Channel when they have dry pants after church, to reinforce the good action. God does the same for us. Sometimes He allows affirmation to come disproportionate to what we’ve done. He wants to reinforce we’re on the right track. Like in the Book of Acts when they see the numbers of believers growing day after day. When we see results, God’s saying, “Good job!” A divine pat on the back.
I think He confirms it when we have fun in the ministry too. When the seventy returned after Jesus sent them out two by two, they were rejoicing. They told Jesus about their great time. God confirms that ministry as well when others see what He’s doing. When we hear from their lips about the ministry we’ve done. This happens most supremely when we see others imitate our actions. We realize we’re having an effect.
We need to accept the confirmation God brings. How can we do that without pride ruining us?
~~ Separate flattery from praise
Flattery is someone telling us how wonderful we are and we had no control over the matter. Such as when someone says, “You have the most beautiful eyes in the world.” But you had nothing to do with it.
~~ Never refuse a gift of praise.
We can be so overwhelmed we don’t know what to do with it. “Oh, it’s nothing,” we say. But they disagree. Accept a true word of praise. If they enjoyed the song you sang or the teaching, the self-sacrificing help or the pie you baked, receive the thanks and compliments.
~~ Never base your success merely on the praise of others.
Don’t judge yourself to be successful only if you get enough praise. God judges all things by a different standard.
~~ Thank God for allowing you to receive these words.
Tell Him “thanks” every single time someone offers you praise.
~~ Never let the sun come up on your praise.
The praises you received yesterday become old news. Don’t dwell on it today. Put it to rest. Consider the words confirmation and move on.
Summary
God doesn’t mean for His children to live limpid, listless lives. Instead, catch the excitement of life with Jesus. Follow Him into adventures and excellence outside the tomb. To get your spiritual life going, spend a day at the cross and the empty tomb. Think of the astonishment of those around Jesus, seeing Him alive after watching Him be crucified. Then take courage. Get going. Get out of the tomb. Report what you yourself see. Learn to recognize His voice. Get into the world, follow Him, and accept any confirmation He brings.
There it is. Plenty of places to begin. No excuses.
Stephen Bly
Circa 1980s
Get Going “Go” Button Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay
Tomb Empty Image by Arnie Bragg from Pixabay
Reporter Woman Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
World Countries Image by Yolanda Arguello from Pixabay
Thumb’s Up, Okay, Good Job Image by Eros Silva from Pixabay
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