WHJD What Has Jesus Done: Inspiring Every Believer to Make a Great Commotion of the Great Commission

By Babbie Mason and Benita Dear

When was the last time you actively shared the good news of how Jesus Christ changed the course of your life?

Are you sometimes reluctant, consumed by judgment or even fearful to proclaim your love for Christ?

Award-winning gospel singer and songwriter, Babbie Mason and instructional math coach and entrepreneur, Benita Dear, are sisters and pastor’s daughters. They know personally when Jesus Christ changes your life for all eternity, it’s a really big deal! In WHJD--What has Jesus Done, Babbie and Benita challenge believers to use their own personal testimony of faith as a catalyst to stand up for Christ, step up in faith and speak up about the amazing difference Jesus makes.

In WHJD--What Has Jesus Done, you’ll realize the great things God has done for you deserve to be celebrated each and every day. In a time where more Christians are sharing their faith less than ever before, Babbie and Benita motivate the community of believers to use their own God-story to make a great commotion of the Great Commission. In WHJD--What Has Jesus Done, you'll discover:

• God wants to spread His love for the world through you

• Every Christian has a God-story to share – including you

• Your God-story is important, beautiful and as unique as you

• Sharing your God-story makes a big difference empowering you

• Sharing Christ with others is much easier than you think

• You can fearlessly share your faith through acts of kindness

In WHJD--What Has Jesus Done, you’ll find that sharing your faith is not an old-fashioned practice for pastors and evangelists but a daily privilege for every Christian. On each page, you’ll gain confidence and encouragement to shine your light for Christ no matter where you are in your faith walk. Discover how to put your faith into action to effectively tell your God-story, impact others for Christ, overcome life’s challenges, strengthen relationships, deepen personal worship, integrate faith and culture and much more. Changing the world for Christ starts with you. WHJD--What Has Jesus Done can show you how.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Aug 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781400326235

Book preview

Introduction

Y

ou may recall the WWJD, What Would Jesus Do, campaign that was popular in the 1990s. The slogan appeared on bracelets worn by believers and nonbelievers alike across this country. Perhaps you even proudly participated in the campaign which sold over 15 million bracelets. The question, What Would Jesus Do? served as a gauge for bracelet-wearers to consider what Jesus would do in any given situation, thus reminding us to live our lives in a more Christ-like manner. As we contemplated the question, WWJD, biblical truth revealed that Jesus, through his life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension has already done everything He is ever going to do. Every need that mankind will ever have has already been satisfied through the finished work of Christ. The reality of this fact inspired us to explore another question. What Has Jesus Done—WHJD? Answering the WHJD question is one focus of this book. This book will provide you with sound, biblical principles that are the bedrock of our Christian faith and validated in God’s Word. Principles worth celebrating! We hope you will study and meditate on these principles. Allow the Holy Spirit to cement them in your heart, helping you gain spiritual insight so that you know WHJD—What Has Jesus Done for you.

Once you understand and accept all that Christ has done, it will compel you to love Him more dearly, worship Him more deeply, serve Him more sincerely, and share His love more freely. In your service to Christ, you have been called to spread the good news of the gospel and disciple others. The Great Commission as found in Matthew 28:18–20 (NKJV) says, "And Jesus came and said to them, ‘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.’" Spreading the good news of the gospel is not just the responsibility of the pastor or the church’s praise team. Every Christian has been called to make a great commotion of the Great Commission; to let your light shine so that others may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Our hope is that this book will not only enlighten you about WHJD, but equip you to boldly tell others about Christ and encourage you to confidently share your unique God-story, telling family, friends, colleagues, and community all that Jesus has done for you. Certainly, you have a story to tell and a faith to share. In a day and age when so many need hope, you can be the one to stand up for Christ, step up in faith, and speak up about WHJD for you. This will transform your world and make your life count for Him.

At the end of each chapter, you will be presented with a Call to Action. We urge you to prayerfully read and reflect on each appeal to help you put your faith into action. We hope this book will help you realize how important it is for you to share your love for Christ with others. You may want to use this book as a part of your personal daily devotional reading. Consider using it as a study guide for a small group. Use it in Sunday school, weekly Bible study, as a mentoring tool, or to share with those who are new believers in Christ. However you choose to use this book, it’s our hope that the words you read here will motivate you to put Christ’s love into action everywhere you go. When you do that, you will find the overwhelming joy that every believer finds when sharing their faith in Christ with others.

CHAPTER ONE

God’s Plan

by Benita Dear

Many books have been written about planning. A search on the internet around the importance of planning will produce about 822 million results. That’s a lot of hits. There are entries like, Why Planning Is Important, Six Reasons Why Planning Matters, and The Importance of Daily and Weekly Planning. There are planning degrees you can earn and planning associations you can join. Try applying for a business loan from any reputable financial institution and among the first few questions they will ask is, Do you have a business plan? We plan everything from business ventures, careers, and retirement to romantic encounters, meals, and classroom lessons. While planning may not always be something we enjoy doing, proper planning is an essential component that will help lead to success.

Beloved, did you know God is a planner as well? Actually, He is the consummate planner. His reason for planning was not because He needed to set goals to help Him stay on course. No, God had you and me on His mind since the foundation of the world and His plan is meant for us to follow. During your brief time here on earth, God’s plan is designed to give your life direction, meaning, and purpose and ultimately provide you with salvation.

Salvation, meaning deliverance from danger or suffering, is used in the Bible a couple of different ways. After 400 years, the children of Israel experienced deliverance from the grueling hand of Pharaoh. Exodus 14:13 (KJV) says, And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more forever. Only after God inflicted Egypt with ten plagues was Pharaoh impelled to surrender to Moses’ demand to let God’s enslaved people go. In this aspect of salvation, God rescued the children of Israel from Egyptian captivity so that they could serve Him. The view of salvation that is the focus of this book, however, is salvation from sin that is only made possible through the redemptive, all sufficient work of Christ.

With grave consequences, sin separates us spiritually from God, our creator. But the good news is, by accepting God’s plan of salvation, we can choose never to be separated again either spiritually or even by physical death. Acts 4:12 (NIV) says, Salvation is to be found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. We needed a savior. God, the ultimate planner, offered His only begotten son, Jesus, as ransom (John 3:16). Christ, who was tempted but committed no sin, paid the penalty for my sins and your sins, dear friend, and the sins of the world. He paid a sin debt He did not owe when He suffered death on the cross. And as barbaric and shameful as the cross was, it was still God’s plan. When we accept Jesus as Savior, He rescues us from imminent spiritual death and eternal damnation. Through salvation, God calls us, accepts us, and reconciles us into fellowship with Christ (Ephesians 1:4–7).

By our very nature we are rebellious against God. We can be selfish, full of pride, prone to lie, impure, greedy, immoral, and a slave to sinful desires lurking within us (Colossians 3:5). After reading that list you can probably think of friends of yours who can accurately be described by some, if not all, of those character traits. But, go back and read the list again. Read it slowly! Only this time, pause not to think about someone else, think of yourself. Which of those traits describe you? And remember, even the smallest lie—I’m on the way yet you haven’t even left the house—is a lie. We are born into sin, destined for hell; daily offending God in thought, word, and deed. Given the choice to do things our way or God’s way, we, unsurprisingly, will disregard God and His infinite wisdom and choose to do things our way instead. The late Rev. Billy Graham tells us, Sin is like an archer who misses the target. He draws back his bow and sends the arrow on its way—but instead of hitting the bull’s-eye, it veers off course and misses the mark. The arrow may only miss it a little bit or it may miss it a great deal—but the result is the same: The arrow doesn’t land where it is supposed to.¹ When we miss the mark, as we often do, that