12. A Generation Is Waiting for Your Yes
Someone you may never meet could one day follow Jesus because you obeyed Him today.
A child growing up in a home where no one prays.
A neighbor who has never opened a Bible.
A family whose first encounter with Jesus may begin with someone you helped.
You cannot see all the people your obedience could touch.
But you can see the next step.
And today, you can take it.
Your yes could reach beyond your lifetime.
Think beyond the person in front of you
In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul instructed Timothy to entrust what he had learned to faithful people who would be able to teach others.
Look at the generations in that instruction.
Paul. Timothy. Faithful people. Others.
Paul wanted Timothy to pass on something that would keep moving.
When you help one person follow Jesus, learn to obey His Word, and help someone else do the same, you are investing in people beyond your own reach.
The person sitting across your table has relationships you do not have.
Their friends have families you have never met.
Those families live among people who may never hear your name.
You can help the gospel travel farther than you can go.
This series began with a yes
We began with Ananias walking into a house and calling Saul “Brother.”
He could not see the churches that would be planted, the letters that would be written, or the generations who would hear about Jesus through Paul’s ministry.
He knew Jesus had told him to go.
And he went.
Throughout this series, we have considered what obedience can look like in ordinary life.
Praying until you know your next step.
Crossing the room.
Finding an open door.
Putting another chair at the table.
Opening the Bible and letting people discover.
Loving someone when it costs you something.
Giving someone else a turn.
Helping them begin again with someone new.
These are things ordinary believers can practice.
Around your table or in your living room, you can help people encounter Jesus—and learn to help others encounter Him too.
What will you pass on?
People learn from what we practice.
If we pray but continually postpone obedience, they may learn to postpone.
If we make every gathering depend on us, they may struggle to begin without us.
But when we obey Jesus, admit our weaknesses, share what we are learning, and give others opportunities to lead, we help them grow.
Open the Bible together.
Ask what the passage reveals about God and people.
Ask what each person will do in response.
Ask whom they will tell.
Then meet again. Listen. Encourage. Practice together.
As they grow, help them do the same with others.
Give people something they can live—and pass on.
Let the vision become a decision
I am praying and working toward seeing the Great Commission fulfilled by 2033, the approximate 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
That vision calls for ordinary believers to participate.
People with jobs. People raising children. Retired people. People serving faithfully in local churches.
People who can pray, welcome a household, open a Bible, and walk alongside someone learning to follow Jesus.
People like you and me.
We cannot control how others respond. We can faithfully offer them an opportunity to hear, discover, and respond to Jesus.
A vision becomes personal when we put a name and a next step beside it.
Who will you pray for?
Who will you invite?
Who will you help?
Your next step
Before you finish today, write down three things:
- One name: Someone you will help take a step toward following Jesus.
- One action: A call, an invitation, a Bible conversation, or an offer to begin learning together.
- One date: When you will take that step this week.
Then follow through.
If you have already begun, help someone else begin. Stay close enough to encourage them as they learn to help others.
We have reached the end of this series.
The next invitation, the next conversation, and the next act of obedience are still ahead.
A generation is waiting for your yes.
What will you do today?
Want to go further?
All ten Zúme discipleship lessons are on my site—free, with the video and the same teaching notes I use when I train leaders in person. Take them on your own, take them with a few friends, or join me live on Zoom and I will teach them to you face to face. When you finish, tell me and I will coach you personally.
Terry Ruff
DMM Catalyst & Zúme Trainer | Missionary at Northside Christian Church
Your gift would be tax deductible and overseen by Northside Christian Church, our sending church. There are many we coach that could use encouragement in small ways to accomplish great things.
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