Jeff Blankenbicker - 1994
How is Your Commitment

Study Compiled by Kevin L. Ziegler, Evangelist
at South Side Church of Christ, Danville, IL 61832
southside.restorationplea.com

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Every good athlete has a commitment to him or herself, and to the team they represent. Soldiers have a commitment to the military and to the country they defend. A loyal employee has a commitment to do the best job he or she can for the company they work for. As parents, we must be committed to our family in order to have the closeness and love that each family strives for. Likewise in the church there must be a commitment from each and every one of us to teach the truth and to uphold the Word of God.

If we go to God’s word in Ephesians 4:11-12, we read “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. God gave specific jobs to specific people for a specific purpose. We can read through the New Testament and see how Paul, Peter, Mark and the others were out teaching and preaching the word of God. In the book of Acts chapter 4 we read that Peter and John were preaching of the resurrection of Jesus, and they were put in custody by the priests, the captain of the temple and the Sadducees for preaching the truth. After they were released, they prayed for boldness to go out and continue to preach the truth. These men were committed to their job and to the truth. This is just one of many examples of God’s workers being committed to their jobs.

What about us? Do we have the commitment to do our jobs to "edify the body of Christ”? You might say, I am not an evangelist, elder, deacon or teacher, so therefore I have no job to do and I don’t have to have make any commitment. Nothing could be further from the truth. Each one of us must be committed to the word of God. John 14:15 teaches us that we must keep God’s commandments; this requires a commitment on our part. We are commanded in John 15:12 to love one another; this will take a tremendous commitment from us. Matthew 28:19, also referred to as the "great commission", instructs us to make disciples in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Are you committed to sharing the gospel with the lost? Do you need a commitment to do this? What about your attendance; are you committed to being at every service or are you so-so in that area? What does Hebrews 10:25 say?

And what about all those jobs you do for the Church? Are you as committed to them as you should be? If you were the owner of a business and you were looking for someone to do the same job as you do at the Church, would you hire yourself or would you look for someone who is a little more committed?

As you can see, being a teacher, leader or evangelist doesn't require any more of a commitment than being a Christian. We all have the same responsibility of commitment. If you are going to be a Christian in the Lord's Church, then you must be committed to His ways and His commands. Let's try to renew our commitment with God this day, by reading His word and applying His commands to our lives and the way we conduct ourselves. We need to commit ourselves to getting back to the Bible as our source of doctrine and commands.

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