Luke 19:29-40  As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead.  30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them, “and as you enter it, you will see a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  31 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”  32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said.  33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying our colt?”  34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.”  35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.  36 Then the crowds spread out their coats on the road ahead of Jesus.  37 As they reached the place where the road started down from the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.  38 “Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in highest heaven!”  39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”  40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

Praise to God cannot be stopped!  We are called to give God praise, but if we do not, we cannot stop creation from praising Him!  Everything around us gives praise to God.  We are called to as well.  Are you going to let a rock do your job today?

Matthew 28:18-20   18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.  19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus sends us out to make disciples, but He doesn’t send us out alone.  He promises that He will be with us.  All of our sharing of the gospel is done through Christ.  He gives us the words and the actions that draw people to Him.  If we are faithful to our calling of following Christ, then we will also be faithful to our calling of sharing the good news.  The best way to make disciples is to be one.

1 Peter 3:13-17   13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?  14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t be afraid and don’t worry.  15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.  16 But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.  17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

How we share our faith is just as important as the message.  If weare stern and demanding, then people think that Christ is stern and demanding.  If we are gentle and forgiving, Christ is received as gentle and forgiving.  Our attitude in sharing His message should reflect the true grace that He has given us.  We should share Christ in love and grace.

Romans 1:16-17   16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes– Jews first and also Gentiles.  17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

We cannot save ourselves.  So we shouldn’t be ashamed to need Christ.  We need His grace to have life.  To need Christ isn’t to have weakness, but to have strength enough to know that we cannot save ourselves.  Christ saves us, and we should be proud to have His grace.