“Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”” John 20:21-23 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/jhn.20.21-23.CSB

Whose sins are we not forgiving? Who in 2024 did we leave in their sins because we failed to carry out our mission to make disciples? As the Father sent the Son so He sends His disciples. Jesus came to serve and not be served so that men would believe and receive eternal life, ultimately through the sacrifice of His life in exchange for our own. We are to serve people, sacrificing our agendas to win people to Jesus by sharing the love of God through Jesus with them, demonstrating that love through acts of service, and delivering testimony to the truth of God’s word. To empower us for this work, we have received the Holy Spirit. He, too, is working around us in the hearts and minds of people, convicting them of sin, righteousness, and judgment. This partnership of God’s design is our life purpose, the mission of every Christian, the Great Commission. Faith comes by hearing; unless we do our part to share the gospel, people will remain in their sins. Certainly, people are responsible for responding to the gospel, but the gospel must be spoken, for it is God’s means of salvation for everyone who believes. So, who did we leave in their sins in 2024? Who will we strive to see come alive in 2025? The new year is our continued opportunity to fulfill our purpose for God to accomplish His objective, which is that no one should perish, but every person should come to a personal relationship with Him through Jesus the Savior. The world needs the gospel. God needs faithful and obedient disciples. Will we choose to be those people so that the world might be saved?