Mark 13:10, “And the gospel must first be published among all nations.”
In 1987, a young child, who became known as “Baby Jessica,” fell 22 feet down into an abandoned well. Man power and resources from around the world were rushed to Midland, TX to rescue this little toddler. For two and a half days, thousands focused their efforts and prayer on here well-being. No expenses were spared, not resources were withheld & because of theses urgent and diligent efforts of so many, her life was spared and today, we are told, she is a happily married mother of her own two small children.
Here is the question that comes to my mind, what if the same effort had been put toward rescuing “Baby Jessica” as the average church puts toward world missions? Would she be alive today? Would anyone even know of her plight?
Another question comes to mind, what if the Bible preaching churches would put for the effort, sacrifice and urgency toward world missions that the folks put toward the rescue of this dear child? Would we still have entire nations unreached with the Gospel?
In Mark 13, our Lord is explaining to His disciples what the world conditions will be prior to His second advent. He states that there will be worldwide deception, false religions will be rampant, there will be wars, famine, and turmoil throughout the world.
Then in verse 10 He states that, in light of the world’s circumstances, the Gospel must FIRST be preached in all nations. As we approach the end of the age and as world conditions deteriorate, the worldwide preaching of the Gospel must take greater priority. More important than our buildings, budgets, and “belly busting” fellowships, is our obedience to the great commission of world evangelization.
We must be urgent about world missions because…
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WE MUST BE URGENT ABOUT WORLD MISSIONS BECAUSE OF THE COMMAND OF GOD…
Along with Mark 13:10, Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:14-15; & Acts 1:8 all have an “urgency” about this final command of our Lord.
This Command Is A Proclamation. In other words, it is a command given with omnipotent authority. This is not a suggestion, but a requirement. Fellowships, Bible studies, social works, and music programs all have their place, but God has commanded us and requires that we preach the Gospel in all nations.
This Command Is A Priority. The world “first” here has a two-fold meaning, first in chronology and first in value. The first thing believers must focus upon when dealing with the unsaved, is preaching the Gospel to them, and the most important thing when dealing with the unsaved is preaching the Gospel to them.
This Command Is Plain. There is nothing complicated about our responsibility in this matter. It is simply to declare the simple Gospel message to every man, woman, and child throughout the entire world. Wisdom may be needed in the implementation of this endeavor, but the concept is simple. Every believer can declare to the unsaved how to be saved. Children, uneducated, highly educated, backwoods believers and uptown Christians can tell others the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This Command Is Compassionate. It is a message of the Love of God, a love so great that God gave His only begotten Son to die a violent death, to suffer the eternal judgment of all mankind’s sin, then to rise again and offer the gift of eternal salvation to whosoever will receive it by faith. God loves mankind!
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WE MUST BE URGENT ABOUT WORLD MISSIONS BECAUSE OF THE CONDITION OF MAN…
With Out The Gospel, Man Lives Life Without God! Some of the saddest words in all of Scripture are found in our Lord’s prayer recorded in John 17:25, “Oh righteous Father, the world hath not known thee.” The word “know” means to “have a relationship with.” Much of mankind knows “OF” God, sings “ABOUT” God, talks about God, and even prays TO God, but without the Gospel, man cannot KNOW God! (Ephesians 2:12, “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”)
With Out The Gospel, Man Spends Eternity Without God! Luke 16:19-31 gives us a frightening look at what happens to a person when they die “in their sins,” with having trusted Jesus Christ as personal Savior.
What if the same effort had been put toward rescuing “Baby Jessica” as the average church puts toward world missions? Would she be alive today? Let’s give ourselves fully to taking the Gospel to every unsaved person in our immediate communities, our country and to every nation on this planet!
dennisleatherman 