I WILL GO!
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” – Matthew 28:18-19
Yesterday
First, there were twelve (Mark 3:13-14). Three years later there were one hundred and twenty gathered in an “upper room,” praying (Acts 1:15). Suddenly, those one hundred and twenty became three thousand baptized believers (Acts 2:41) and as the Lord continued to add to their number daily the three thousand became five thousand men and the church began to change the culture (Acts 2:47, 4:4).
Today
Two thousand years later there are over two billion Christians around the world and by 2050, at the current rate of growth, there will be five billion. (1)
When you consider the number of believers who have died in the faith since the church began on the Day of Pentecost, we are looking at billions upon billions of Christians that make up the church.
Tomorrow?
But is that enough for God, “who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4) and “does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9)? Well, that depends on what changes must take place in many American churches, where it is not uncommon for them to have no outreach, no missions program, and no evangelism teaching at all.
In addition, ninety-five percent of all Christians admit to never having won a soul to Christ. Eighty percent do not consistently witness for Christ and less than two percent are involved in the ministry of evangelism. Seventy-one percent do not give anything toward the financing of the Great Commission. (2)
According to a recent Barna study, “Nearly half (47%) of practicing Christian millennials (20-40 age group), who are churchgoers and consider religion an important part of their lives, say they believe that evangelism is wrong.” (3)
Well, Jesus had something to say about that. After His resurrection, He appeared to His followers on five individual occasions and gave them five separate commands regarding the most important matter on His heart and that was for us to share the Good News to the whole world (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:45-49; John 20:21-23; Acts 1:6-8).
As the church of the redeemed (Luke 1:68), how can we remain silent? We must not let the best news ever preached become our best kept secret. Perhaps this reminder from Isaiah will help us get started again:
Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” – Isaiah 6:8
The American church? Let’s make it greater than ever. – Maranatha!
