The Command
Mat 28:18-20, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."Christ's great command was to go into all nations, teaching and baptizing. All following Christ's teachings. Many have felt the call to be missionaries, pastors, pastor's wives, teachers, or workers in dangerous areas of the world. Others stayed home, supporting the missionaries and pastors, and were witnesses where they were. All callings are different, yet all are blessed by God as each did what God wanted them to do.
The end was they were to do. Sitting at home not being a witness to our nation nor any other is not what he commanded us to be doing. Supporting them in prayer and financially is good, but each individual is accountable for being a witness to their families and friends. Years ago I heard an evangelist throw out an idea. It has held my memory since then. While believers have their own judgement, the non-believers will also have their own. He suggested we will be at theirs. Christians will see their friends and family judged for their sins. The haunting description was that of a friend judged, who looks you in the eye and yells, "why didn't you tell me!" as they are hauled off to hell.
I believe we see the result of this in the end of the Revelations 21:4, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
On order to have God wipe away our tears, we have to be crying. I always figured the Judgement Seat of Christ for believers, his church, would be the reason we are crying as we see our lives in the light of his holiness. However, there is no way to rule out our sadness as we see all the work we could have done and the souls we were too afraid or lazy to witness to.
The Witness
Acts 1:8 sets up the action of the great commission. "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."When Jesus left, he left us his secret weapon in reaching the world for Christ. We can know every verse in the Bible, know ever argument in science and religion to compel a non-believer, but it does no good. No one comes to Christ through logic, but the Holy Spirit. Logic many open a door, but the conviction, softening of the heart takes far more power than we have - that is the Holy Ghost's job. We must go about our witnessing daily with prayer. You cannot memorize your way to be a help, you need to be in the power of Christ. Those who have had verses pop into their head when witnessing know what I am talking about.
Today as hearts quail in fear and of the unknown with their lives flashing in front of them, we are the witnesses. We are the rocks of stability they need, an example to help ground them on God's word. There have never been whiter fields.
End Times
Matthew 24:14, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."My old pastor proposed an idea to me. It has taken years for me to come around to fully grasp it. He suggested the Great Commission was a multipart prophecy. Acts 1:8 was fulfilled same day as all known languages were present, but there was the addition of it being an ongoing prophecy. All languages were fulfilled in Acts, all nations today.
However, the end time portion of this has to do with the movement of the Holy Spirit around the world. Consider how the Apostles lit up the world and quickly spread God's world into neighboring countries. We see how it spread, how the light moved around the world while Satan tried to put out the light. England lit up like a flame and spread the gospel throughout the world with a memorable revival. When the Pilgrims moved to America, another bright light was it. America had revival break out in the Great Awakening, and Billy Sunday was the last evangelist to have the Holy Ghost awaken whole cities.
If you do research now on where the revivals are, you will find them in the Middle East. Whole towns are coming to know Christ as revivals break out. This power of the Holy Spirit moving in the most hateful atmosphere in the world shows just how powerful God is. These are souls coming to Christ knowing they will be killed soon. Yes, that is faith.
However, consider the movement of the Holy Ghost. It started in Jerusalem, and has moved around the world. As we see it moving around and back to Jerusalem, we may be looking at God's timer on his return. As it is really close to Israel, our time here is short, in my humble belief.
So, with no new TV shows, no new movies, and no sports combined with fear fed by a media trying to mess with the minds of the world, what are we to do?
Be a witness unto the uttermost parts of the earth. Pray for grace and power, read God's word, and remember to pray constantly. Walk in the light and let God guide you to who needs His word.
May God richly bless your ministries.
