The Changing Times
Now I realize that times have changed since Christ gave His great commission in Matthew 28:19. In ancient times, missionaries traveled in boats for months to reach their respective mission fields.
Today, we can fly across the world in a matter of hours. Letters that once took months or years to reach their destinations can now be sent via e-mail in seconds, and even our "snail mail" only takes days or weeks. How blessed we are to have these advancements at our fingertips!
However, all these advancements have their drawbacks. Advancements can make Christians lazy and unconcerned.
The problem is too much comfort. With so much TV-viewing, there is no incentive to meet the mental, physical, and spiritual challenges that must be tackled. Too much materialism has caused God's people to become materialists, not realists. Reality is what we need. Reality proves that the world is starving for the pure Gospel—now more than ever!
The Universality of the Gospel
Let us never lose sight of the universality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can take the Gospel to our close neighbors or go to the utter ends of the world. We can put on our sandals of peace and literally go into all the world, or we can preach and teach via the printed page, radio, video, or the Internet. There are many ways to spread the Gospel—letter writing, a phone call, or in person.
After 33 years in God's service, I have found the key to remaining on the front lines of battle: STAY HUNGRY!! If we lose our spiritual appetite, how can we awaken or stimulate someone else's? How can we proclaim the Kingdom of God to others if we have grown fat and full on the things of the world? Think about this. Can we arouse attention in God's saving grace if we are not attending to His commands?
The Apostles’ Authority
The Apostles' authority was their miracles. The Apostles represented Christ, who showed them power over demons, circumstances, and self. Sadly, most professed Christians know little or nothing about this and don't care to either. They have fallen from God's grace and have been seduced by demons.
Friends, we need to cultivate obedience, for if we do not, demons will not be subdued by us. Making excuses for inactive service strengthens the strongholds of Satan. Most of the Church is preoccupied with secular occupations, not with the pure Gospel. To be a "winner," we must keep ourselves unspotted from the world—the very world we're sent to reach!
The Christian Soldier’s Life
Christian life is not one of expensive uniforms, "victory music," great honors, promotions, and good pay. The life of a Christian soldier is one of hard work, persecution, fasting, and demotions in the eyes of men. Yet, the true believer has the Lord and all His eternal blessings.
Christian, are you doing your best for Christ? Is difficulty and danger a stimulus for you, or are you lazy? One old-time missionary, who gave up a good career in the USA, volunteered for Africa, knowing he would likely die. He told a friend he wanted his epitaph to say, "Let a thousand fall before Africa is given up!" Within five months, he died in that land. This has been repeated over and over by Christ-loving soldiers of the cross.
Facing Death for the Mission
My wife and I have faced death on more than one mission trip. Are we to give up in the face of death? Are we to give up when persecuted? Did Jesus? Did the Apostles?
No! Paul told Timothy to "endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (II Timothy 2:3). This hardness can be endured by the power brought about at Calvary and Pentecost.
The Rewards of Faithful Service
Don't lose heart. Paul, like all wise leaders, pointed out the difficulties but also spoke of the great rewards for faithful service. We are to be recipients of great joy and blessings in the Lord.
We are to be IDENTIFIED with Christ’s sufferings—a great honor in itself. The need for Christian laborers, soldiers, and leaders is as urgent now as it was in Christ’s time. The fields are ripe for harvest, waiting for men, women, and even children to gather it in.
Shall we wait for the storm to break and wreck the harvest? No! Farmers labor hard to bring in their harvest before the storm. Should we not be compelled to go into all the world and reap the harvest in light of such dire emergencies, like international terrorism?
The Call to Action
Shall we just be content to pray for laborers, or shall we make ourselves available? Too many pray, "Lord, here am I... send him!" True soldiers of Christ will not be hindered by selfishness or worldliness. They will shun them.
A soldier going to war would be strange if he took only his clean uniform and no weapon. Yet, in this hour, we have strange soldiers—parade soldiers, putting on a show, lacking the will and skill to fight even the smallest sins.
True Christianity is selfless. Christ's call is for those who scorn the worship of self, hate the idolatry of materialism, and are ready to place their lives and their all at the feet of their glorious Redeemer.
