By Steven J. Hogan
~ A Saturday Morning Post #303 ~
The most important message in the whole world is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news that through Christ’s death and resurrection, we can be forgiven of our sins, children of God, and forever in heaven with Christ and fellow believers. To receive this new life, this eternal life, we need to repent, and believe that Christ died to pay for our sins. “For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). “God demonstrates His own love toward us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom. 5:8
“Therefore, in anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, and the new has come. All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18-21). So what does God want us to do while we live on this earth? He made us ministers of reconciliation, and wants us to tell unbelievers how they can be forgiven of their sins, how they can be children of God, how they can be eternally right with God. Eph. 1:4-7
But we are now living in the end-times which means we are fast approaching the end of this age. This church age will soon be over. It won’t be long before Jesus Christ returns to rapture the church and judge the world. Should we not be even more motivated to tell the good news of Christ to the lost? Should we not be even more energized in the work of evangelism? YES! YES! YES! Many verses emphasize this very point. Let’s look at them:
Matthew 24:14. In this important prophecy chapter, there’s a key verse on evangelism: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” After the gospel is preached to all the nations this evil age will come to an end, and Christ will come back to earth. Christians are to make the most of the time and be testifying for Christ.
Matthew 28:19-20. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… baptizing… teaching… I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.” In the very last two verses of Matthew’s gospel, we are told by Jesus to focus on making disciples, which includes evangelizing to the lost. Then this age will be over, and Christ will return to rapture the church, and begin His reign on earth. Rev. 11:15
Mark 13:9-13. This prophecy portion of Mark’s gospel tells us to preach the good news until the end of the age. “The gospel must first be preached to all the nations… you will be hated by all… the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” This passage also warns us about end-times’ persecution, that governments, churches, and even family members will oppose us and the gospel. By the power of the Spirit, we must keep loving the lost by witnessing to them, and persevere to the end.
Luke 3:4-18. This passage talks about John the Baptist preparing the way of Christ before His 1st coming, and passionately so. It is also instructing church-age believers to prepare the way of Christ. How does it say we are to do this? By preaching the gospel – “he preached the gospel to the people” (vs. 18), by exhorting people to repent of their sins (vss. 3, 8), by warning people of the coming wrath (vs. 9), and by telling people about the coming kingdom – “all flesh will see the salvation of God” (vss. 5-6). Since this passage also refers to Christ’s 2nd coming, it’s particulaly relevant for those living in the end-times.
Luke 21:12-19. “They will lay their hands on you… it will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.” Mark 13:9-13 is similar to this prophecy passage, but here we learn that opposition from our enemies will lead to open doors for the good news, to opportunities to share our testimony with the unsaved. Phil. 1:12-14
Acts 2:17-21. This summarizes the last days, which is the church age. It starts with the pouring out of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost and stops with the end-of-the-age signs that appear in the skies just before the day of the Lord. During this church age people are being saved from their sins. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
2 Timothy 4:1-2. “In view of His appearing and His kingdom…Preach the word.” Our purpose is clear: Christians are to preach God’s word in light of Christ’s coming, and in view of Christ’s kingdom, His reign on earth. Since we are in the end-times, we know His coming and kingdom will be happening soon. Now more than ever, we should excitedly be proclaiming the good news, the life and love of Jesus Christ, and especially as we see and hear so much bad news, so much sin, sadness, hate, heartache, disease, and death.
James 5:7-11. The end-times is the last time in this age to harvest souls for God. And what do we learn from James? That we are to “be patient… until the coming of the Lord.” And why? Because souls need to be readied, the crop needs to get ripe, and only then can we reap a harvest. So might we be praying for the lost and preaching the gospel – and patiently waiting.
Revelation 12:10-12. The Antichrist will soon be on earth and, along with multitudes of demons, be fiercely fighting against us. We will need to be in battle mode as we struggle against this devilish enemy – and how? “They overcame him… because of the word of their testimony.” Christians can only be victorious by speaking forth the gospel, God’s word, and by sharing their testimony, God’s work in their life.
Be thankful that you are alive at this time in history, in these end-times! But don’t be polluted by the flesh, be led astray by the devil, or live according to the world. “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2-3). What people need and what this world needs is Jesus Christ, Lord, Savior, and King! Remember God’s marching orders: be “the salt of the earth… the light of the world” (Matt. 5:13-14); “prepare the way of the Lord” (Luke 3:4); be an “ambassador for Christ” (5:20); “conduct ourselves with wisdom toward outsiders making the most of the opportunity” (Col. 4:5), and “seek first the kingdom of God”. Matthew 6:33
P.S. Are you being a witness to the lost by your words and deeds? Are you sharing the gospel with the unsaved? Might God help you do His kingdom work in these last years of the end-times. Here are two other posts about evangelizing the lost – “The Gospel Will be Preached to All the Nations – Then Christ Will Return”, “Make Ready the Way of the Lord.”