Do you long for
the second coming of Jesus? When will the end come?
Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will
be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and
then the end will come.” Is there a soul in the world that has not
received the good news of Christ? Mark 13:10 says: And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
A
Malaysian young man converted to Christianity and was eager to see his family
saved. As he talked to the missionary about his family, he asked, "What
can I do for my Buddhist grandmother who died last year? She never heard of
Jesus Christ. Is she lost and in hell?" What
would you have said to the young man?
Are there people in the world today who have not heard
about the saving faith in Jesus? The author of Romans says that no man has
excuse because everything that can be known about
God is already revealed! Furthermore, Romans 10:14-15 says, "How
can they call on the One they've not believed in? How can they believe in One whom
they've not heard about? How can they hear without someone preaching to them?
How can someone preach unless they are sent? How beautiful are the feet of
those who bring good news?”
Quoted from The CBN.com, (Christian Broadcasting Network) "Did you know that
2/3rds of the world's population is still unsaved? And it is estimated that 1.6
billion people have never heard the Gospel -- not even one time."
According to a recent study (based on the 2010 world
population of 6.9 billion) by The Pew Forum, there are:
- 2,173,180,000 Christians (31% of
world population), of which 50% are Catholic, 37% Protestant, 12%
Orthodox, and 1% other.
- 1,598,510,000 Muslims (23%), of which 87-90% are
Sunnis, 10-13% Shia.
- 1,126,500,000 No Religion
affiliation (16%): atheists, agnostics and people who do not
identify with any particular religion. One-in-five people (20%) in the
United States are religiously unaffiliated.
- 1,033,080,000 Hindus (15%), the overwhelming majority
(94%) of which live in India.
- 487,540,000
Buddhists (7%), of which half live in China.
- 405,120,000
Folk Religionists (6%): faiths that are closely associated with a
particular group of people, ethnicity or tribe.
- 58,110,000
Other Religions (1%): Baha’i faith, Taoism, Jainism, Shintoism,
Sikhism, Tenrikyo, Wicca, Zoroastrianism and many others.
- 13,850,000
Jews (0.2%), four-fifths of which live in two countries: United States
(41%) and Israel (41%).
If the above research is anything to go by then, there is
a sense of urgency to take evangelism seriously!
Who is
responsible? Jesus commissioned every BELIEVER. Look at these verses:
Matthew 28:18-20,
Then Jesus came to
them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me.” In
that power and authority He commanded, “Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations,.... And surely I am with you always, to the very end of
the age.” Marks 16:15-18, He said to
them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.... And
these signs will accompany
those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they
will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick
up snakes with their
hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they
will place their hands on sick people,
and they will get well.” Luke 24: 46-48, The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on
the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until
you have been clothed with power from on high.” John 20:21-23, Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not
forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Acts 1:8, But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and
to the ends of the earth.”
If you are a believer in Jesus, you must acknowledge the
urgency of preaching the good news. You must do something, that is, you MUST
share the good news of salvation through faith in the blood of Jesus. Start in
Jerusalem, right where you are, in your home/family, in your neighbourhood, in
your college/school, in the city and be willing and ready to cross the borders
to the uttermost/remote parts of the earth till every ear hears and every soul
calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus for salvation.
This is very urgent!
Kachel
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