Matt. 24:14b . . . as a testimony to all nations.
The Gospel we share--the good news
of redemption made possible through the death, burial, and resurrection of
Jesus--is "a testimony", a reliable declaration of God's mind and
will. The Gospel reveals what God expects us to do in response to His works
among us. It tells where we came from, God created us; where we are headed
for eternity; and why we are here, to know our Creator and to enter an
everlasting relationship with Him.
This “testimony” will go "to
all nations", but beware over-confidence. This text’s optimism did not
negate the fact it would be a tough assignment.
Nations have often proven to be
harsh, hostile territories to enter. Why risk it? Because Jesus died for every
person in every nation on the planet.
The Holy Spirit illustrated this
truth at the first of Church history.
At Pentecost (AC 2:9-11), the
Gospel was clearly spoken to people in every direction from Jerusalem.
Parthians, Medes, and Elamites lived far east, in modern Iran between the
Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf. Mesopotamians came from what is now Iraq. Judea
was the province Jerusalem was in.
Cappadocia is now eastern Turkey.
Pontus was north of Cappadocia, on the Black Sea. We call “Asia” Asia Minor; it
covered the southwest and west part of the Turkish peninsula. Phrygia was
southwest of Pontus, and east and north of Asia Minor. Pamphylia was on Asia
Minor’s south coast.
Pentecost included visitors from Egypt,
Libya near Cyrene (home of Simon who bore Jesus' cross), and Rome. This may
explain the church at Rome’s early existence. Tacitus, Roman historian, said
there were enough Christians in Rome by 64 A.D. to catch Caesar’s eye and stir
his suspicion.
Crete is an island southeast of
Greece. Arabs lived southeast and east of Israel in the desert (now Saudi
Arabia and Syria); Petra was their capital.
Several languages being
miraculously spoken at Pentecost forecast the worldwide proliferation of the
Gospel. The miracle of tongues was a stark lesson; the Gospel was intended for
all the people groups separated at Babel.
The Pentecost miracle said loud
and clear, “No exclusiveness here!” Languages still play a huge role in the
spread of the Gospel. The Bible in part or whole had seventy years ago been
translated into 300 languages; that number now exceeds 2000. The resolve to
reach “all nations” continues.
This was an assignment that would
take at least 21 centuries to finish. After Pentecost, Philip won the Ethiopian
Eunuch (AC 8), probably from what is now north Sudan. Paul added the region of
Cilicia (CL 1:21), east of Pamphylia on Asia Minor’s south coast, and Galatia
(GL 4:13), southwest of Pontus. Someone took the word to Bithynia (1 P 1:1),
west of Pontus, and to Scythia (CL 3:11), now south Russia, between the Black
and Caspian Seas.
Paul carried the word into Europe,
to Greece, and on to Illyricum (RM 15:19), northwest of Greece and east of
Italy. Paul intended to take the word all the way to Spain (RM 15:24-28), then known
as the ends of the earth.
Paul said the faith of the church
at Rome was "being reported in all the world" (Romans 1:8b). He said
the Gospel was "growing all over the world", and being proclaimed
"in all creation under heaven" (CL 1:6,23). These were references to
the Roman Empire, the known world of his day.
Through 313 A.D. (Constantine)
Christianity penetrated the Roman world despite (because of?) persecution. The
catacombs of Rome bear eloquent eerily silent testimony to the suffering early
believers endured.
From 313 to 800 A.D. (Constantine
to Charlemagne) missionaries like Patrick, Columba, and Boniface carried the
Gospel into Western Europe.
From 800 to 1492 A.D. the faith
reached Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and the Eastern Slavs (Russia). The Gospel
found fertile soil in the Western World. It became a springboard for the greatest
mission expansion in Church history. Many think the Church will continue its
westward march, increasing its influence in the East—in China, India, Japan,
Korea, and Mongolia.
This fixes the focus squarely on
us. The mission pendulum has swung our way. We must not be content with
lackluster Kingdom expansion work.
Why should God bless mediocrity? If
a worldwide vision is not in us, why claim to be serving a worldwide Savior. Jesus’
blood bought this world. Every inch of our planet must be sought for the
Kingdom of God’s Son.
Obviously Jesus meant for His
Gospel to always be spreading where it has never been before. The question is;
who did He expect to do this? I think the answer looks suspiciously like the
people assembled here in this room.
The Great Commission was not given
to denominations, mission agencies, national or state conventions, local
associations, or even to local churches. These all exist to be channels through
which the ones called to fulfill the Great Commission can work—you, me, and
every other believer.
I learned this for myself in
October 1997 on a mountain in China, where God broke the heart of this preacher
for the world. For years after that moment a fire burned in me for missions
like a boiling cauldron. I could hardly speak of our unreached people group
without my voice trembling.
God, in His infinite grace and for
His own Sovereign purposes, spread this revival to our whole church. The Glory
blazed among us for several years, but as students of revival tell us, no
revival lasts forever. It is not possible to live in the Glory for long. Like
all revivals, our missions revival ultimately achieved its God-ordained
purposes. Then the task of organizing and systemizing its results fell to us.
This we’ve been doing for many years.
God let the blaze of our missions
revival cool, but He never rescinded our obligation to be on mission. It is
incumbent on all of us to pray, to give, and to go. Few are called to go fulltime,
but all are to go at least part-time.
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