God's Heart
for the World through Our Church
Scripture : Mark 16:15New
International Version (NIV)
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and
preach the gospel to all creation.
John the Baptist preached this
message: “ Repent, because the Kingdom of Heaven has come near! (Mt. 3:2). Jesus
preached, “Repent, because the Kingdom of Heaven has come near!” (Mt.4:17). And
when Jesus sent out His twelve disciples into the towns and villages, “He sent
them to proclaim the Kingdom of God”(LK. 9:2). Clearly, Jesus ministry was to
build God’s Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God is the rule of
God in the hearts of people around the world. Every church that follows Christ
is part of the kingdom of God. If you are a true disciple of Jesus, you must
obey His clear command to “seek first the kingdom of
God”(Mt.6:33)
If we are to truly follow Jesus,
God’s kingdom must be our priority just as it is Christ’s
God always relates to us and
our church with a world on His heart. As He speaks to us, He thinks of the
masses around the world who do not yet know Him. Scripture explains that God so
loved the world that He was willing to pay any price to bring salvation to those
who were in danger of perishing. (Jn.3:16).
We cannot love God without also
loving with He loves. God cares for all the peoples of the world. He does not
favor people from certain countries or nationalities or skin colors or political
affiliations. He loves people, and He desires that no one perish. God knows the
full, horrific extent of what it means to perish for eternity, and He does not
want that to happen to anyone. Notice the heart of God as revealed in the
Bible.
Matthew 28:19-20New International Version (NIV)
19 Therefore go and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them
to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age.”
Mark 16:15New International Version
(NIV)
15 He said to them, “Go
into all the world and preach the gospel to all
creation.
Acts 1:8New International Version
(NIV)
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.”
Revelation
5:13New International Version
(NIV)
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on
earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them,
saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and
power,
for ever and ever!”
God’s desire is that “ every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”
(Phil.2:11). God the Father was willing to go to enormous lengths to bring this
about by sending His very Son to die on the cross for humanity’s sin. Now as He
carries out His plan to redeem humanity, He has raised up the church as His
instrument t bring a world to Himself.
God plans to use Churches to make
disciples of all nations. I’m pleased to see our country is sending lots
missionaries to all Nations. We must keep in mind that God expects us to have
the entire world on our hearts, just as He does.
The Great Commission is not a
command to go into a portion of the world but into all the
world.
But we might say, “That’s impossible
for a church as small as ours!” To which my response would be, “ Of course it
is. Clearly we cannot carry out many of God’s commands in our strength or
wisdom. You and your church will never be able to figure out how to impact a
world for Christ.
But God knows how to do that through
us. He will lead our church to know that to do, where to go, and with whom we
should partner to impact this world.
Be careful the moment we say,
“That’s impossible!” When we do, we are saying more about our faith in God than
about the ability of our church. Never reduce a command of God to a level where
we think we obey it. When God asks to do something that is impossible, rejoice,!
–because God is now going to bring us to a place where we will experience His
divine power working through us or else our will fail. That is a wonderful,
exciting position to be in!
When the angel told teenage Mary
that God was going to bring salvation to the world through her child, the angel
had to reassure her, “For nothing will be impossible with God”
(LK.1:37)
When Jesus commanded His followers
to make disciples of all nations, He also promised, “And remember , I am with
you always, to the end of the ages”(Mt.28:20)
God knows better than we do what we
are capable of doing. He continually works in our lives and our church so we
must depend upon Him with a faith that pleases Him.
Moreover in our weakness, His
strength is manifested to a watching world. The world will never come to faith
in Christ because we developed a strong plan but because we faithfully obeyed an
all-powerful God.
In conclusion, let us pray for our church be the Center
of Global Mission to fulfil God’s Great Commission in this last
generation.
