Thought for the Week - 2nd August

Pastor Gareth Watkins

MATTHEW 24: 14

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

I heard a phrase that stuck with me this week…”The initiative is with the church”.

 

The initiative to evangelise is with the church, the church is you and I and all Christians across all denominations. We are charged by God to go into all the world and preach the gospel. We are to witness and testify of the wonders of God, and what He has done in our lives through Christ our Saviour.

 

Christ laid this duty upon His disciples as He spoke to them of the things to come. We are indeed seeing these things come to pass all around us, war, deceit, pestilence, and lawlessness, but in it all the living truth remains, that the gospel of the kingdom will continue to be preached until the end. We are not meant to be silent in these times.

 

We are in uncertain times. Globally unimaginable atrocities are happening and we may well see more yet, but the gospel will continue to be heard, and souls will continue to be saved, but the initiative continues to be with us. We must come out from the comfort of our number, reach the communities around us, and perhaps go into places that are uncomfortable. There are souls out there that need to know Christ as their Saviour. God wants a harvest; He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us so that a world wide harvest might be reaped.

 

The disciples were sent out to preach across many nations, they endured much suffering to carry the word to others so that they too would know the love of Christ for themselves. Generations after generations have followed on from the work of the early church, right up to you and I today. It doesn’t stop with us! The gospel must and will continue to be shared until the last days. From you and I, generations will follow. The work of now matters for the next.

 

‘’And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’” (Matthew 28:18-19)

 

We have been commanded by God to do these things; it is the responsibility of every one of us. We don’t know when the end of the age will come, but each of us is charged to witness until it does. It is easy to stay shut off behind our doors of comfort and familiarity, but don’t disengage from your Father’s business. Be a part of the witness in bringing souls to Christ and furthering the kingdom until the day He takes us unto Himself.

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