SOLDIER COMES, SOLDIER GOES; BARRACK REMAINS.
More than two thousand years ago, Jesus appeared in the scene of human history, He lived a 33 years of holy, harmless, undefiled and sinless life. His miraculous birth, substitution death and bodily resurrection are the most important events in human history. God became man. He died on the cross and was raised from the dead to save people from sin and to give eternal life to all who receive Him. The result was a spiritual evolution that changed the first century world and dramatically altered the course of history.
Jesus of Nazareth, the greatest person who ever lived, has caused the most changes for good in the entire history of mankind through changing of lives of hundreds of millions of men and women. Historian Philip Schaff said, “Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed and Napoleon. Without science and learning, He shed more light on things human and divine than all the philosopher and scholars combined. Without the eloquence of schools, He spoke words of life such as were never spoken neither before nor after, and produced efforts which lied beyond the reach of orator or poet. Without writing a single line, He has set more pen in motions and furnished themes for more sermons, or orations, discussions, works of art, learned volumes and sweet song of praise than the whole army of great people of ancient and modern time. Born in manager, crucified as a male factor, He controls the destinies of the civilized world and rules a spiritual empire that encircles the globe.”
Jesus having accomplished the work of salvation for humankind gave the Disciples the command of the great commission. He said: “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore go and make disciples in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then teach those new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this- that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” Later on the Mountain of Olives, our Lord gave His final word to His disciples and to us before He ascended to the Father. He said: “And ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be intense me, both Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Shortly, after Jesus gave the great commission, God the Holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost, transformed and empowered the lives of the same disciples who during His trial and crucifixion, had denied our Lord and for the most part had deserted Him. Following Pentecost they went out boldly and courageous, willing to risk their lives to proclaim the message of God’s love and forgiveness in Christ. In fact, all of the disciples died as Martyrs preaching the gospel, except for John which died in exile on the Isle of Patmos after he survived being burnt in the pot of oil for the testimony of his faith. With dogged determination, fervent zeal, resilient spirit, unalloyed loyalty, uncommon consecration and a great relentless and sacrificial effort, the early apostles carried out the task of the great commission. By their hands the gospel went far, and great success was recorded.
White missionaries were moved by the sacrificial effort of our Lord Jesus and of his disciples and traveled to far away Africa, not knowing our language or culture. They came not necessarily out of convenience. Others who could not come sent their money not necessarily out of plenty, built schools, hospital, constructed roads, adopted children and made very remarkable achievements. The white missionaries risk their lives to bring Christ to us. Today we are benefiting immensely from the sacrificial labour of these great heroes of faith. Though they are dead yet they are speaking clearly to us by the enduring fruits of their labours. Up till date, great men and women of God are still actively engaged in sending the message of the gospel of Christ to the remaining unreached places of other earth.
All these years of relentless missionary efforts, gospel crusade campaigns and the intercessions of many committed Christian, still the task of taking the gospel of the kingdom to the unreached people and places is yet to finish. There are still lands where other Lords beside Christ still hold their unhindered sway; where forces that defied the Saviour still defy Him till today; with none to heed the cry of the people for life, and love and light. If we think otherwise, it only reflects our ignorance and lack of information concerning the unfinished task. There are many tribes, people, nations and languages yet to be reached with the gospel of the kingdom of God. If any man disagrees with this sober reality, it is simply due to short-sightedness or blindness to the matter of the gospel.
“Jesus saith unto them, my neat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finished His work, say not ye, there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:34, 35). What Jesus said then is still very applicable today, His disciples could not see the field that are ripped for harvest; and Jesus attributed this to their short- sightedness. Therefore He said unto them, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields.” As if to say that you have been looking down too much on your immediate environment- your home, your local church, your Local government, and you must need lift up your heads and look beyond your congregation and what you call achievement. Lift up your head, and then look at the field yet unreached; there are still many more people outside the church than in the church!
Note, looking is different from seeing, when you see and you don’t look, you miss the details and the basis. But when you look, you will have a clearer view of the state of the object you are looking at. Looking implies paying attention, focusing on a particular thing in order to get the details, and it is until you look intently that you see clearly and perfectly. So Jesus said, lift up your head and look up to the fields, and see the fields that are ripe enough for harvest. Now lift up your head and look at the many villages in your state and local government. Are they all reached with the gospel? How many true Christians can we find in those places? What are they worshiping as God? Many of those villages are still neck deep in idolatry and vain religion. Yet we have many churches around but negligent and apathetic to the state of the harvest. The church is busy celebrating anniversary for many years of existence without any thorough commitment to the great commission.
Please tell me, what is worth-celebrating if a church cannot boast of a single new convert in a whole year? This is not the picture of the early church. The early church was not a stagnant, redundant church; the Bible records that the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. It is also rather unfortunate that the churches that were once committed have reached a plateau state of no improvement, glorying in the shadow of past success while there remaineth many more land to be possessed. Oswald J. Smith said, “Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist.” This is the main reason and the primary purpose while the church is here- the evangelization of the whole world, starting from our Jerusalem. “Lift up of your heads and look” Jesus said, and you will see the challenge of the unfinished task of the church. We must also look beyond our local environment unto the lands beyond. Jesus says we shall be witness unto Him both in Jerusalem and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE
What is the situation of our world today? In a world of 6.3 billion people, with over 6000 different languages, unreached people groups are about 10,000. We are told that a third of the world’s population has not yet been reached with the gospel. Floyd Maclong in his book Nine World’s to win divided the world into nine… the world of the poor and needy, the Muslim world, the communist world, the world of tribal people the world of nominal Christians, the world of children (about half of the world population are under the ages of 15-youths are therefore a group to reckon with), the urban world, the world of Hinduism, the world of Buddhism.
Missions reports tells us that presently, there are 50 least evangelized countries of the world, and 37 of them within the 10/40 Window. Islam has adherents of over 1.2billion people, Hinduism, overt 811.3 million and Buddhism encompasses much of China’s 1.2 billion plus South East Asia. There are also the least evangelized mega cities. Over 100 gate way cities (with 1 million people and above); and hundreds of Mega peoples across the world that are yet to be reached with the gospel. What a challenge these are! These are the task unfinished. Men and brethren, the task of taking the Gospel of Jesus to the unreached is the urgent task of the church.
Often, we find very many things that are important but are not urgent. There are other things which some people consider very urgent but may not be important. And there are things too that may not be important for a while. There are only a few things that are both urgent and very important now and in the future even to eternity. The task of taking Jesus’s saving gospel to the sinful and drowning world is one of such things that are both urgent and important at all time. The consequences of the gospel if preached or if denied the sinners, transcends this transient world into an endless eternity.
The important task of preaching the gospel is urgent for many reasons; one time is running out. The world will soon come to an end. “But this I say, brethren, the time is short; it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they was not, and they that rejoice, as though they rejoice not, and they buy, as though, they posses s not; and they use the world as not abusing it; for the fashion of this world passeth away.” (1 Co.r 7: 22 – 31). Two, our opportunity for service to the Lord will soon come to an end. Jesus says, “I must work the work of Him that sent me while it is day, the might come the when and man can work.” Sinners will not always be ready and willing to hear or listen to the gospel massage.
Therefore, believers should strike while the iron is hot and sinners respond while spirit is calling.
More so, the church is eagerly waiting for the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As we see nations rising against nations, hearing rumours of war here and there, famine and pestilence in every land, high rate of crime and corruption; evil men and seducers growing worse and worse, a true believer cannot but look, according to His promise, for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come” (Heb. 13:14). “Arise ye and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction” (Mic. 2:10). “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5: 7, 8).
However, Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Hence we conclude that the coming of the Saviour is inseparably linked with the global evangelization. And if we must hasten the coming of the Saviour and enter into our rest, we cannot but give this task of the great commission a priority in our lives. And the more we show unconcerned and disobedient attitude to this unfinished task, the more the postponement of the appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. I desire to see my Saviour very soon. How about you?
The realization that there is much to be done in the wide and ripe fields should stir us from our slumber. Christians need to be broken at heart as we daily see the lost state of our neighbours far and near. We must begin to have compassion and see sinners the way Jesus sees them-“harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). We must begin to do something. Evangelism and missions is the work of the church. The church is also a product of missions. A church without any burden for sinners should forget being a church. Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost; the same is the commission of the church.
Facing the task unfinished: There are still more lands to reach with the Gospel! Facing the task unfinished, in what ways will your life contribute to see it finished up in time? Someone has said, “Life is not computed by duration but by donation”. In what ways will your life contribute to the Kingdom advancement? God is counting on you.
Brethren, here is laid before us the greatest challenge ever given to man by the greatest person who has ever lived. No matter how wealthy, famous, brilliant, or powerful you may be, you will never give yourself to any cause that can compare with this life-changing, even world-changing, call of God. No matter how many honours, awards, or achievement may be placed in your hands, nothing can even begin to compare with this command of our Lord Jesus Christ to help take His message of Love, Light and Life to every community, city, and every country of the world and make disciples of all nations. It is a great honour for you and for me to be involved in this greatest responsibility of all ages.
In what way will your life contribute to the advancement of the kingdom of God? You can be involved in the place of consistent, continuous and constant prayer for the missionaries and unreached nations. As a local church or denomination, what will you donate in terms of human, financial and material resources to enthrone Jesus among the nations? Take note, we are not here emphasizing individualism or denominationalism, but the advancement of the kingdom of Christ on earth. World Evangelization is a GLOBAL mandate for the GLOBAL Church; no single Church Denomination, Mission Organization or Christian Foundation can do it alone. It will take the entire Body of Christ working together in complete obedience and strategic partnerships to accomplish the task. The mission agencies need the churches, as much as the churches need them. Enough of the rat race of competition and rivalry; let us justify the purpose of existence by working together and partnering to dislodge the kingdom of the heathen and enthrone Jesus among the nations. In this partnership, there can be those who give money while others provide useful information about the unreached lands and peoples. The beauty of the church is its diverse gifting. Let us explore this provision for the advancement of our Father’s Kingdom.
Another may have material resources and support networks that a church or mission group do not have. Yet another has grace and enormous spiritual power to intercede and do prayer-walks in unreached lands, but needs information about the state of the harvest in the mission fields so as to intercede intelligently. God’s battles and work always requires front-line battle men and women as well as background ‘helpers’, who though not very visible, are crucial to the battle. It therefore calls for a united action.
Working distinctly and individually, they achieve little, but in a working partnership, they reap a great harvest. God almighty also recognized the great power in a united partnership: “And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” Even as Christian business organization, do you known that silver and gold belong to God, and God has entrusted it into your hand, not for selfish purpose but for the glory of His name? What percentage of your income is being offered to God and the cause of His kingdom? Only one life! It will soon be gone. Only what’s done for Christ will last.
White missionaries were moved by the sacrificial effort of our Lord Jesus and traveled to far away Africa, not knowing our Language or culture they came not necessarily out of convenience. Others who could not come sent their money, not necessarily out of plenty, provided free education, built hospitals, constructed roads, adopted children and made very remarkable achievements. The white missionaries risked their lives to bring Christ to us. The same passion compelled the Late Reverend Samuel Kayode Beckley to leave the economic city of Lagos to the remote village of Olodo.
The question at stake now is, what are you doing to take the gospel to people and places where Christ is yet to be preached? “Then Mordecai told them to answer Esther: ‘Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” May the Lord give us understanding.
There is only one God with only one purpose. There is also only one life to live. In what way will your life contribute to the kingdom advancement? “The night cometh when no man can work.” And when the night comes, NO man, no matter how willing and energetic, no matter how zealous and visionary…..NO man can work when the night comes. While we continually pray and desire that God may preserve our exemplary Christian leaders; at the same time we know that life is measured! No one is an everlasting man. There is no everlasting anointing because there are no everlasting assignments.
Let us maximize our days in the will of God and the advancement of His Purpose on earth; the night cometh, when no man can work!
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Hebrews 13:7-8
ONLY REMEMBERED BY WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!
