Bigger than MNF

Mark 6:7-12    Jesus called the Twelve to him, and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority and power to deal with the evil opposition. 8 He sent them off with these instructions: “Don’t think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple. 9 10 “And no luxury inns. Get a modest place and be content there until you leave. 11 “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.” 12 Then they were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different.(The Message)

‘They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different”; the power of the Gospel in a life transformed by the hearing of it, by the hearts response to it, by the work of Christ in and through it. Jesus was giving his disciples their marching orders; it was time to put feet on their faith and go out into the streets and share the hope that lied within them. The were to go and make disciples. They were to go and spread the hope found in the Gospel that Jesus Christ was bringing to the world that was lost in sin. Our world today is just as far as lost in depravity as the day the disciples went out; we are not in-errantly good, we are at our core evil. In the New King James version of this text, listen to the words of Christ in regard to those that will not hear the Good News. 11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” 12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. Most of us know that those cities were destroyed by God by reigning fire down from heaven on them as condemnation of great sins.

On my only mission trip I spent about 10 minutes with our evangelist with us. He really poured into me this urgency of the Gospel, and it was a key point I took home from our trip. How can we talk about the Panthers win for a week, and not about the Gospel for eternity? How can we talk about the weather, and not who controls it? How can we stand before God and account for all those lost opportunities that we missed, that may have been those that stood before us last opportunity? My prayer is that God would stir your heart with excitement and urgency for the Gospel. My prayer is that you seek to share your faith today with someone new. What if you did not see them tomorrow, and you and they missed that eternal opportunity?