The gospel and its global outreach
One of the most indisputable signs of the end times is the global outreach of the gospel and its impacts. Today, hardly any nation in the world where the gospel has not reached as a result of unrelenting effort of the missionaries and the advent of advanced communication technology. Amazingly, the more the persecution, the more the gospel continues to spray and gather momentum. No wonder the Lord says “And upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it’’ Matthew 16:18.
This was not a mere say but a fulfilling prophecy following what the church has been passing through since the 1st century. There have been severe persecutions in many places in the world, yet the gospel is still moving on. Prophetically, Jesus told his disciple about the signs that will precede his coming. These signs according to him will be the beginning of sorrows but the end is not yet until this gospel of the kingdom is preached in all the nations of the world as a witness Matt. 24:14,6,8.
Moreover, after his resurrection, he told them that they shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon them and that they shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth Acts 1:8. This means that the gospel will be preached beginning from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost part of the world. Today, the gospel that began like a mustard seed in Jerusalem has so far been preached all over the world despite great hurdles and persecutions; making the Lord’s word come to pass.
In this end times particularly, there is no doubt that there is any nation on the earth who has not heard about Christ and his works, especially through the help of technology. Modern technologies like the internet, phone etc. have made it so simple for Christians to reach out to the unreached within a very short time, no matter the distances and barriers. Because of this, no nation can boldly say it has not heard of the gospel of Christ, either directly or indirectly.
From the onset, God has been using believers to reach out to every nation on the earth; and whether they receive it or not does not really matter but that they hear God’s word. This is because that is what will stand as a witness to them on the judgement day. This is why Jesus says ‘’and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations” Verse 14a. Now, we are not praying for their condemnation but only if they chose to reject the gospel.
Christ also says ‘’and then shall the end come” 14b. As we have all witnessed the global outreach of the gospel, the amazing proliferation of churches and great manifestation of the Holy spirit today, it is very certain that Christ’s coming is imminent Joel 2. As Christ has revealed it, this should be a clarion call for our readiness to see the Lord at any moment from now. We are not only expected to be prepared but to prepare others too through soul-winning to enable them to be partakers of his glorious coming. Even if we know that the gospel has been preached in all the nations of the world, we still need to go out there or use any available means to win more souls and let others hear about Christ. This is our responsibility until Christ comes.
There are many souls that are perishing in this end times because the devil is seriously in the business of stealing men’s souls knowing that his time is short! As Christians, we ought to snatch them from his hands through the gospel no matter what. We should be compelled by the love of Christ to reach out to them immediately because of what is awaiting them. We are being saved to save others. So, we cannot afford to sit down and watch them while perishing because God will require their blood at their hands. And if we do it faithfully, God will reward us abundantly.
The following are the methods in which we should employ in our evangelical ministry: