The Urgency of the Gospel

Mark 16.15-16; 19-20
" 15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."
" 19After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it."

Tonight I heard a message about Hell. Hell is always an incredibly disturbing and uneasing subject, but it is one that is necessary. The most significant thing we as Christians can learn about hell is that it reminds us of the urgency of the Gospel. What does that mean? The best explanation I can think of for this was given tonight: every second 1.78 people die. Think of how many of those people never heard or rejected the Gospel. Those are frightening statistics. But statistics aside, we are faced with the unsettling reality that men, women, and even children are bound for an eternity without Christ--in eternal damnation and seperation from Christ.

As Christians, this should be our number one goal in terms of our ministry. There is a reason Jesus' final words on Earth are called "The Great Commission." Yes, what a Great Commision is ahead of us! Jesus' commands are simple, powerful, and yet force us out of a static state and into a dynamic, Christ-driven life. His commands are simple. He tells us to "[g]o into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." This is where we as Christians often get hung up. You see, we attempt to generalize this statement. We say, "Oh, that is what missionaries do," or "that is a pastor's job." Beloved, the urgency of the Gospel is not such that we can afford to believe such a lie. We all have a task in the Great Commission--a very essential part in God's plan. What does this mean? First, let me be clear that I personally do not believe this a strictly verbal preaching. As a writer, I know that my greatest furtherence of the Gospel is when I am near a keyboard or pen, not when I am next to someone. For others, it may be face-to-face interaction. For some it may be packing sacked lunches for the homeless filled with the message of the Gospel. Each of us has a spiritual gift designed to carry out the Great Commission. By these gifts we fulfill the urgency of the Gospel.

It is imperitive that we succeed. Jesus says that "[w]hoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." If we fail to carry out Jesus' mission, people really go to hell. That is a startling, difficult truth to accept. We do not like to believe that others are depending on us to hear the Gospel, but this is our command from Christ. If we fail, others may never accept Christ because they never saw the Gospel presented and they never saw the Gospel lived out. That is why the Gospel is SO urgent.

Let us begin today to carry out the Gospel in whatever ways Christ directs us. If you feel like you have not been doing a good job of this and are struggling, please come to Christ. Allow Him to help you. May the message of the Gospel not be a burden to us, but a blessing. May we have a hunger and passionate desire to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is urgent that we do. Remember, when we delay, others may be headed for a Christless eternity of eternal torment and seperation from God. We certainly shouldn't wish that on anyone except Satan and his demons. What's your choice? Will you spread the Gospel by the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Others' eternity depends on it! Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich