To the Ends of the Earth

This past weekend, I had the blessing of attending Passion Conference in Atlanta, Georgia with around 60,000 college-aged Christians. It was truly an unforgettable experience and I heard God speaking and saw him moving in so many different ways. However, there's one theme I felt him drawing me to the most and something I know he has already given me a passion for (pun intended).

All Christians are called to make disciples and spread the Gospel, regardless of the cost. The number of people living (and dying, for that matter) without having ever heard of Jesus or the Good News is sobering. I spent the entirety of the conference in awe of all that God has done for me, but I have also realized that this wonder and gratitude should move me to share Jesus with those who do not know him and, in fact, dedicate my life to doing so.

However, I often get caught up in trying to figure out the specifics of God’s plan and calling for me. While I think it’s good to pray for guidance in these areas, I get ahead of myself. I focus more on the future than the One who holds it. In a recent conversation with my mom, she reminded me that I don’t need to know all of the details because my general calling is simple and clear— take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. That’s a calling for all Christians, actually.

Acts 1:8 reads, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Many of us are also familiar with the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, in which we are commanded to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Unfortunately, people dismiss this calling because God has called "other people" to global missions. To this, I want to say two things.

First, we are all called to spread the Good News, regardless of if that is locally or globally. ALL CHRISTIANS are to make disciples. Period. Witness where you are. Second, I do think God has called specific people to cross borders and cultures for the sake of the Gospel; however, just because you don’t feel called to physically go does not mean you don’t have a part to play in taking the Gospel to the nations. As Levi Lusko explains, we are either boots on the ground or bankroll.

I also want to shed light on the urgency of spreading the Gospel. When Jesus instructs his disciples to pray God would "send out" harvesters in Matthew 9:37-38, the Greek word for "send out," translates to "thrust violently" or "expel." This is the same word used when the Bible speaks of casting out demons. The Good News is extremely urgent and we should be praying that God would send people and be willing to be sent ourselves.

Additionally, there are currently 3.2 billion people who are considered unreached. That is, they have little to no chance of ever hearing the Gospel. Consider this— there are 7.8 billion people in the world. A little math points us to the fact that around 41 percent of the current world population will be born, live their lives, then die without ever hearing the name of Jesus, of their need for a Savior, and of the atoning work of Christ on the cross. I encourage you to read that again and dwell on it until it really sinks in.

As people who have supposedly been born again, redeemed, and transformed by the Holy Spirit, how can we ignore this? Our gratitude for what God has done for us should move us to witness. How can we truly appreciate Jesus and be fully aware of his love, but lack the burning desire to share him with everyone we know? How can we rest knowing that billions of people will potentially never experience a relationship with the God of the universe? How can we not be entirely consumed by the need to share Jesus Christ with every corner of creation?

Tim Tebow emphasized that when we understand the weight of Jesus's sacrifice on the cross, we have a choice to respond. How will you choose to respond to Jesus? Will you keep his goodness to yourself and continue to live in his love, but without sharing it with others?

A life characterized by ruthless pursuit of the Kingdom is dangerous and risky. We are guaranteed to face persecution. However, like Ben Stuart encourages, we should leverage every breath for the Kingdom, since we're all going to die anyway. In a similar sense, David Platt put it simply, “Live for this, if not die for this.”