TOPIC:“The Missionary Manifesto”
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:Mark 16:15-18
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15)
David Livingstone, famous missionary to Africa, once wrote to his friends: “The spirit of missions is the spirit of the Master.” I should like to say that I fully agree with him. For remember, after finishing His work as the crucified Savior, the risen Lord became the crusading Christ. He commissioned and charged His disciples with these words: “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). “And ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8).
It is no exaggeration to say that the same CONQUERING Christ who challenged those early disciples to become winning witnesses, is the same COMMANDING Christ who sends us forth today into a world that desperately needs to hear the Gospel. And yet, what bothers me is that on the most part the Christian Church of today has largely lost its witnessing voice. It has become silent instead of vocal. It has kept still instead of speaking out.
Now I say, it's time for a change. It's time for a host of redeemed Christians, from all walks of life, to speak out for their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is, to take every available opportunity to seek and search out lost sinners who hopelessly need the message of forgiving love and redeeming grace. The question is, Will you be a broadcaster for Christ? Will you be a missionary of the cross? The Christians of the early Church were. We read of them: “They…went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Let us make up our minds to do the same.
I.
Consider, first of all, that Christ sends us into the world CLOTHED with His POWER. We are to obey the SOVEREIGN COMMAND of Christ “Go ye into all the world” only after we have directed ourselves to the STUPENDOUS CLAIM of Christ, which is recorded for us in these words: “And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). Notice, if you will, this unlimited and undiminished power belongs to God and not to us. We are the recipients of this power.
It is, of course, a tremendous thing this great mission and ministry of the Church of God. World evangelization is not an easy thing to accomplish. DIFFICULT SERVICE demands DYNAMIC STRENGTH. As A. J. Gordon once said: “We have a supernatural work to do, and we must have supernatural power with which . . .