~General James Green, March 2006
″Go ye into ALL the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature″
Mk 16:15, KJV
JESUS’ ROYAL PROCLAMATION is to “Go the whole world over, and preach the Gospel—proclaim the Gospel to ALL mankind.”
“Hear the Royal Proclamation, / The glad tidings of salvation,
Publishing to every creature, / To the ruined sons of nature.”
Matthew’s account of this “Royal Proclamation” tells us to “Go…teach…baptize” (Matt 28:19). Verse 18 clearly tells us that by Jesus’ authority we are commissioned to GO! We do not need human governments to approve and send us, but Jesus ONLY!
We, as His disciples/soldiers under command, are given the same authority and power that was given to the Apostles, in Jesus’ name, for we are sent in His name. It is a sad day when men and women are sent off to proclaim His death, burial, resurrection, and glorification in the name of some church or in their OWN personal names. His name, Jesus’ name, is THE NAME we are to be sent under to proclaim the Gospel, the Good News!
“Jesus reigns, He reigns victorious, / Over heaven and earth most glorious, / Jesus Reigns!”
The Bible states the goal, responsibility, and commission of the Ekklesia’s missionary task. And remember, the Gospel preached, my dear readers, is not centered upon any particular church or human personality but is wholly and perfectly centered upon Jesus Christ’s finished work. We are to aggressively preach and teach REPENTANCE and REMISSION (FORGIVENESS) of sins (Lk 24:47), the promise of receiving the gift (POWER!) of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38) and the need and command to SEPARATE (a dreaded word today!) from this wicked generation (Acts2:40).
“Hear, ye sons of wrath and ruin, / Who have wrought your own undoing;
Here is life, and free salvation, / Offered to the whole creation.”
THE MODERN CHURCH HAS LOST ITS AGGRESSIVE VISION, PASSION, AND ACTION! It has settled for a “self-love” and “prosperity” gospel. But the Bible commands us to concentrate on reaching lost men and women, not on “Christianizing” (churchifying) society or taking over the world (for ourselves). God’s real desire is that we get men and women genuinely SAVED, SANCTIFIED, and FILLED with the Holy Ghost—then we will see better towns, cities, and nations.
“T’was for you that Jesus died, / For you He was crucified,
Conquered death, and rose to Heaven; / Life eternal’s through Him given.”
Those of us who believe must “come out” of the current evil world system and be completely separated from its immorality (Rom 13:12; II Cor 6:14) while still exposing its evil by Word and deed (Eph 5:11). How can we preach a holy message while doing unholy things? This is the folly of our Church age. So-called Christians want the world to be better but they themselves enjoy all the gross sights, sounds, and sleaze of Sodom and Egypt!
When we are genuinely baptized in Christ and baptized in water, we’re to live a different life—DEATH to SELF. Both baptisms represent a covenant pledge to renounce immorality, the world, and our own carnal/beastly nature, and to unreservedly and wholeheartedly commit ourselves to Christ the Lord and His Kingdom purposes (Acts 22:16). Until we sincerely go forward in this, we will not see a strong Christian Ekklesia nor strong Christian soldiers. Our being “endued with power from on high” is for defensive and aggressive offensive warfare, not for us to “PLAY” Church or “ACT” spiritual.
“For this love let rock and mountains, / Purling streams and crystal fountains,
Roaring thunders, lighting blazes, / Shout the great Messiah’s praises.”
Jesus said in Luke 19:40, “…I tell you that, if these (multitudes at His triumphal entry into Jerusalem) should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” You see, even God’s natural creation obeys His Spirit . . . yet “religious” man utterly neglects to give God the great praise and honor He rightfully deserves!!
Shall we keep His Gospel hidden from the lost, the hungry, the thirsty (Matt 5:6)? Is not Jesus the Bread of Life (John 6:35)?
Note this: “If the Good News we preach is hidden to anyone, it is hidden from the one who is (or the ones who are) on the road to eternal death. Satan, who is the god of this evil world, has made him (them) totally blind, unable to see the glorious light of the Gospel that is shining upon him (them), or to understand the amazing Message we preach about the Glory of Christ, who is God” (II Cor 4:3-4, the Living Bible). SHALL WE NOT ENGAGE SATAN’S HOSTS (Eph 6:10-20) IN DESPERATE SPIRIT COMBAT FOR THE LOST? SHALL WE NOT FIGHT HARD IN BEHALF OF THE BLIND SO THEY MAY SEE?
Oh, how deceived this modern Church has become, to disbelieve in Satan, disbelieve in Hell, and disbelieve in the utter lostness of the world! To abandon the field of battle in this very crucial hour borders on the unpardonable sin! To leave the lost in lostness is to deny God’s holy power to convict, correct, redeem, heal, drive out demons and overcome sin and evil! To deny the absolute trustworthiness in all the Bible teaches is to deliver ourselves and the lost into the hand of Satan forever!! We should pray and fight with all perseverance (read Lk 18:1, Rom 12:2, Philp 4:6; Col 4:2; I Thes 5:17). WE MUST!
Let us therefore pray for laborers. Jesus told His 70, “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth labourers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2). Friends, have we lost the art of prayer? Oh, I’m very aware of all this “Churchianity” prayer—“Oh, God, BLESS ME!!!” stuff. Is not all this SELF-prayer grotesque to heavenly olfactories—is it not as an offensive smell, going up into the nostrils of God? Our UNselfish prayers are sweet-smelling to the blessed Lord of the harvest.
I personally do not see how Christians, living in the only true hope, are dying in despair, but they are. We should endeavor to show the multitudes their obvious unfitness for Heaven in their unregenerate state and strive to make them see their utter want of sympathy with the Living God, or their want of “adaptation to the immunities of Heaven.” To do less is not to live the true Gospel.
If Heaven has NO attraction for most professed Christians today, how can they convey the real Gospel message with any result? Hell is crowded right now with professors of religion . . . and multitudes will fill Hell’s belly even before this age is over.
It is amazing how many church-folks lapse back into heathenism! When it comes to following Jesus, today’s churchgoers are more concerned with what they consider their “losses” (they don’t get to enjoy the world’s folly!) than they are concerned with morality in the sense of what they might obtain by spiritual conquests.
