“But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed [in Whom they have no faith, on Whom they have no reliance]? And how are they to believe in Him [adhere to, trust in and rely upon Him] of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?” Rom 10:14 (Amplified)
Why is Satan so determined to deny people the opportunity of hearing the Gospel? It is because he knows that God’s word is truth and that knowing the truth will set his captives free. His calculation is that the word that is not heard cannot then set people free from his shackles on their lives, which translates into his continued dominion of and unrestricted ability to influence and impact their lives with his vile works. This is the reason why he makes it especially difficult for us to preach the Gospel. His main tactic is to try and intimidate us into not preaching the Gospel. This is official policy in many so-called closed countries where the force of the law is often employed to silence the preaching of the Gospel. In the so-called free or open countries, political correctness is proving an effective deterrent and weapon of intimidation as laws are increasingly being promulgated to restrict our ability to preach the Gospel.
Historically, the West has always excelled at sending missionaries to the far flung areas of the world and this is admirable. Nevertheless, there has been a significant spiritual shift which is resulting in the reversal of this tendency. It is those far flung places of old that are now sending missionaries to the West. Why? It is because we in the West have increasingly forgotten our source and are consequently running dry of the living water. In essence, we are the new mission field and we need to once again receive the Gospel that we in the past gave out to others. God’s strategy is to rush His troops from other parts of the world to help turn the tide of secularism and Islamism that is threatening to overwhelm the West and then push the opposition back and beyond where they came from. Should we fail in this vital task, then the Church in the West is doomed to failure. But then, how can we fail when the almighty God has already declared us winners? So, however precarious our situation might seem at the moment, we know that we the Church are destined to win and we shall.
However, there is a big difference between being a beleaguered Church as opposed to being the triumphant equivalent, which is God’s purpose for us. The primary avenue of fulfilling our God-given purpose is by communicating God’s word to a lost world, for faith in God can only come by hearing the word. We can only fulfil our potential by taking the grounds of peoples’ lives and captivating them with the liberating message of the Gospel. For this end to become a reality, we only need to determine in our hearts that we will share the Gospel come what may and take advantage of every opportunity that God brings our way, for people cannot believe in a Jesus they do not know. Our task is to introduce Jesus to them and rely on the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sin. God has no plan B; that is why we cannot afford to fail Him. The harvest is plenty, but the labourers are few. You have to do your part.
Prayer:
Lord, we live in a world that knows about you, but does not really know you. You have given me the responsibility of representing you in the world. I pray that my life will show you in the right light so that sinners will be drawn to you through me. I also ask for boldness and the opportunity to share your word as I refuse Satan’s attempt to intimidate and silence the preaching of your word through me in Jesus name. Amen