Gospel

The last words of Jesus to the eleven Apostles and friends gathered before him, just before his Ascension, related to a sweeping objective: that the gospel of redemption in Christ is to be disseminated in the world, and that he would be with them in the process.  They put together from other communications from him that the conclusion of that objective would trigger his return in the plan of God.  Nothing in the two thousand years since that challenge to them has changed relative to the command.  This primary Mission Statement remains as the primary duty of the church to the world.  The adoption of the concept of world evangelization was born, and has proved successful so that other religions and movements have adopted similar objectives so to advance their purposes.  There were beginnings in the proselyting patterns in Israel well before Jesus’ sojourn, a pattern about which Jesus made comment in his ministry.  In his command to the Apostles, he made clear that they were to focus on what they had heard from him during the thousand days of intense ministry that proved effective in both the human concerns of physical mankind (healing miracles) and the divine healing found in repentance and faith in God represented in the belief and practice of the penitent as related to righteousness, prayer, attitude and witness.  The writings of the Apostles, and others, embellished this meaning.  Again, nothing has changed in this commission.  Much has changed or shifted in the manner and context in which the commission has been treated.  It is to be remembered that the first generation of Christians was so successful in mission that within the lifetimes of the Apostles the Gospel of Jesus Christ had penetrated the known world.  Already many had given their lives for the purpose, beginning with Stephen and spreading to others.  They died not only for declaring the Christian Gospel of redemption challenging the cultures of the times, but also martyred for not believing in God.  The initial interpretation was that if they did not believe in pagan gods, they did not believe in God.

The Apostle Paul was totally taken by the Great Commission of Christ.  He became the first line leader of the missionary movement, and continues today to inspire mission effort.  That effort has found its way through public verbal proclamation and model including professional ministry giving birth to ordained missionaries; to written programs (many monks gave their lives to copy Scripture and other works of Christian leaders); to church ministries of various services (especially in education that has been copied by the secular world, although diminishing reference to Christianity in its humanistic context); to populations and nations in emerging forms (like printed and electronic media).  So threatening is the mission that even today the witness of Christ’s commission invites resistance to the point of execution for missionaries – professional or lay persons.  In my travels abroad I have been instructed about the limits to which I may address matters of Christian faith in some locales. No other limitation was suggested to me in those nations.

Even so there have been intra-church problems that have hindered the Great Commission of Christ.  The changes and additions, sometimes odd amendments to Scripture, by leaders and movements identifying themselves as Christian, and changes in doctrinal positions and emphases – have created different opinions of what Christianity is and means.  The shift in programs from primarily addressing spiritual needs, to primacy in ministry of physical needs has muted the message for some groups.  The internecine problems have turned reputed Christian movements against one another, with greater influence in some eras than others.  Secularists use this human tendency for enemy-making to disadvantage of the ministry of the gospel.  The emphasis of Scripture is on the life, love and unity of Christians.  Violation or muting of that teaching, has not served to advance the Christian mission – or secular.  Biblically oriented Christians should seek to be a part of a church congregation committed to the good of all persons, both in physical and spiritual concerns.  That begins with the clear gospel message so to make human lives acceptable with God, who needs nothing, instructs us that he regards service to mankind (creation) as service to him.