Have you ever experienced God asking you to do more than what you can? Have you felt unworthy or inadequate? It might have been the exact sentiment of Jesus’ disciples when He commissioned them for the gospel.
In this episode, Pastor Ted Wilson tackles reaching the world through church planting.
In Matthew 10:5-8, Jesus sent His disciples out on a mission. “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand,’ heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
It must have overwhelmed the disciples, knowing it was far beyond what they could do with their limited strength.
Fortunately, Jesus knew it. Hence, He provided everything they would need. In Matthew 10, “He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.” As the disciples claimed Jesus’ power, they were more than able to do all He asked them.
In our time now, reaching the world may be overwhelming. More so that its population is nearly 8 billion, the mission seems impossible, especially in areas with limited or no religious freedom. Besides, secularism has taken control of most countries.
Meanwhile, church planting is not something new. As a fact, it is evident in the early Christian church. For instance, Apostle Paul was one of the earliest church planters. He started small groups of believers in Turkey. He took good care of them, making sure they obtained enough nurturing.
Everywhere Paul went, he always had a message of hope from God. It was so urgent that he couldn’t keep it to himself. Significantly, this is how the early church grew and multiplied. Eventually, his legacy continued, paving the way for Adventism to reach the world.
Yet, despite this tremendous growth, many people still haven’t heard the Advent message. For instance, two-thirds of the world’s population don’t know Jesus. As such, the Lord is calling us today to go and preach.
To reach the world is not an impossible calling. Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 333, says, “As the will of man cooperates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be done at His command may be accomplished in His strength.”
The question is, are you willing to answer God’s call?