Finishing the Unfinished Task

By Luis Palau, Christian Post Guest Columnist Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Imagine what would happen if every man, woman, and child in your area heard the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed clearly and committed their lives to Him this year. Every newspaper around the world would take notice! Every radio station would report "the greatest revival of all time." Every television newscast would discuss the dramatic reformation taking place here.

But our work would not be finished. What about the new children? What about the future immigrants? And what about the more than 3.5 billion people who have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel?

Statistics overwhelm us. So let's think about the specific individuals we know and have met who have never committed their lives to Jesus Christ. Who comes to mind? Then think about the crowds you see in the cities - in shopping malls, along busy streets, everywhere. How do you feel when you think about them?

Scripture tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds, "He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). We need to ask God to move our hearts with the same compassion that moves His heart.

The greatest dangers we face as Christians are cynicism and a cool detachment. "Oh, yes, so more than 3.5 billion don't know Christ. That's too bad." We must not forget the actual people, including those we know and love, behind that number who live "without hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12).

The Lord pointed out the urgency of our task by reminding His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" (Matthew 9:37). We must sense the urgency of our time. How long must people wait before they hear the gospel? How many more generations must pass before some parts of the world hear the message of Christ for the first time?

It's exciting to see that in most of the so-called Third World today there is a tremendous harvest. Several nations in Latin America and Africa could become fifty-one percent Christian within the next decade. And God is at work in an amazing way throughout Asia, Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet republics. Mass communications have made it possible to reach even "closed" nations with the message of life.

But our task is urgent. That's why Jesus Christ commanded His disciples, "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matthew 9:38). Our Bibles end the chapter right there, but don't stop reading! In the next five verses the Lord gave His disciples authority and sent them out into the harvest. The Twelve became an answer to their own prayer!

In order to finish the task we must have the authority of God that comes from a holy life. Paul told Timothy, "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7). I like to think of this as holy boldness.

The unfinished task of winning the world to Jesus Christ is enormous. As an ambassador of Christ, are you willing to gain a compassion for the unsaved and a sense of urgency in reaching them for Christ? Are you available to God to serve with holy boldness as a worker in His harvest? Let's press on to finish the task set before us.