One Task

Today's post is by a guest author.  Shawn Ketcheson has been pastoring at the church where I attend for about three years.  He is one of the most humble and real people I have ever met.  I respect him tremendously because he is living for God's approval, not man's.  He has faced real persecution as a result of his strong stand on the Bible.  Shawn sends out a weekly newsletter to prepare us for the sermon he will be preaching on the upcoming Sunday.  This week's newsletter challenged me deeply, and fit right in with the purpose of this blog.  I asked for permission to share his newslatter with you.

My Dear Friends,

Imagine this. Imagine waking up tomorrow morning and, as you rush toward the door to go to work, you notice that you have a huge plumbing problem.  Your toilet is overflowing and the shut off valve won’t turn.  You can’t miss that meeting and so you call up a plumber who says he will be right over.  You say great, head off to work and leave the house open for the plumber. 

When you get home that evening you see the plumber outside painting your house.  You notice that the job is pretty good and complement him on his work.  He seems to appreciate the affirmation.  All is well.  You ask the plumber, how did it go with the toilet.  The plumber tells you that since the house looked like it could use a bit of paint, and since it was a nice day, he thought he would just spend the day working outside. He hasn’t done the one thing you asked him to do, fix the plumbing.   You rush inside your house  and notice that the toilet has been flooding all day and that the hardwood floors are ruined.  Tell me,  how would you feel?  What might you say to the plumber?

When Jesus left his disciples nearly 2000 years ago he gave them but one main  task, world evangelization.  I can imagine him saying something like this to them.  I'm going to leave you and I will be gone for a long time.  Well I am absent, I want you to do just one thing.  Give this gospel of mine to  every nation, to every people group. Those were his instructions. That was the one thing he told them/us to do.  They understood him perfectly. After Pentecost they spread out and began the work of evangelizing.  But what has church done in recent years? Have we carried out his orders? Have we obeyed him?

As I see it, we've done everything except the one and only thing he told us to do. Jesus never told us to build colleges, universities, and seminaries, but we have. He never told us to build hospitals, seniors residences, nursing homes.   But we have.  He never told us to build church buildings or to organize Sunday schools and youth rallies, VBS etc, but we had done it. And we ought to have done it.  It is right and important and worthwhile to do these things. But the one and only thing that he told us to do, is the one and only thing that we have left undone. We have not given His Gospel to every  people group.  We have not carried out his orders.  We have been painting houses as the world floods.

Then he (Jesus) said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and

announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all.”  

Mark 16:15  The Message 

We have been called by God to give His Gospel to all.  Why do we keep giving it to the same people over and over while many have never heard it once.  Why do some spend so much time arguing about the 2nd coming of Christ when the majority on this planet have never heard that he came the first time?   

On Sunday we will explore part two of our series on Missions as we discuss the why. 

Why have we failed to evangelize the world?

See ya Sunday, Shawn

Shawn's sermon should be available online later this week.

click here to be taken to the Trinity Bible Church website