Now what questions follows Jesus’ death, resurrection
(Mark 16:14-20)
“Later, He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’ So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”
The two most important events in human history have just taken place: Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection. Now what?
In verse 14, we see Jesus rebuking His disciples for their unbelief and hardness of heart. Then in verse 15, He gives that same group of disciples the missional mandate to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every person. Like the early disciples, God’s Church is not perfect. We don’t always get it right and we often struggle in our faith. Yet, Jesus has chosen us… His Church to carry this Gospel to every person on planet earth… bar none.
In the last twenty-one months we have seen a global pandemic, thousands of deaths, government ordered mandates, church services suspended, as a direct result of the influence of the government, a crippled economy, thousands upon thousands of people crossing our borders and a presidential team that is determined to make America a socialistic country.
Now What? The “What” has never been more important or urgent. The “What” is the same for every Christian church regardless of what name is on the sign. The “What” is our Mission from our Master: Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. The Mission hasn’t changed, the message hasn’t changed, the motive hasn’t changed, the Master hasn’t changed, but the “method” is ever changing. If the current trend in America continues, “how” we do church in the future will not look like how we have done church in the past. It is imperative that church leadership pray and trust God for wisdom in the “how” of carrying out the mission in an ever-changing culture.
Some won’t understand it, some won’t like it, some won’t accept it, but the Holy Spirit knows tomorrow better than we know yesterday and if He directs it---it will work.
The time we are in is prime time for God’s Church. If things continue to go in the direction they are going, many people (not all) are going to run to God. May we shine rather than whine. May we rise rather than retreat. May we worship rather than worry. May we move in faith rather than fear. May we reach, teach, and preach. May God give us wisdom and anointing to go after the lost, preach the Gospel and disciple the saved!