YOU HAVE TO GO- BY GREG ELKAN

_He said to them, “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people.”_ – Mk 16:15 (GNB).

The story is told of a young, timid Christian who was too shy to share the gospel on the bus. Well, one day, while commuting, he told God he would preach only to anyone who joins the bus, not to those already seated. 

Sure enough, the bus stopped and in walked a huge muscular man dressed in a pair of jeans, khaki shirt and a cowboy hat. The young Christian quickly modified his prayer and said, _“I’ll preach to the man only if he comes to sit by me.”_ He felt this was a safe request to make as he was seated at the back of the bus and there were lots of vacant seats before him. But the muscular man ignored all the empty seats and walked straight to where he was and slumped beside him. 

Desperate to find a way out of his commitment, the young Christian quickly muttered under his breath, _“OK God, I’ll preach to him only if he talks to me first.’”_ He then slowly turned to look at the man, and found that the man had been staring at him the whole time. After a few moments of awkward silence staring at each other, the big man said, _“You have something you want to tell me?!”_

Of course, the Believer did, and so do we. Every human being on earth wants to know how they can be saved from damnation and eternal judgment; and as Believers, we have that information.

Now, it would be unrealistic of us to sit down like our timid brother and expect sinners to come to us to ask for how to be saved. Jesus did not say to us, “Go into your rooms and sit with the Gospel;” but rather, _“Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel.”_ Paul tells us that the minds of unbelievers have been blinded by Satan, (2Cor 4:4), and as such we cannot reasonably expect them to appreciate their need for salvation on their own. 

As Paul again says in Rom 10:14, _“How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them?”_

The burden, therefore, lies on us to boldly – and lovingly – take the Gospel message to all around us. And if each one of us reaches our respective “worlds,” _the earth shall be soon be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea,_ (Hab 2:14).

Amen...

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

- Nigeria