Looking Away

“Go”

Mark 16:15

This is a reminisce of the oppression faced in early 2020 and the following months. I waited to publish it until I came into my own personal direction and resolve.

Blurry Vision

The outlook lately has been discouraging at best. We are offered no glimpses of hope for our near future. As strong and steady as we would like to appear, we have been shaken and our vision has been blurred.

One of the discouragements is now that we have opened the doors to our classrooms, no one is coming. We look immediately to find reasons, and all we see is the blame put on anything and everything. We try to be resilient as we face this valley, but it’s hard to cope and harder to hope when the path forward is so dark.

Bright Future?

The Lord has challenged me lately with the Great Commission. You know it:

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Mark 16:15

This undeniably states the need for evangelism exists outside of the confines of a church building. He said, “GO.”

Followers of the commission are needed on front porches in Byesville, street corners in Barnesville, at the courthouse plaza in Cambridge, and in the quick-stops, parks, and shopping centers in between. A follower of Christ, a Christian, if he is going to call himself that, must GO.

I have been challenged over this, because the world has told us for the last 3 months to ‘stay.’ And though I’ve tried to make the best of it, it seems that when I look for permission to leave, I am told again to ‘Sit. Stay. Good boy.’

There are many deep debates over the government, the economy, ethics, and the corona virus itself. I haven’t the time to refute or verify every wild claim, but I’ll just throw this fact out there: the Devil has always wanted Christians to stay away from other people. He thinks of YOU as a disease, and he doesn’t want to risk you spreading your infectious disease (Christianity) in his kingdom. (Christians are guilty of thinking the Gospel is a disease to be caught, rather than a message to be communicated, see Blaming the Messenger). The devil is FOR ‘social distancing’ both now and forever. People are dying and crowding into Hell by the DROVES, with or without the help of a virus.

Bold Proposal

If no one is preaching the Gospel, no one will care enough about Jesus Christ, Heaven or Hell, or the Bible to want to come to Sunday School to be taught anything.

Because the Great Commission is more than “Go ye therefore, and teach…” (Matthew 28:19) Our text says, “Go… and PREACH.” We can no longer afford to look away.

Ask yourself: How have I been fulfilling this mission? Can you pray that God will show you how to GO and tell someone today?

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