This may sound counterintuitive to what you already know as a believer because you are aware of the question Jesus’s disciples ask him in Matthew 24:3, saying,
“What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”
Matthew 24:3
Jesus answers:
“No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don’t know, and the Son himself doesn’t know. Only the Father knows.”
Matthew 24:36
But what if I tell you that I believe Jesus gave subtle clues about when He will come, though they are debated and not talked about much?
Let me remind you that, even if there is some debate, our God is not the author of confusion. No matter how you interpret the scriptures, the main thing is to work toward the growth of the kingdom.
- Strobel, Lee (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
How Are You Influencing the Coming of Christ?
“When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.”
Matthew 24:14
“Hello, good morning. I want to talk to you about the good news of Jesus Christ. Can you give me a few minutes of your time, please?”
That’s the first thing I said to a lady on the road during a street evangelism outreach.
And as soon as she heard the name “Jesus,” she decided not to spare the few minutes I asked for.
She could have done this for many reasons. She did live in a predominately Muslim area where standing with a man on the street for any reason whatsoever is prohibited. This is quite understandable, and in such regions, it is usually wise for street evangelists to be people of the same gender—say, a woman evangelist approaching another woman.
Nevertheless, during that outreach, I still managed to reach some people who were willing to listen—which brings us back to Matthew 24:14.
If you read chapter 24 from the beginning, you can see what Jesus is telling His disciples. He makes it clear in verse 14.
About the Message of Christ
Do you think that the message of Christ has reached everyone in the world?
Before you answer that, let me share some other points from my street evangelism outreach experience.
I might reach out to five or ten random people on the road. Most tend not to be believers. Some already have the wrong idea about Jesus. Some don’t know anything about Him at all. Some are open to listening (especially when they aren’t with others), and some are not.
I strongly believe that there are many people out there who have never heard of Jesus Christ, and it’s our duty to reach out to them and preach the love of Christ.
It feels clear to me that when the gospel is preached throughout the whole world, the end will come.
However, street evangelism isn’t something every Christian can do, and there are ways one can preach the love of Christ without necessarily going to the streets.
Modeling the Early Church
We can hasten the kingdom by modeling the earliest Christians. Acts 2:42-47 tells us that there was a fellowship of believers who were abundant in love, joy, and generosity, praising God and enjoying the goodwill of the people. And each day, more people were saved.
Another example we can model is that of Priscilla and Aquila. The Bible doesn’t specifically tell how they preached the good news of Christ, but the apostle Paul says, “They have not only served Christ Jesus together with me, but they have even risked their lives for me” (Romans 16:3).
They must have played a very important role in Paul’s missionary journey.
As a believer, you can even support, through actions or free-will donations, those who have taken it upon themselves to go out and preach the gospel.
Like Priscilla and Aquila, you are a coworker in the vineyard. That’s the responsibility of everyone who loves and follows Christ—to extend the Good News of love to those who are lost.
And a joint effort from believers could lead us to fellowship with Christ sooner than later.
Jesus tells us,
“If you love me, you will do as I command.”
John 14:15
Remember that God has given you a spirit of love and power. I encourage you today to think about this. Look for ways you can reach out to people nearby and share the Good News with them to work toward the coming of Christ.
And if you have been doing that, I would love to hear your experience, if you feel ok about sharing it with me in the comment section below.
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