One of the most subtle dangers facing us as
Christians is to be so focused upon our own generation, the church
where we worship , the present state of the times, that we forget the
larger picture regarding the gospel – and, in particular, its
sure progress and its guaranteed success. It is not (hopefully) that we
doubt the power of God or have lost confidence in the gospel. It is
just that – well, things most of the time seem to remain fairly
much the same. So now is the moment to remind ourselves of grander
dimensions – and the particular grander dimension in mind is the
absolute certainty of the success of the gospel of God’s grace to
the ends of the earth.
Here are four key Scriptures to assure us that this is so, despite what
we see and hear:
The eternal decree of
election affirms this: God’s people comprise ‘a
great multitude, that no one could number, from every nation, from all
tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before
the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their
hands’ (Revelation 7:9).
The word of prophecy
affirms this: At the end of the matchless 22nd psalm, which
records both the sufferings and the glories of the Messiah, the
assurance is given, ‘All the ends of the earth shall remember and
turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship
you’ (Psalm 22:27).
The great commission
affirms this: After his resurrection the Lord Jesus Christ
declared, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And
behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’ (Matthew
28:19-20).
The promise before
Jesus’ ascension affirms this: As part of his final
message to his disciples while he was still on this earth, Jesus issued
this combined command and assurance, ‘But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the
earth’ (Acts 1:8).
We believe this – don’t we? Then let it inform our minds,
let it strengthen our hearts, let it invigorate our prayers, let it
enliven our expectations, let it enthuse our zeal, let it aid our
perseverance, and let it establish our joy – and all to the glory
of our great God, whose gospel this is!
