When I look at the life and ministry of Jesus, I see a sense of urgency in everything that He did. With an incredible compassion for the lost, He loved, served, healed, gave, taught, and proclaimed the gospel. It is this same urgency and compassion that should drive every believer to continue this same mission. Throughout Scripture I can point to at least 5 reasons why the gospel is urgent.
1. Because God deserves all worship.
First and foremost there is an urgency because our God is worthy of and deserves the worship of every person ever created. In Revelation 4:11, we get a glimpse of a worship service in the throne room of heaven. As the people bow before God, they proclaim, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” God created mankind to know, love and worship him. Yet billions of people all around the world give the worship that belongs to God alone to other things.
2. Because Heaven is glorious, Hell is horrendous, and eternity is forever.
Sometimes our view of heaven is much too small. Heaven will not be a boring church service that never ends. Instead the picture that Scripture gives us is so much more glorious! We will rest in the presence of Jesus, enjoying God and his good creation forever, without any stain of sin. Heaven is real and is infinitely more amazing than we can ever imagine!
Although it is not popular to talk about, Hell is also real, and real people are going there. Those who reject Jesus will spend eternity in this indescribably terrible place. Revelation 20:15 says, “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Your friends, neighbors, cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, sisters, brothers, and others who do not surrender their lives to Jesus will die and will spend eternity in Hell. That will happen. But our Lord Jesus has given us the gospel message that can change their lives for eternity – we just have to tell them!
3. Because people are hopelessly lost.
The gospel is urgent because people are lost and Jesus is the only way! Those around us are seeking fulfillment, hope, purpose and meaning in all the wrong places. They turn to relationships, sex, money, drugs, and other things hoping that they will fix their brokenness and satisfy the deepest longings of their heart. Inevitably, they are left empty, alone and more broken than before. But we have the words that bring life, meaning, hope, and healing! Jesus is the only answer for those who are hopelessly lost.
4. Because life is short and fading.
James 4:14 says that our life is like a mist, like a vapor that is here one minute and then gone the next. None of us know how much longer we have on this earth and we have no guarantee that we will wake up tomorrow morning. We must make use of the time that God has graciously given us today.
5. Because we have a mission to fullfill.
Jesus has entrusted to us His ministry and His message and He gave us a mission that He actually expects us to fulfill. Matthew 24:14 says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
The truth is that just hearing these reasons will never change anything. We will not feel the urgency of the gospel until we truly have a passion for the lost.
Before there will ever be urgency in our action, there must be compassion in our hearts.
We have to actually care about those who are far from God and on their way to an eternity separated from Him. My prayer is that God would change our hearts and place in each of us the burning desire to see His name proclaimed among all nations and see the lost of this world saved by His grace.
– Jared
