Now fast forward to yesterday. I attended a women's conference at my church about how to reach the nations as women. The main speaker focused on Psalm 96 for our reason and challenge to share but she also pulled in Matthew 24:14 as well. Again, the same verse that I used in my talk a week earlier but this time the impact of that verse really struck me (don't you love it when that happens, a real aha moment). She said the same thing I did, that our sharing helps to bring Jesus back, but she also added that our sharing helps to end suffering and sorrow because that is what will happen upon His return. Now I know that there is an appointed time when Jesus will return and God alone knows that date. However, do you hear what I am saying here?! Scratch that, what the Word is saying here. Our sharing will bring Jesus back! Our sharing will put an end to tears and pain and sadness and disease. It will be the world right again and Jesus will sit on His rightful throne as ruler of the world. This world, this life as we know it with sin and shame and all the hurts and confusion will be finished. The end will come. All the nations will hear and then the end will come.
Why are we not running toward this? Why are we so complacent to tell others about our God? Do we love this world too much? Waiting for something to occur here in this life? Do we want a few more years to toil away? Are we too content with how things are? Are we really that afraid of rejection that we would hold off the Glory of the End a bit longer? I can say yes at some point to all of these things but when this verse really hit me and the implications of our sharing hit me I realized all of those thoughts are ludicrous (and I don't mean the rapper). Even as I write this I know that I don't share as much as I want to or should and I know tomorrow will go by with so many missed opportunities. However, I pray that I keep this realization in my heart. That I need to share so that others can experience this end with great joy at seeing their Saviour return but also knowing that sharing helps His return come quickly and it will end so much brokenness that just wasn't meant to be.
"And this gospel will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:14
