Matthew 24:14 says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Verses 19 and 20 of chapter twenty-eight say, “Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into 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 all the days until the consummation of the age.” Acts 1:8 says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” This verse speaks not of preachers but of witnesses.
We Christians need to realize that preaching the gospel must not be a move or an activity. It must be a part, an aspect, an element, of our Christian living. After we are saved, the Lord leaves us on the earth mainly for the purpose of being His witnesses. However, the word witness in Greek has a deeper meaning than we might understand. The word witness in Greek is “martyr.” It is not related merely to preaching but to testifying, not only by word but by our life and living and even the sacrifice of our life. We need to testify the Lord Jesus to others at a cost, even at the sacrifice of our life.
More or less we have a wrong concept due to our particular background. We may think that to preach is merely a kind of work, move, activity, or movement. Rather, the real preaching and outreach of the gospel must be a part of our daily life, our Christian living. We are living here for this, and our living is preaching. We preach not only by word but by our living. Moreover, we preach not in a light and cheap way but at a cost, even at the cost of our life. We have to sacrifice our life for testifying Christ to others. This is why Acts tells us that the preachers of the gospel are the martyrs of the Lord. We have to be the Lord’s martyrs. The apostle Paul told the Corinthians that he was willing to spend and be utterly spent for them, that is, to spend whatever he had and whatever he was (2 Cor. 12:15). This means that he was willing to sacrifice his own life, to pay the price at the cost of his own life. I look to the Lord that our concept would be changed. Do not consider that this is a work, movement, or activity. We have to consider that this is a matter of life, an item of our Christian life. We are living here for this, and our living is our preaching.
When we are indifferent to the preaching of the gospel, we are careless about it. However, once we are stirred by the Lord to pay attention to this matter, we have peculiar ideas. We often have the thought that the gospel should be preached in a powerful and miraculous way. This is not the case. Testifying and witnessing for the Lord are a matter of life. Anything miraculous is not normal. I would not say it is abnormal, but it is strange and special. The normal condition is that we live for the gospel, and the outreach of the gospel is the main part of our living.
Many Christians pick up the verses from the Word concerning the powerful preaching of the gospel. No doubt there are such verses in the Word, but if we have a balanced and proper view when looking into the Word, we can see that the most important thing is the testimony of our life. Is it a miracle for the branches of a vine to bear fruit? Some may refer to the preaching in Acts, but I would refer you to the Gospel of John. Do you believe more in miracles or in life? Do you live more by medicine or by normal food? Medicine is very useful, and many times we need it. However, medicines are only for healing. The bearing of fruit by the branches is the overflow, the outworking of the inner life. We simply abide in the Lord and let Him abide in us, and we deal with all the hindrances to life and fellowship between us and the Lord. In this way we pave the way for the Lord to live Himself out through us. That is the real bearing of fruit.
We may like to take the easy way, the miraculous way. We would like to go to sleep one night and the next morning be full of fruit. That is a dream. Consider the orchards. In any kind of orchard the trees grow, and the husbandman labors. He waters and cares for the plants, and the plants grow. Then gradually, at a certain point, they bear fruit. There is nothing miraculous in an orchard. The church is an orchard. We should not have the dream that all of a sudden we will be full of fruit.
Someone may ask, “What about Pentecost?” Pentecost was the result of the work and labor of the Lord Jesus for three and a half years. It was also the result of one hundred twenty people giving up their country, their family, and their everything. Even at the cost of their lives they stayed in Jerusalem, regardless of the threatening situation, and they prayed for ten days. Have you paid the cost? If you have not paid the price, how can you claim the power of Pentecost? Pentecost was the harvest of the labor of the Lord Jesus for many years. How much have you labored? You cannot have a dream; you have to drop all the dreams. Brothers, let us be normal. We must realize our duty, our responsibility, and our labor. We have to work, we have to pray, we have to spend whatever we have, and we have to be willing to be spent in whatever we are. Take this as a real burden, not as a dream.
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