May 27th, 2025
This week, I want to share with you something that’s been on my heart about the impact of the gospel. The gospel is the good news, and Jesus said it will “be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Mattew 24:14). Right now, it’s estimated there are over 7,000 people groups that have little to no access to the gospel. Some of those groups are so remote, the gospel may never have come to them. Some may not have access to the Bible in their own language. Some may have had the gospel preached at some point, but the gospel is now restricted to the point it can no longer be shared. It’s estimated these people groups represent 3.2 billion people in the world.
Think about that. Roughly 40% of the world’s population, 3.2 billion souls, do not have access to the gospel. Those of us in the Western world could easily take for granted the number of Bibles we have sitting in our homes, in our language. We could easily take for granted the freedom we have to go to church to worship – free from persecution.
However, when the church was first birthed after Jesus ascended, it did not grow under easy conditions. The gospel thrived facing persecution from Jewish and Roman authorities. It was not a government or a religious system that was open to the spread of Christianity, but the early disciples were said to have “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).
The gospel spread in power.
The gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation and that is true in any nation, under any government, in the face of any religious persecution (Romans 1:16). We see that truth throughout history. The gospel thrives when God must demonstrate His power and people are reliant on Him alone. In the western world, we often try to convince people of the truth of gospel. We may try to change their minds on the issues that inhibit them from receiving the truth, but the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God demonstrated. If the church carries power and speaks the uncompromised Word of God, people will be won without argument.
I was captured this week by Matthew 17:14-17. It says,
“When they came to the crowd, a man came up to [Jesus] and, kneeling before him, said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures, and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.”
Can you hear the desperation of the father in this story? The Bible doesn’t go into detail but surely the father had tried many things for his son. Surely, they had been to doctors. Surely, they’d prayed. He had a problem that could not be fixed, even by Jesus’ disciples. Jesus later expands on why the disciples could not cast out the demon – rebuking them for their little faith, and in another gospel account, telling them there had to be prayer and fasting to set the boy free. Regardless, the disciples did not have what the boy needed.
However, Jesus said, “Bring him here to me.”
Can you imagine the hope that stirred in the father’s chest? He’d surely heard the stories about Jesus – the rabbi that healed everyone who came to Him.
The Bible tells us that Jesus rebuked the demon, and the boy was healed instantly.
Jesus is still saying of every problem: “bring it to me.” He always has the answer. He always has the power. There is no situation impossible for Him.
Think about the disciples in this story, though. The boy was brought to them with a desperate need, and they were unable to help. They had to send him away with the same problem he came with. Let us never be a church that sends people away without the answer they’re looking for!
However, those same disciples, baptized with the Holy Spirit and power, would later turn the world upside down. Peter said to a man who had been crippled for over 40 years, ““I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6)
The man was immediately healed! Faced with another impossible situation, he did have what was needed – the power of the Holy Spirit.
Oh, that we would have the answer the world is looking for! The gospel of Jesus Christ is a
gospel of power, and we cannot do the world a disservice and treat it as though it’s a philosophy. The gospel of Jesus Christ was never intended to be a culturally accepted social club that we only participate in once a week.
Conviction of sin is from the Holy Spirit, and we can never convince someone of their need for salvation. It must be a work of God. It must be the drawing power of the Holy Spirit. Those sent with the gospel must carry it in power. Look at a few of these verses:
“For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.” (1 Corinthians 4:20)
“Our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5)
“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1 Corinthians 1:17)
“My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:4)
The good news of the kingdom, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is accompanied with power and confirmed by the Holy Spirit. It was never intended to be something we believe in our heads and see confirmed when we die and go to heaven. The Holy Spirit dwells in us and confirms His word even now. We are called to take the good news to every nation, in truth and in power. Jesus did not send His disciples unequipped, and He does not send us unequipped. We can have the answer the world is looking for and they are looking for something real. The raw, unquestionable power of God will win the coldest heart. Jesus has commissioned us, His church, to carry the gospel to every creature, with power. The fields are ripe for harvest!
Matthew 9:35-38 says,
“Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Think about that. Roughly 40% of the world’s population, 3.2 billion souls, do not have access to the gospel. Those of us in the Western world could easily take for granted the number of Bibles we have sitting in our homes, in our language. We could easily take for granted the freedom we have to go to church to worship – free from persecution.
However, when the church was first birthed after Jesus ascended, it did not grow under easy conditions. The gospel thrived facing persecution from Jewish and Roman authorities. It was not a government or a religious system that was open to the spread of Christianity, but the early disciples were said to have “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).
The gospel spread in power.
The gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation and that is true in any nation, under any government, in the face of any religious persecution (Romans 1:16). We see that truth throughout history. The gospel thrives when God must demonstrate His power and people are reliant on Him alone. In the western world, we often try to convince people of the truth of gospel. We may try to change their minds on the issues that inhibit them from receiving the truth, but the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God demonstrated. If the church carries power and speaks the uncompromised Word of God, people will be won without argument.
I was captured this week by Matthew 17:14-17. It says,
“When they came to the crowd, a man came up to [Jesus] and, kneeling before him, said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures, and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.”
Can you hear the desperation of the father in this story? The Bible doesn’t go into detail but surely the father had tried many things for his son. Surely, they had been to doctors. Surely, they’d prayed. He had a problem that could not be fixed, even by Jesus’ disciples. Jesus later expands on why the disciples could not cast out the demon – rebuking them for their little faith, and in another gospel account, telling them there had to be prayer and fasting to set the boy free. Regardless, the disciples did not have what the boy needed.
However, Jesus said, “Bring him here to me.”
Can you imagine the hope that stirred in the father’s chest? He’d surely heard the stories about Jesus – the rabbi that healed everyone who came to Him.
The Bible tells us that Jesus rebuked the demon, and the boy was healed instantly.
Jesus is still saying of every problem: “bring it to me.” He always has the answer. He always has the power. There is no situation impossible for Him.
Think about the disciples in this story, though. The boy was brought to them with a desperate need, and they were unable to help. They had to send him away with the same problem he came with. Let us never be a church that sends people away without the answer they’re looking for!
However, those same disciples, baptized with the Holy Spirit and power, would later turn the world upside down. Peter said to a man who had been crippled for over 40 years, ““I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6)
The man was immediately healed! Faced with another impossible situation, he did have what was needed – the power of the Holy Spirit.
Oh, that we would have the answer the world is looking for! The gospel of Jesus Christ is a
gospel of power, and we cannot do the world a disservice and treat it as though it’s a philosophy. The gospel of Jesus Christ was never intended to be a culturally accepted social club that we only participate in once a week.
Conviction of sin is from the Holy Spirit, and we can never convince someone of their need for salvation. It must be a work of God. It must be the drawing power of the Holy Spirit. Those sent with the gospel must carry it in power. Look at a few of these verses:
“For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.” (1 Corinthians 4:20)
“Our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5)
“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1 Corinthians 1:17)
“My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:4)
The good news of the kingdom, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is accompanied with power and confirmed by the Holy Spirit. It was never intended to be something we believe in our heads and see confirmed when we die and go to heaven. The Holy Spirit dwells in us and confirms His word even now. We are called to take the good news to every nation, in truth and in power. Jesus did not send His disciples unequipped, and He does not send us unequipped. We can have the answer the world is looking for and they are looking for something real. The raw, unquestionable power of God will win the coldest heart. Jesus has commissioned us, His church, to carry the gospel to every creature, with power. The fields are ripe for harvest!
Matthew 9:35-38 says,
“Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
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