On God's Plan for the Gospel

“You are God’s plan for the Gospel. He doesn’t have a plan B.” ⁣
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My stomach turned as I read these words recently. My soul rejoiced at the content, but I was burdened by the context. Living in Nashville, the opportunities to encounter the Gospel are endless. Just a few miles from our house, there are five churches on a single street corner. I can download the entire Bible via a free app on my phone. I’m certain that I could knock on every door in our neighborhood and not find a single person who could not identify Jesus of Nazareth. They have heard. ⁣
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I might live in the buckle of the Bible Belt, but I can’t imagine life in the rest of our country looks very different. Here’s a challenge: Open Maps right now and search “churches”. Count how many there are within a 1 mile radius (I counted 11!). And then consider this hard truth: ⁣
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Right now there are 3 billion people around the world who will live and die without access to Jesus. They will spend eternity separated from Him. They may be hundreds of miles from a single church. They don’t know what a Bible is. I’m certain that I could knock on every door in their neighborhood and not find a single person who could identify Jesus of Nazareth. They have not heard. ⁣
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The temptation in a year like 2020 is to turn inward; to devote all our time and attention to 𝘰𝘶𝘳 issues, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 hurts, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 world. But for followers of Jesus, this just isn’t an option. 2 Corinthians 5:10 confirms that we 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 be held accountable for our obedience.

The best of intentions will not exempt us from this judgment. It is good and right that we love those on our own street corners, but it is vital that we ask ourselves if our lives and ministries are functioning in complete obedience to our call to spread the Gospel to the ends of earth.

We cannot let proximity cloud our vision. If we actually believe that we are saved by faith in Jesus, we should be grieved by the amount of people in the world who have not heard of Him. If we actually believe Jesus was who He said He was, we should be people who go and tell the Good News with urgency.

Because you are God’s plan for the Gospel. He doesn’t have a plan B.