Scripture tells us that Jesus is coming back and everyone will see Him!
Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
When Jesus was on earth, He linked His return to several things, including the gospel going to the ends of the earth. His desire is that many would be saved:
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)
That was nearly 2,000 years ago, and this vision could well be completed in our lifetime (some say in the next 15–20 years). So how will He (and we) accomplish it? The plan includes prayer, worship, and missions.
The Prayers of the Saints
A praying Church, filled with praying people, is God’s vehicle for advancing His kingdom. Prayer is essential to hearing God’s voice and knowing Him intimately. This is for all believers: Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice” (John 10:27).
Prayer is simply talking to God and hearing from Him. It helps us submit our lives to the Lord, so that He can shape us into what He desires. Jesus gave us a “model prayer,” also called the Lord’s Prayer, which includes the phrase, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9–13).
God wants His kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, and He wants His people to ask for this. The kingdom advances as more people know Jesus and follow Him. As believers, we start by modeling this lifestyle so that we can share it with others. Prayer changes us, so that we can bring change to others.
The Power of Worship
Revelation 4–5 tells us that in heaven God is being praised right now, continuously and without end. Angels do His bidding, elders bow before Him, saints worship Him, and Seraphim (or “burning ones”) cry continually “Holy, holy, holy,” as they gaze upon the beauty and majesty of God. The worship never stops.
The Lord wants to fill the earth with this reality, both before Jesus returns and then completely when He reigns openly on earth. We, as saints, can start now fulfilling that by calling the nations (people groups) to praise the one true God and His only Son, Jesus Christ, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
Isaiah 42 links the return of Jesus to a global song of worship going forth. Some like to say that we “sing back the King,” since worship is a primary factor in His return. Worship helps draw us closer to God, which empowers us to do His will—taking the gospel to all nations and people groups before the end of the age.
The Importance of Missions
As John Piper famously says, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” We are commanded to go into all the nations to bring people to salvation, and the praise and knowledge of God (Matthew 28:19–20).
Instead of worshipping dead idols, we call people into relationship with the living God, Jesus Christ, “the way, the truth, and the life,” and the only way to the Father (John 14:6).
This is the good news the world needs, and as we pray and draw close to God, He sends us out to share it with others. Jesus’ fame will fill the earth one day, and each of us can help make it happen. It’s part of God’s will, and the reason we are alive today!
Finding Our Calling
The realization of our calling is often birthed in encounter. Through intimacy with God, we learn who we are, why we’re created, and what our purpose is for being on earth. The first and second commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:36–39), and our lives will be measured by these two things.
Sometimes it takes a special place or experience to find that life-changing encounter. God commonly uses faith-filled environments to “mark” us with a destiny that thrusts us into our calling. It can happen anywhere, but a place saturated with prayer, worship, and Holy Spirit-led ministry can be greatly used by God in helping us understand our calling.
What is your role (in this season) in spreading the fame of Jesus to the ends of the earth?
