From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. Matthew 11:12 The kingdom of heaven is not advanced by those in retreat, but by those forcefully pressing in to the call of God. We must engage in what this verse is talking about and live in a state of readiness: ready to reach out, ready to help, ready to offer the gospel to a dying world. As Charles Spurgeon wrote, "Time is flying and men are dying." At the end of the day we can't play games with life, but instead we must forcefully advance—not by our human might or power—but by trusting in God's power. He puts tenacity in our spirits, enabling us to fulfill the assignment.

We live in a confused world, and as Christians, we are called to stand tall when everyone else is shrinking back, to have the peace of God when everyone else is agitated. The world is in turmoil because it is rebelling against the gospel. Psalm 2:2 describes the language of the lost: "The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed." Yet, God promises to give us even those hostile places and people: "Ask of Me and I will surely give you the nations as your inheri-tance" (Psalm 2:8a). The early church caught this and reached the very people who were trying to kill them. This early church prototype is what we want to emulate as believers today.

The devil tries to de-motivate us, causing us to back off a bit and become caught in the routine of religion. We must refuse to shrink back, and forcefully advance in deliberate devotion. Let's present our thoughts, actions, decisions, and habits before the Lord. As we deny our flesh, God changes us. He makes the weak strong and corrects the irresponsible. He knows how to balance us out so we will have the endurance and character to complete our assignment and reach the unreachable.

Let's reach the world!
Pastor Jeff




© 2008 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.