A recent Christian retreat has left China Inland Mission missionary Frank Houghton’s famous hymn “Facing a Task Unfinished” echoing and reverberating in my mind. I find the second verse especially impactful:
Where other lords beside you
hold their unhindered sway;
where forces that defied you
defy you still today,
with none to heed their crying
for life and love and light
unnumbered souls are dying
and pass into the night.
As Christians our main mission is clear: to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. There are many causes that are good and worthy: alleviating poverty, promoting justice, building shelter, etc. These are all good things. But none are as important as telling others about the gospel of life. For all these earthly initiatives concern the present life, while belief or unbelief in Jesus Christ marks the difference between eternal life and eternal death.
In practice, this means prioritising our family and friends’ spiritual wellbeing over their physical wellbeing (though the latter is, of course, very important too). This means gracefully but firmly and clearly explaining the gospel to non-believers around us when given the opportunity to do so. This means asking God for gospel opportunities. This means feeling a sense of urgency for evangelism, for one day death will visit each of us or the Lord will return, and it will be too late to turn back to God.