[Mr. John LaBissoniere]: Well if you would turn with me to Mark 1:14. Jesus Christ came to earth for a profound purpose. And part of that purpose was to call a group of disciples and begin His Church. But why did Jesus form His Church? And what was to be its mission? And why did God call you into His Church? To answer these questions, let’s begin by first examining the scripture highlighting what Jesus Christ said as He began His public ministry. Here in Mark 1:14, we begin.

“Now after John,”—That’s John the Baptist— “was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel’” (Mark 1:14).

If you turn with me to Luke 4:43. The gospel means good news or glad tidings. And it’s about how God’s perfect divine government that now rules in heaven will be established here on the earth. Plus, this good news is about something more, it’s also about how faithful, obedient people can obtain the gift of salvation and enter God’s spiritual family to serve with Christ in governing the earth at His second coming. There’s a lot to the gospel. Many scriptural passages reveal that the gospel of God’s Kingdom was the centerpiece of Jesus’s ministry and message. Note how definitive Jesus was in reading this passage here in Luke 4:43.

He says, “I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities also because for this purpose, I have been sent” (Luke 4:43).

With this purpose to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Now, if you turn with me to Matthew 13:44. You know, coupled with this, what I just mentioned, Christ expressed through various parables that nothing was of greater significance or value than the Kingdom of God, which is also called the Kingdom of heaven in many scriptures in the New Testament. For example, we read here in Matthew 13:44.

“The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).

So, as I mentioned, it’s so significant, Christ came with this message and He focused on that so often, critically. So, throughout His ministry, He brought His Father’s message, this announcement of this wonderful future, this global government that He’s going to bring. And it’s all about His administration, His management, the laws, and the organizational structure that will fully replace all of the world’s governments. Think about that. Plus, prior to Jesus’s ministry, the Kingdom of God had been the critical tenant of John the Baptist’s messages and his teachings. For example, you don’t need to turn here but in Matthew 3:2.

John said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).

Plus, long before John’s day, the gospel of the Kingdom was a major theme running throughout the writings of various Old Testament prophets and patriarchs. And, importantly, the good news Christ brought was not only about God’s future government on earth but how faithful obedient people could eventually enter into that divine Kingdom to receive the gift of salvation. So, I mentioned that earlier. But to emphasize that point, so it’s like a dual message that Christ brought, but it’s all seamless, it’s all together in many ways. So, in this regard about salvation, the apostle Paul said this, it’s from Romans 1:16, you don’t need to turn there.

He said, “The gospel is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

Now, let’s turn to John 3:16 if you would. John 3:16, of course, you know this Scripture, it’s very familiar to many people. Salvation was made possible through Jesus Christ who God His Father, the Father sent as Savior, to pay the penalty for people’s sins through His sinless life and sacrificial death, and His resurrection.

But just why, why did the Father and Jesus Christ His Son, why did they do this? Why were they so willing, in fact, to do this? It was because of the love they have for their children. You know the greatest creation you could say are human beings, you and all others that have lived or will live on the earth and live today, the greatest creation. So, God has His great love as we have for our own children.

John 3:16-17 it says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Look what God has in store, what He wants for His children, to be with Him. Verse 17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Think about how great that is. God is so loving, so caring, so willing to have children in His family that He was willing to do what He did, and Jesus Christ did. Also, as Romans 5:8 says, regarding how He demonstrated His love for us.

He said that “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

So, He had that much confidence, He looked forward to that day that those who would repent and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and live that way of life would be in His family with Him. Let’s go to Acts 2:38 if you would now. So, you know, the door to this, what’s called the great salvation in Hebrews 2:3, it’s open to all those who God calls, who repent of sin and are baptized and then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands of one of God’s true ministers. You know, in speaking to the crowds in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost in A.D. 31, again, the birth of the Church that day with the giving of the Holy Spirit, the disciples we read here about what happened when Peter was preaching to these crowds. He said in Acts 2:38.

“Then Peter said to them,”—the crowds—”repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

Furthermore, Jesus said in another place, a person must endure to the end. So, you start the process, right, but you got to go all the way, all the way if you want to have that relationship with God and be in His Kingdom and His family. Furthermore, Jesus said...speaking about those who...and I should go back to who inherit all things. Think about that too what that means to be kings and priests with Jesus Christ in His Kingdom and reigning with Christ on the earth. How great that is, think about how awesome that is. And you and I know that and understand that. Now Psalm 9:8, if you turn there. So again, this inheritance of all things will occur at the resurrection of the dead to everlasting life. And at that time faithful people will be welcomed into God’s divine household as spirit beings to serve alongside Jesus Christ in governing the earth.

Psalm 9:8 says this, “He shall judge the world in righteousness, and he shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.”

So, at Jesus’s second coming, He will bring about conditions on earth where wonderful peace, and abundant prosperity, and tremendous pure joy, and pure righteousness will be experienced by all humanity. We don’t have that in the world today, it’s a chaotic situation that we see. And even as Mr. Myers read about what’s happening in Africa and parts of Africa it’s just these things have to change, and they will for those people in the future.

So those things are going to be experienced and how wonderful that is. So, all of the above that I’ve described so far is the very essence of the gospel. The magnificent good news that Jesus brought to all humanity. Plus, the good news involves how upon His return, Christ will do something else, which is very needed, which is to expel Satan, the devil, from power, and totally replace his hateful destructive rule over humanity with God’s righteous rule.

What most people in the world don’t understand though is that the devil has been ruling this world. His disastrous influence has penetrated everything in life today. You know, the Bible calls him in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this world.” Scripture also explains that Satan and his demons deceive society continually. They’re broadcasting, so to speak, evil thoughts and attitudes. And people are unaware of this, they have no idea this is happening to them, how they’re influenced this way.

See what happened with the shooting that took place this week, how awful that is. And the influence that Satan has in the minds of people today is just overwhelming, is terrible. And he hates people, doesn’t he, Satan? And he constantly opposes God and hates Him as well. He seeks to destroy, that’s what he does. He’s very good at destroying, Satan is.

Jesus described him as the ruler of this world. And He spoke of him having a kingdom. He runs his world today. Even though he runs it, Jesus Christ and the Father retain authority over their creation, and they step in at times to direct the pathway of nations. So, they maintain the course of God’s prophetic plan.

Therefore, while Satan currently rules his earthly kingdom, his time is running out. He knows his time is short, no wonder he’s ramping up the evil and the violence in the world that we see today. And yet, at the same time, something is happening, the Church of God is witnessing to the world that there is a change coming. The Church is announcing the long-awaited and much-needed Kingdom of God to replace this evil rulership.

So, in this regard, it’s important to note that the Bible calls Jesus’s message, of course, the gospel of the Kingdom of God, but there are other names that describe various elements or aspects of the gospel. These include, it’s called the gospel of peace in the New Testament, the gospel of God, the gospel of Christ, the gospel of the grace of God, and the gospel of your salvation.

So, it’s the Kingdom of God but it’s all these other things and there are various aspects of the gospel. So, what has been covered so far that I’ve covered so far is background. Let’s now address the questions I mentioned earlier. When we consider the Church, why did Jesus establish it? What is the Church’s mission? And why did God call you into His Church? If you want a title that’s the title today, “Why Did God Call You Into His Church?”

Well, the answers to these questions involve what Christ directed His disciples to do. It’s all about continuing the work Jesus began and preaching the gospel and making ready a people prepared for the Lord. That’s from Luke 1:17. And it’s really on the front of all of our podiums in the Church today, preach the gospel and prepare a people, that’s where that’s all about, we’re doing that today. To illustrate when Jesus sent His disciples on what you might call their initial training mission, He told them to go preach, saying, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Or, as a contemporary English version puts it, “The Kingdom of heaven will soon be here.” So, it’s an announcement, it’s an announcement, it’s a message to all humanity.

Examples of the disciples performing their preaching and teaching assignment after Christ’s resurrection, fill the pages of the New Testament, one page after another. It’s all about going to the world with the message of the gospel. To be sure, Jesus’s early apostles and disciples dedicated themselves completely to this tremendous mission. For example, we read how the apostle Paul was entirely focused on fulfilling Christ’s directive. You don’t need to turn here but Acts 19:8 it says here, Paul writes... well describes it.

He went, “Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the Kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8).

Similarly, in Acts 20:25, I’ll read this too, Paul stated this.

“I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God” (Acts 20:25).

Furthermore, Paul said in Romans 15:19.

“In mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God,”—not by human power, but by God’s Spirit— “I have fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:19).

So those are just a few of the many passages and statements that Paul made about how he vigorously taught the wonderful works of God’s Kingdom. And toward the end of his ministry, he continued steadfastly proclaiming that identical message. In fact, even when he was under house arrest in Rome sometime after A.D. 60, he resolutely taught about Jesus Christ and the coming Kingdom of God. So, it’s all throughout the New Testament.

Now, if you turn with me to Matthew 24:14. So Paul and the other disciples, apostles, unconditionally devoted themselves to the mission that Jesus Christ assigned His Church. And down through the ages, other faithful servants of God have done the exact same thing, and they are doing that today. As the time of Jesus’s second coming draws closer and closer every day it brings us closer to that time when He will set His feet on the Mount of Olives.

Indeed, Jesus prophesied in Matthew that one of the pivotal signs marking the approaching time of His return to earth and the culmination of this age of Satan, the age of man’s government was that this great announcement would reach the eyes and ears of people around the globe. Here in Matthew 24:14, it says this.

“And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

What’s most notable about this passage maybe you haven’t noticed it, and I only noticed it just recently, but Christ reiterates this proclamation. He says here to all the world and immediately after that to all the nations. All the world, all the nations. When He said that He meant it and He emphasized the vital importance of His Church executing this responsibility. So, when we consider this critical statement, it has everything to do with the people that God has called and is calling into His Church today.

Now, here’s an important question. What is the purpose of preaching the gospel as a witness? It’s not only to give people the opportunity to learn the truth about Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God but to respond to His divine calling if they so choose. There is an article that was just published in the current issue of “The United News,” you might want to read it. It’s all about the witness, why are we witnessing the gospel of the Kingdom of God in our age? And how are we doing it today? You might want to take a look at that.

Of course, this calling involves something very important, this urgent call for people to repent from the disaster of sin. Why is it disastrous? Because it blocks people’s relationship with God, and it destroys themselves and others. That’s what sin does, it just breaks them down continually. So, people have to realize what they’re doing, they have to understand it, and then turn from it, repent from it, turn to God, turn to Him, and He will lovingly respond to you and to them.

Let’s go to Matthew 28:19. For those who react favorably to God’s calling, the Church is there, it’s ready, willing, and able to offer marvelous spiritual and moral instruction and guidance. When the Church responds in that way, it’s doing something important. It’s fulfilling its follow-on duty, which is described here in Matthew 28:19.

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things.” What things? “The things that I commanded you.”

Jesus is telling us right here what to do, how to do it, how to go about it. So, when we consider all of this, you and I, as brethren of God’s Church have an amazing opportunity and duty to support the spreading of the gospel to the entire world today, which is deceived. Humanity is totally deceived, but the gospel is going out. Take a look at that article and read how it’s being done today through the United Church of God.

Bearing in mind, today’s increasing lawlessness we see that everywhere, and lying as we just heard, distortions, untruths, hatred, corruption, and violence. What do people need? They need to read good news. They need to hear good news about Jesus Christ and His soon-coming Kingdom, and how they have an opportunity to become a part of God’s family.

Isaiah 58:1, if you turn there. Isaiah 58:1. As a part of its mission to preach the gospel, the Church must also deliver a consistent and strong warning about the consequences of disobedience to God’s commandments. Meaning, again, the suffering and the confusion and discord that it brings to individuals and families and nations. Christ’s disciples must do this.

“Cry aloud, spare not, don’t hold anything back. Lift up your voice like a trumpet tell my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1).

That’s a commission that we have. That’s part of this mission we are to go to the world with that. So, when Christ commissioned His disciples to follow Him, you also admonish them about something very important to be wary of false teachers who would rise and circulate doctrines that Christ never taught. Jesus said in Matthew 24:4-5 I’ll just read this for you.

“Take heed, be warned that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name, many, and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5).

Has that changed today? No, no way. Let’s go to Galatians 1:6. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian congregation on this subject. And he wrote to the Corinthians as well. And the other apostles were warning about the same thing. Galatians 1:6, about this trap that they could fall into, this deception that they would run into if they were not very careful.

Galatians 1:6-8 Paul says this, “I marvel, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which was not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”

That’s a pretty strong, powerful indictment, isn’t it? So Satan’s ministers do this, they counterfeit the gospel and twist the truth. And they’ll use half-truths or whatever it is, it’s going to take to get people off the dime, get them away from the truth of the gospel. Indeed, these false teachers have filled the world with so-called Christian doctrines that Jesus, again, never, never taught. But God’s Church stands separate and apart from all of those churches, all of the world’s churches. Because you know, they do not know, they do not proclaim the true Jesus Christ or the genuine gospel of God’s Kingdom. Therefore, what should we do? We have to hold fast to the true teachings of God and continue to accomplish the mission that God has given to us.

Now, Matthew 5:14, if you’d go there. Matthew 5:14. You know, while staying true to those responsibilities of standing fast, holding fast to our true teachings and to our mission, the people of God’s Church must strive again, through the power of God’s Spirit, it’s not our power, we need to employ the power of God’s Spirit. And frankly, we should be asking God for more of His Holy Spirit that we can have the fruit of God’s Spirit every day. That should be a prayer and God listens to us and hears us. We’ve got to be doing this, we got to be examples of virtue, and uprightness, in a society filled with corruption and immorality and confusion and discord. Here in Matthew 5:14, it says this to you, to me.

“You are a light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

So, this applies to all the adults, all the teens, all the children, here or wherever on the web, throughout the entire Church we have to be that example. Therefore, we can be preaching and publishing the example so to speak, by the way, we are, the way we approach life, the way we deal with situations and ups and downs. People will say how come you’re doing that? everybody else is going crazy and you’re not? See that’s an example of a way we can preach the gospel in our own personal lives as well.

Jesus also repeatedly emphasized that His disciples needed to be filled with sincere love at all times, again through the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot do anything without the Holy Spirit, by the way, nothing. We are useless without the Holy Spirit. We have certain talents and abilities, but we need to allow God to use us in these ways. But He wants us to have love for other people, real outgoing concern. So, the mission, the purpose, the focus of God’s Church emerges clearly from the scriptures. The Bible answers the question about why Christ formed His Church. What was to be its vital mission, and why God called you into His Church today?

Therefore, His expectations of us as a body, and as individuals is very high, isn’t it? We must always be staying strongly focused on that mission and not let ourselves be taken away from that and distracted from that. And Christ is the perfect example of the one we should follow. John 3:34, I’m sorry, John 4:34, Jesus said this, I’ll just read it. He said that...it’s amazing the scripture, I think it’s so important to think about.

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and finish His work” (John 4:34).

You know, we have to have food to eat to keep us going right? That was the food that he had, the spiritual food to do the work that His Father gave Him to do. Since He thought that way and since we are admonished to follow His lead, what are ways that we can do this? What are ways that we can make the spreading of the gospel our mission, in other words, our sustenance? First, we can pray regularly for the media work of the Church, and preaching, and broadcasting, and publishing the gospel.

This would include the efforts of the home office personnel, who work very hard here, by the way. And the operations directors, and senior pastors who equally work hard and maybe even harder, because of all the obstacles that they have to face out there. And their assistance in the regional areas throughout the world.

And additionally, we can pray for the people of this corrupted world, this deluded society who are ensnared in spiritual ignorance so that they can hear and respond to God’s message of His coming Kingdom. Also, we can pray for the many people who God is calling out of the world right now. He says I’m calling many, many are called few are chosen. Few, in other words, respond, go on with the little bit of knowledge that they’re given. But he’s calling many, He says, today.

You should pray that God would protect them from Satan’s influence as they learn about the truth of God. Satan is so deceptive, he’s so tricky. He puts distractions up in front of people to get them to walk away from the things that they see. And they see something “Boy, I’ve never heard that before.”

So, they’ve got something to do, they’ve got to unlearn what they’ve been taught, and they’ve got to learn the true way. So, it’s a difficult process and Satan knows if he can get them when they’re young, when they’re young in knowledge and understanding he can knock them out. So, we have to pray for those people that God is calling right now. In this regard, Ephesians 2:2 says that...you don’t need to turn here.

Ephesians 2:2 Says, “You and I,” it says here “Once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, but God rescued us.”

He rescued us from that condition. How and why? He did it out of love. And He called, He sent a call out and we responded to Him. So, He wants us to have that same love for others who are out there in the world, we don’t know who they are. But we know the Word is going out and a lot of people are responding. Take a look again at that article I think you’ll be interested to see the numbers of people that are responding in some way to our TV programs and the other things that we’re doing today.

So, when we consider how our rescue came about, we can think about others in the Church in decades past, who cared enough not only to support the Church’s work through their tithes and offerings, but who prayed for us to be freed from Satan’s grip, even though they had never met us.

And I remember I was listening to the “World Tomorrow” radio program in Milwaukee on WISN radio at 11:30 at night, there is Mr. Armstrong preaching the gospel. And somebody paid to put that radio program on long ago members, many who have died since. And I got many booklets. I got the “Plain Truth Magazine” at the time, who paid for that? Members of the Church who not only paid their tithes and offerings, but prayed that first people like me, and you could come into the knowledge of the truth.

So, we ought to have that same feeling and that love toward others, even though we don’t know them, but we know the gospel is going out, that’s the thing. So, when we think about all this, we have again, that opportunity to return the favor, you might say for those who did it for us. Those who God is calling right now to join us and be a part of it.

We don’t know, it’s their choice what they do, but maybe we could appeal to God and say, Father, these people need to hear this God, stay Satan’s hand for a little bit. We could pray those prayers, can’t we? That’d be wonderful. So, we can pray that they can be freed from this corrupted world and experience the same joy that you and I have. And like us anticipate a fantastic future in God’s divine family.

So as we enjoy, you know, the fellowship, and the social life here in our local congregation and we pray for each other, you know, we do that. We’re very good about praying for those who are sick and afflicted. Also, we could pray diligently for those in the world who God is calling right now because they need this help. They need our prayers, as they attempt to learn the ways of God because the devil will do everything he can to put obstacles in their paths and place doubt in their minds.

Then what else can we do? We can thank God for the thousands of the Church’s coworkers and donors, asking God to bless them. You know, we have more coworkers and donors than we have members tithing today? We could pray for them, and thank them in God’s presence for them, and that God would bless them for what they’re doing and guide them and help them as much as possible.

Plus, we can do this, we can pray that God would add more dedicated men and wives to serve in the ministry. Since as Jesus told his disciples that the harvest is truly great, but the laborers are few. Therefore, He says what? He says pray, there’s a command there, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

You know, we just heard at the GCE that the next three years, about 20 pastors are going to be retiring. We need to replace them. It’s too hard to give pastors three churches and then four, maybe five. I mean, we’re going to wear these guys out, you know. So, we need more men, I mean young men, perhaps old men. I mean, God knows who is who. This is a sacrifice, it’s not easy to do this, you don’t make a lot of money in doing it. But think about how we can serve all those people that God is calling today.

So, in all these areas again and more we can employ our divine calling, you and I have been called, to fully backup the spreading of God’s glad tidings to this confused and hurting world. While we certainly must be very conscientious about our own personal spiritual growth and development, you know, we got to make it all the way to the end. So we got to be, you know, very cognizant about our own spiritual growth, we got to do that.

We also must keenly be attentive to our number one priority which is to support the preaching of the gospel. Now, we can’t allow ourselves to be distracted by worldly politics and philosophies and conspiracy theories and all these things that are floating around out there today. And all the fear that’s been cast about on the media today. No, we shouldn’t be distracted by all that. We got to keep focused and live by faith, and God and His promises while staying strongly keen, and focused again on our great mission, the mission to preach the gospel. And considering all this, in the May 1974 issue of “The Good News Magazine,” former Worldwide Church of God Pastor Herbert W. Armstrong, wrote an article, he entitled it, “Why Did God Put You Into His Church?” In part, he stated...it was a long article, I just like to quote a short section from it.

He said, “You brethren, are a chosen generation, yes, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, specifically chosen for a very special commission. That is why God called you now instead of later in the millennium.”

He could have done that, but He called you now, for good reason because He wants you to help with this responsibility to get the gospel to the world. He goes on he says...he goes on

“Those who try to simply get their salvation are in danger of losing it. God’s work is a work of giving, giving the gospel of the Kingdom of God. In 40 years I observed...” he goes on “That only those whose hearts are in this great work, are themselves growing spiritually.”

Mr. Armstrong’s words written nearly 50 years ago are certainly applicable today, as they were then. They drive straight to the point that we have an outwardly focused commission to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and the coming Kingdom of God. That’s our job to go out to the world. He said, go out and do this. That’s our job, that’s what we’re supposed to be doing. So, when that is our primary emphasis of our lives, we will be better able to grow in righteous character in preparation to enter God’s divine family because we’re doing what He asked us to do. And He’s very pleased when we follow His commands isn’t that right?

So, let us back up the Church’s efforts to reach out to others in this dark and gloomy world and offer them the very precious knowledge that we are privileged to know. We want to share that with everybody. The Father has given us this opportunity, He’s given us this honor to be His human instruments in carrying out this magnificent objective. And as Mr. Armstrong also stated, you know, our hearts have to be in this. Can’t be just well, I’ll just get to that tomorrow. No, it’s got to be now, right now. Our hearts have to be in this, we have to be singularly focused on helping other people, reaching out in love toward people in this world who God is calling.

So, to do this, we need to be aware of what’s taking place in the Church in terms of preaching and publishing the gospel. And to help us do this, there’s been a new feature added to the Ministerial and Member eNews entitled “Pray for the Free Course of the Gospel.” In fact, Mr. Myers read from that today, and it’s something that has been ongoing since September. And it provides updates on the media work in the United States. In fact, just recently, Scott actually mentioned if you might have heard this that we’re having trouble getting enough paper to print the “Beyond Today Magazine” ever think of that? So, there is something we definitely can be praying about and all the other things that we can pray about.

So, this information is also in “The United News.” We published two articles in the last...it’s not the current, the new one that just came up but the two before that. There’s information listed compiling all these things we’ve written since September in those articles. So, you might want to go back. If you want to have a list of things to pray about just go back and look at that and, you know, take a few out each day and ask God about it.

So, you know, regarding prayer, the apostle Paul consistently asked the brethren of his day to pray for him and the work of the gospel. For instance, he wrote, and I’ll just read this in Romans 15:30, this from the New American Standard Version.

He said, “Now, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Romans 15:30).

Strive together, put your heart into it because I need your help he’s saying here.

2 Thessalonians 3:1 he wrote, “Brethren, pray for us that the Word of the Lord may run swiftly, and be glorified just as it is with you.”

He’s talking to the brethren. He’s saying, you brethren know this, you understand this. But we want it to other people, we want it to run swiftly so others can hear the same thing that you know. That’s what he’s saying, basically. So, while praying for the preaching of the gospel was obviously vitally in Paul’s day and he encouraged the brethren to pray for him, it’s enormously important in our day. Think about how great of a job we have to reach the world with the gospel message.

The Bible tells us that God loves to hear the prayers of His people. For example, Jeremiah wrote this, he said, “Then you will call upon me, and go and pray to me and I will listen to you.” You pray, He listens. Other scriptures, I’ll leave them if you’re taking notes, you can write down Psalm 34:15; 1 John 5:14; and James 5:6. These are just more scriptures that talk about how God hears our prayers.

So, we’ve got a big job, don’t we? To go to God and ask Him. We’ve got a lot of things on our plates today in the Church of God, to pray about, but God will hear us, and He wants to hear from us. It’s like your children, children they have a request from you, you’re going to be right there, especially little tiny toddlers, you know, you’re going to help them. God looks upon us as His children, He’ll do the same for us.

Finally, people in every nation today need to know that there is something significantly better beyond today’s confused hopeless world. They’re looking at the world it’s a crazy mess out there, they don’t understand what’s happening, they don’t know why they’re alive. They don’t know a lot of things anymore because they can’t trust anybody, can’t trust the institutions anymore, can’t trust the media. They need to hear some good news. They need to discover that they can also personally enter God’s spiritual Kingdom to serve with Jesus Christ in His coming, magnificent government.

So, as we individually grow in grace and knowledge and character, again, that’s so important for all of us to do that. As we’re preparing to be Spirit-born members of God’s divine family, let’s also strive to have the same love for people in this chaotic, upset world as God does. We need to ask God to help me to have the same love for others that You have for me.

We can pray especially for those God is calling right now that they may escape Satan’s grip and come to the knowledge of the truth. The Word is getting out and they’re seeing something there that’s really interesting, something they hadn’t thought about. We ought to ask God to stay Satan’s hand that they can learn more about that so they can advance in knowledge, they can get stronger.

And lastly, let’s be zealously mindful about our first and foremost mission which is to support the preaching of the gospel of God’s Kingdom and helping to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Indeed, this is the very reason He called you and me into His Church today. Therefore, let’s do all we can to live worthy of our calling.