Towards the end of 2004 we heard a prophetic message received by Oral Roberts concerning the need for the Church to wake-up and get ready and prepared for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Here is what we believe was the most challenging and sobering part of the Lord's message to His Church. Let us hear and, most importantly, respond to the word of the Lord in whatever way it applies to us.

"Remember, I said in my Bible to My disciples 2000 years ago, Go into all the world and teach all nations and when that teaching has reached the nations, then will the end come" [see Matthew 28:19 & Matthew 24:14]. And then He [God] startled me. "With all the widespread church in the world...there is a wasting of My power. There is a failure to grasp the end time. They're coming to church on a Sunday morning mostly for themselves and the preachers, for the most part, are not really concerned for the nations of the earth. They're concerned about the little group that is there and they sing their songs and they get up and preach..."

[God said] "the thing that is breaking My heart is that I commanded My people, I commanded My Church to preach the gospel in all the world and to teach all nations, and while there are evangelists, and pastors, and prophets and apostles, and all kinds of My workers in all parts of the world, and in some of the nations of the earth, it is just a drop in the bucket to what I commanded My disciples to do. And I love people so much. I can't afford to let people go on as they are..."

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Two thousand years have passed since Jesus gave his disciples his parting command recorded in Acts 1:8,

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, then in all Judea and Samaria, then to the end of the earth.”

Did you spot the deliberate mistake? Maybe not, as it is only a subtle change but one that for hundreds of years has influenced the thinking of churches to the present day. The change of one small word can radically alter our understanding and practice of mission...the substitution of the word ‘and’ for the word ‘then’.

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In his book, 'Eternity in their Hearts', Don Richardson writes:

"Hundreds of millions of Christians think that Luke's Acts of the Apostles records the 12 apostles' obedience to the Great Commission. Actually, it records their reluctance to obey it."₁

These are strong words indeed, but a close study of the book of Acts will reveal this to be the case. Prior to His ascension, Jesus commissioned His disciples to continue His ministry on earth. The four gospel writers all record slightly differently Jesus' parting command - generally referred to as the 'Great Commission'.

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As Christians we all love God's blessings. We like to read about them in our favourite Bible passages, sing and talk about them, and especially receive them!

BRING ON THE BLESSINGS!
That's great! God has always wanted to bless His people. At the very beginning, God prepared a wonderful planet for mankind to live on with everything in it for them to enjoy. We can read about God's blessing on Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3:

"Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

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NEGATIVE CONNOTATIONS
MISSIONS IS A LOADED WORD. Amongst Christians, the mention of 'world mission' can conjure up some negative connotations. Maybe guilt. Sacrifice. Long slide shows of people in far away places. Money appeals. The fearful expectation that God may tell you to go somewhere you have always dreaded. Living in primitive conditions. Strange food. What older, unmarried women get involved in. At least, an optional extra for over-zealous Christians or for a particular brand of Christian. Whatever images come to mind, the truth is that world mission is central to the whole of Scripture and the heartbeat of God. Sadly, many Christians read their Bibles with a very narrow mindset and perspective. The Scriptures and promises are only applied to themselves and their own circumstances. Similarly, churches often view mission in terms of their own locality.

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