LESSON 46 MISSIONS: MORE URGENT NOW THAN EVER (Part 1) MEMORY VERSE:“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” Matthew 24:14. BIBLE PASSAGE: Luke 4:17-21

INTRODUCTION The Great Commission tells us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mk. 16:15). This has been the privilege of every believer throughout the history of the church (2Cor. 5:18). While “missions” is a vital and important assignment given by God to every believer, this key to world evangelization seems to have been lost by the church. Hence, “missions” has become more urgent today, than it has ever been and the question is how relevant is it to you?

OUTLINES 1. THE URGENT MISSION 2. ERRORS ASSOCIATED WITH MISSIONS

THE URGENT MISSION The word ‘urgent’ means compelling or requiring immediate action or attention. It is about ‘now’ (2Cor. 6:2). Jesus from the start of His ministry to the end of it never stopped to rest (Jn. 4:34; 9:4). The urgent mission is salvation for the lost, today (2Cor. 6:2). David recognized the urgency in God’s mission (1Sam. 21:8). Opportunity for missions is time-bound (Neh. 2:6; Ps. 90:12). Life itself is short (Jam. 4:14). The harvest season is brief (Jer. 8:20 Jn. 4:35). An eternity of punishment will be too much to bear, yet hell is unsatisfied (Isa. 5:14). The urgent task before the church today is evangelism (Matt. 24:14; Luke 10:2).

ERRORS ASSOCIATED WITH MISSIONS Urgent does not imply ‘anyhow’ or ‘whatever’. One error associated with missions is that in haste, many have embarked on the Great Commission wrongly resulting in “Great Omission”. This implies failure even if we complete the tasks. It is an error to think that we can make disciples without first having converts (Matt 4:19; 28:19-20). Discipleship that is not centred on soul winning is incomplete (Rom. 10:13-15). True and complete missions outreach involves a good mix of evangelism and discipleship (Matt. 28:19-20).

CONCLUSION “Missions” is more urgent today than before CONCLUSION “Missions” is more urgent today than before. At the same time, there is the need to do the right thing the right way. We must recover a scriptural sense of urgency for God to be truly glorified..

QUESTIONS 1. Mention the three types of lost souls. 2 QUESTIONS 1. Mention the three types of lost souls. 2. How does the trinity respond to the lost souls?