The Most Important Message

June 18, 2021
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A long time ago, I read a quote somewhere that I’ve never been able to find again but that I’ve never forgotten either. It was one of those lines that so penetrates you, you only have to encounter it once. The quote went something like this: “Every time you preach, do so as if the eternity of men’s souls hangs in the balance.”

I remember reading and then rereading those words, captivated by their intensity. Whoever wrote this quote wanted to stir up those who preach to remember what is at stake when we preach.

I think all Christians need the same sober statement today with respect to sharing the gospel. Every day you live, in every interaction you have with others, live and interact as if their souls hang in the balance eternally. Why? Because they do.

The gospel is the single-most important message in the history of humanity. And, it always will be. No other statement or body of information compares. There is nothing that has been learned or will be learned that is more critical to our existence than the gospel detailing the life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement of the Son of God. For what is greater than our eternal destiny? Not curing cancer. Not ending poverty. Not stopping pollution.

The gospel is so critical to life that it is the content of the Son of God’s first sermon (Mark 1:14–15). The gospel is so consequential because the gospel is the dividing line between heaven and hell.

What is at stake in the gospel is not complicated. Those who receive its message, surrendering to Jesus, will spend eternity with Him in the new heaven and earth. Those who reject the gospel are rejecting Jesus and will spend eternity separated from their Creator in the lake of fire, hell. What information could possibly be more important than the gospel?

I was sharing Jesus with a man one time who redirected our conversation to a hot-button political issue. After telling me where he stood and that he was not going to change, he pressed me on what I thought. I said, “It seems like you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this issue. I hope you’ll spend even more time thinking about what will happen to you when you die. You will be dead a lot longer than you live.”

Neil T. Anderson wrote, “We stand in the truth that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the resurrected Christ, and because we are in Christ, we share that authority in order to make disciples and set captives free.”

The gospel is the most important message you will share with anyone. You have the authority to share how God has transformed your life set you free from the bondage of sin. Who needs to hear your story and be made a disciple of God’s Son, Jesus Christ? Don’t hesitate to flex your story.

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