Greatest Assignment

By Jeff W. Crook

Published: June 19, 2008

Jesus Christ answered this before He ascended to Heaven in His Resurrected body. Listen again to His Words:

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8

Someone has said, "If a man has a soul (and he does), and if that soul can be saved or lost for eternity (and it can), then the most important assignment of the church is to introduce every person we meet to Jesus Christ." How serious is the church in fulfilling this assignment? It's been estimated that 95% of all professing Christians have never led a soul to Jesus Christ. Jesus said we are to "Go and Tell". There's no wiggle room in this assignment...it's a mandate form our Lord and Master. The story is told of a boy taking his broken toy to his Father to fix it. The Father asked, "Son, what's the matter with it?" The little boy replied, "Dad, I think the go is broke." This seems to be the problem in today's churches - Their "Go" is broke.

We need to live with a sense of urgency. Jesus ministered with urgency, listen to His words: "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work." (John 9:4). It's time right now...time to tell others, time to care about the souls of those around us. When missionary Hudson Taylor established his China Inland Mission, he told a group of Scottish ministers of an experience he had had while traveling from Shanghai to Ning-po aboard a Chinese boat. Among his fellow passengers was a Chinese man by the name of Peter who had been educated in England. Hudson acquainted him with the teachings of Christ, but Peter hesitated to make a personal commitment to Christ.

One day as the boat approached a particular city, Hudson was in his cabin when he heard a splash followed by a cry of alarm. A man had fallen overboard. Rushing to the deck, he didn't see his new friend Peter.

"He went down over there", said the captain of the boat, showing no signs of alarm. Hudson jumped into the water and began swimming toward the site, but he couldn't locate Peter. Just then he spotted some nearby fisherman with a dragnet.

"Come!" Hudson cried to them. "Come and drag over here. A man is drowning!"
"Vah bin", the fishermen replied. "It is not convenient."
"Come quickly, or it will be too late", Hudson pleaded.
"We are busy fishing."
"Never mind your fishing. Come at once and I will pay you well."
"How much will you give us?" the fishermen wanted to know.
"Five dollars. But hurry."
"Too little!" they called back. "We won't come for less than thirty."
"I don't have that much with me, but I'll give you all I have."

They finally brought their net over, and the first time they passed it through the water they dragged up the missing man. But it was too late. Peter was dead.

Having told that story, Hudson looked at his audience and said, "We condemn those heathen fishermen. We say they are guilty of the man's death-because they could easily have saved him, and did not do it. But what of the millions whom we leave to perish... eternally? What of the plain command, ‘Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature?'"

Originally posted by Jeff Crook on March 27, 2008. Jeff Crook is Senior Pastor of Blackshear Place Baptist Church and is a Broadcast Partner of 316 Networks.