God has called all believers to preach the Good News. Each one of us has been called to preach the Gospel to others. Only you can give this world the answer it’s looking for to the question: how to be delivered from the curse of sin. You are this world’s hope. The whole world is waiting for you.
For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labours with birth pangs together until now.
Romans 8:19-22
God has allowed the world to be subjected to futility. He is hoping that His children will preach the Good News of salvation. God has brought each one of you into His Church, so that you can go out to the people and say: "I am your hope".
It is written in the Bible that all the people on the earth, the whole world "groans and labours with birth pangs together until now... not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it" to this futility. No one wants to groan and suffer, but the devil has made man to be a slave to sin.
Everyone who lives without God is suffering. Yet at the same time every individual, with "earnest expectation,... eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God." (Romans 8:19). The "sons of God" are you, Christians, and the world is waiting for you to come and deliver all those who are groaning and travailling. The whole world is waiting for you. You are called to go and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News of salvation.
For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
Romans 8:19
Only the children of God possess the power that is able to destroy the evil that is in this world.
People in the world are suffering from diseases, loneliness, poverty, curses; one is hooked on alcohol and narcotics; another is suffering from an inability to utilise his talent, and as a result suffers depression, emotional pain, feelings of rejection...
Many people ask the question: "If there is a God, why does He allow people to suffer?" But without us God can not do anything, because He commissioned us, His children, to deliver mankind. Nobody can be saved unless one of us goes up to him and says: "God will answer all your questions. Jesus loves you. Come to church, turn to the Lord and you will see your life change".
People in the world do not know who it is that can really help them. They are trying to change their lives, but all their efforts are in vain. Only we, the children of God, know what a person needs to do to be released from their sufferings.
We are saved, because somebody told us about Jesus. If we had not heard the Good News, we would still be groaning and travailling in pain up until the present day. God wants each one of us to speak about the Gospel to others.
The things that have been revealed to us Christians, must be made known to our relatives, work colleagues, acquaintances, friends, neighbours, to people with family problems as well as to those who are sick and living in poverty. The suffering world is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God, who know the truth about salvation.
The cause of all sorrow and suffering is the fact that each individual is in bondage to sin and futility. Everybody has got problems, so we can boldly walk up to anybody and say: "God will solve your problems".
You are citizens of the Kingdom of God, God’s ambassadors. You are this world’s deliverers. You are not just a doctor, a teacher or a businessman. First and foremost, you are called to fulfil the Great commission of Jesus Christ, i.e. to go into the world and preach the Gospel of salvation. The whole world is waiting for you. People have not heard the Good News and as a result are suffering and dying; and all because those who should have gone to them and told them about salvation and about Jesus hadn’t yet fully realised that they had a responsibility towards those people and their destinies!
Therefore, no matter where you go, even before you mention your own name, make a point of saying that you are a believer, a Christian. Right from the start make it clear who you are in the spiritual world.
When I travel to another city or country, I always take our church newsletter with me, so when they ask me: "Show me your passport", I show my passport, but then also give them the newsletter and say: "I am a pastor". I know that people may forget me, Sunday, but the Jesus, who is in me, they will most certainly remember. I am not ashamed to walk up to a person and say: "I am a Christian believer, may I give you a blessing? I am a Christian, I want to invite you to come to church. Can I pray for you?" – because I know that the whole world is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God; and the whole world is wanting to be released from "the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." (Romans 8:21).
Only God can deliver people from the curse of sin, from bondage to futility or whatever else it is that causes suffering. This is why God heals the sick, when they come to the church and delivers them from alcoholism and drug addiction.
People need this freedom, this freedom that only we Christians have. Each one of us can testify how, when we turned to God and accepted Christ, we were set free from spiritual bondage. And this freedom that each one of us has is something that everyone who is in captivity to sin would like to have.
The world is waiting to be released "into the glorious liberty of the children of God". We have been redeemed from sin by the blood of Jesus Christ, we accepted Him into our hearts and now we have been restored to the position that man once had before the fall in the garden of Eden. The glory of God goes with us everywhere, and we have to release that glory for the world. We no longer have feelings or rejection, fear or of hopelessness; all the great promises of God belong to us. We have been called to restore to the world the glory of our great God.
The whole world is waiting for us. God reconciled the world to Himself – he gave His own Son to be a sacrifice. Jesus came to this earth to fulfil the will of His Father, who had sent Him, and now we too must carry out the command that Jesus gave to His disciples.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:19,20
When it says in the Epistle to the Romans 8:19, that the world is waiting for the "revealing of the sons of God", the world is not simply waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. The world is waiting to see and receive the “revelation of the sons of God” that Jesus has given to each one of us as the sons of God.
Jesus has revealed God the Father to us – this is the first part of that revelation. We receive this part when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, when we confess our sins, when we are baptised by the Spirit of God and become heirs of the Kingdom of God, i.e. become the children of God.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:26
The second part of that revelation is that God is in us.
On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
John 14:20
For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be My people.
2 Corinthians 6:16
After your conversion you will study the Bible, attend church services, listen to the Word of God, meditate over God’s Word, pray and do all you can to get to know the personality of God. That way His qualities will become your qualities and His character will become your character. The more you get to know God, the more you will begin to change. The things God reveals to you from the Word will change the very fabric of your inner nature and will cause Jesus, His love and His character to be revealed in you.
The third part is that the life of Jesus Christ will be made manifest to others through us.
For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
2 Corinthians 4:11
The second and the third parts are interrelated. The more you get to know God, the more you will change. But you get to know God not only so that you can be changed. To the degree that God manifests Himself to you, to the same degree you will be required to tell other people about Him.
Remember, Jesus appeared first of all to His disciples and they realised that He was the Messiah. They were saved. Jesus had revealed God the Father to them.
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Matthew 16:15,16
After this, Jesus taught them over a period of three years, and then "He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two" (Mark 6:7), and "they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them." (Mark 6:12,13). This was the life of Jesus being manifested in His disciples. These manifestations are given now to each one of you, so that, just as Jesus fulfilled the will of His Father, you too can fulfil the Great Commission that Jesus has entrusted to us:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:19,20
The world will not be delivered from the curse of sin, or from all its troubles and from its bondage to futility, if we do not go out and preach the Gospel. We are called to set the world free. People will continue to live in darkness, until someone goes and tells them about salvation, prays for them and invites them to come to church; until someone who has had a revelation of the truth of God goes up to them and sets them free. The whole world is waiting for us to come.
I very much want you to get your priorities right in life. First and foremost, you are children of God, called to show the world the revelation you have been given concerning God, Jesus Christ and salvation. You are God’s representatives, you are ambassadors of Jesus Christ regardless of where you are – whether at work, in the family, at school or at university... God has chosen you and entrusted you with other people’s destinies – remember this.
The future of the world depends on you. You are a chosen generation, you are kings and judges on this earth, called by God to save all mankind. The whole world is waiting you. The key for this world’s deliverance has been placed in your hands.
