Read Matthew 24
Matthew 24:14. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come." This verse is a promise. It's not even a command. So, we see the command later in Matthew. Go make disciples of all nations. That's not what this is. This is a promise that that is going to happen. That the gospel is going to go throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations and then the end will come. Now, there's a lot of debate around what does that mean? Then the end will come. My purpose in these couple minutes is not to dive in to that debate, but to cause us to realize that no matter where you land on debate about how this or that works in the end, we know where it's all headed. Revelation five, Revelation seven made clear that there's coming a day when people from every nation, tribe, and tongue are going to gather around the throne of God and sing praises to Him.
This gospel of the kingdom will have been proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations and the end will have come. So, what do we pray now? Well, we pray God bring that about. Bring about the fulfillment of that promise. I think about today. As far as we know, as best as we know right now, there are still over 6,000 people groups, ethnic groups, nations in that sense in the world today who have little to know knowledge of the gospel. Now, people say, "Well, are you saying then that Jesus couldn't come back tomorrow because not all these nations have been reached yet?" No. That's not what I'm saying at all. This is our best estimate at people groups and how the gospel has gone into the world and what still remains when it comes to the great commission for that to be accomplished. So, we're driven then.
We're driven then to pray. God, take the gospel to the nations. Use us to do it. Use us to bring about the fulfillment of that promise. Praying today for the Southern people in China. So, this is a people group that's unreached right now. About 50,000 of them. They estimate maybe a couple of Christians among them, but most of the people in the community of China have little to no knowledge of the gospel. Here's a promise from Matthew 24 that says this gospel is going to be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations including the people. So, let's pray for that to happen. That people among thousands of other people groups and then let's pray. God, use our lives and use our churches to bring about fulfillment of this promise.
So, let's pray that now. God, we know You are worthy of the worship of all nations. Jesus, You have purchased, Revelation chapter five, people for God from every nation, tribe, and tongue. You have promised that all the peoples of the world will hear this gospel so we pray, oh God, bring it about. Lord, we pray for the salvation of the southern people in China. Bring about their salvation and dozens of other people groups like them. Today, God, cause more people who have never heard the gospel among the nations to hear it and use our lives, use our resources, use our churches to bring that about we pray. God, help us not to rest in a sense in our praying, in our giving, in our going and sending from our churches until this promise is fulfilled and we trust it will be fulfilled one day.
We're looking forward to that day. So, we pray hasten the coming of that day. Use our lives, our churches to hasten the coming of that day. We praise You for Your promise that this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations. So, use our lives we pray to bring about the fulfillment of that promise. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
The Pray the Word podcast is used with permission from Radical. For more from Pray the Word, visit radical.net.