This video from the Great Commission Council speaks about the importance of correctly interpreting Matthew 24:14 for global missions. This verse in context is a promise of the unstoppable gospel of the kingdom, not a call to try to speed up Christ’s return by discovering and implementing new and rapid methodologies.
Are the coming of Christ and the gospel’s preaching to all the nations connected? Yes, but we need to be careful how we understand that connection. My kids want to use this verse to say that it’s not really possible that Jesus could come back tomorrow. But given Jesus’ parables, we know that we must be ready for Jesus to could return at any point and we must be ready for his return to be much delayed. See the series How to Wait for Jesus by Don Carson.
Some missionaries want to use this verse to emphasize speed over depth when it comes to global church planting. But God’s work must be done in God’s way, even if the data and research don’t seem to show that we are making enough impact. Like this definition video says, the promise of Matthew 24:14 helps us to keep trusting that faithful work will somehow result in the fulfillment of this promise, even if we can’t yet see how that is possible. Such is the nature of the kingdom.
A small motley crew of Jewish fishermen, zealots, and tax collectors preaching an offensive message couldn’t possibly saturate the entire Roman and Persian empires within a few generations. And yet that’s exactly what happened.
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Entrusted to the Dirt 