Getting Off Our Island — E.A. Johnston

The Great Commission and the Church’s Mission

Whenever the church fails to carry out the mandate of the Great Commission and proactively storm the gates of hell, then a vacuum is created. A healthy church advances the gospel to the ends of the earth and makes disciples.

Holiness, Prayer, and the Danger of Isolation

Its members exude vital Christianity through lives of surrender and holiness. Passionate, prevailing prayer is the heartbeat of a healthy church. However, when the church becomes like the world and begins to build upon its own foundations to further its own agenda, it becomes an island unto itself, interested in preservation of self rather than surrendering to the clear commands of Christ to bring the gospel to the nations and to make disciples.

In many cities around the world today, the churches within their communities are visible in name only. There is little influence made upon the society in which they live. We have shifted from the standard of the early church, which was a go-and-tell street gospel proclaimed on street corners and from house to house to a come-and-hear version stagnated inside our beautiful buildings.

Mark 16 and the Call to Proclaim the Gospel

But if you'll break out your Bible, friends, and look in Mark's gospel in chapter 16 and verse 20, you will see that after the disciples walked in awe as Jesus ascended back into heaven, the text reads in Mark, I don't believe, friends, that God is vindicating his preached word like he once did because, number one, we preach a different gospel today, and, secondly, we expect folks just to wander into our church on Sunday rather than going out into the community after them.

Evangelism Through Personal Engagement

I witnessed a man in a fast food drive-thru yesterday, and I saw interest in the gospel. There would be more interest in the gospel if we would do like the early church and go forth and preach everywhere.

Warning the Lost and Calling for Repentance

If we could go back to the go-and-tell gospel instead of a come-and-hear one, maybe, just maybe, some old sinners in our town would get saved if we'd go out to the lost within our community and warn men and women and boys and girls of a future judgment that awaits all mankind and inform them of their duty of repentance.

The Vindication of the Word Through Conversions

Maybe God would be pleased to vindicate his word amongst us once again, and we'd have somebody tugging on our shirt sleeve with a tear in their eye and a broken voice saying, Oh, what must I do to be saved?