Entrusted with the GospelAS A YOUNG MAN, Alan Redpath was a successful accountant. One day, he was talking with a Christian friend who told him, “Alan, it is possible to have a saved soul and a wasted life.” Redpath couldn't forget those words. He knew he was guilty of having a saved soul and a wasted life. He prayed, “Lord, I want your will for me. I don't want to waste my life. I dedicate it to you.” God redirected his course, and Redpath ultimately became an evangelist, pastor, author, president of a mission's organization, and dean of a Bible school. He served the Lord until the end of his life.
Now, that is not necessarily to say that if we really want to serve the Lord, we must be pastors or missionaries. God may not have called you to do that. But He has called us all to do something. And He has graciously put spiritual gifts in our lives to be used for His glory. The Bible reminds us, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us ...” (Romans 12:5 -6 NKJV, emphasis mine).
If you were asked today what the main purpose of your life is, what would you say? The Bible teaches that we were put on this earth to bring glory to God. Jesus gave a parable in Luke 19 that illustrates this principle. He told the story of a nobleman who was preparing to go to a far country to be crowned king and would then return home to rule his kingdom. He gave each of his 10 servants the same amount of money and told them, “Do business till I come” (Luke 19:13).
When he returned, he called his 10 servants together. One gave him 10 times the original amount, while another reported a gain of five times the original amount. The next servant returned the exact sum to him and actually blamed his master for his shortcoming.
This parable holds special application for us today, because it is directed to those who are awaiting the Lord's return. Just as each servant was given the same amount to invest, each of us, as believers, has been given the commission to preach the gospel (see Mark 16:15).
Each of us must ask ourselves, “How am I personally taking care of this responsibility to get the gospel out? ” While true that not every Christian is called as an evangelist, every Christian is called to personally evangelize. A great example of this was a man named Edward Kimball.
Kimball was a faithful Christian who wanted to be used by God. He was not a pastor or a missionary, but he knew that he should go and share the gospel. Kimball felt especially burdened for a young man named Dwight, who worked in a Chicago shoe store. He mustered up the courage to go and tell Dwight about Jesus. Much to Kimball's delight, he responded and gave his life to Christ. Dwight later began a preaching ministry. He became known as D.L.Moody, one of the greatest evangelists in church history.
When Moody was out preaching one day, a man named Frederick Meyer was listening. Meyer was already a Christian, but Moody's preaching motivated him to enter full-time ministry. We know him as F.B. Meyer. Kimball reached Moody, and Moody reached Meyer, but the story doesn't end there.
When Meyer was preaching, a young man named Wilbur Chapman responded and gave his life to Christ. Chapman felt called to be an evangelist. One of the young men he took under his wing was a former professional baseball player who, also wanted to preach the gospel and did so with great success. His name was Billy Sunday.
Sunday held a crusade in Charlotte, North Carolina, where many people came to faith. The people there were so thrilled that they wanted to have another crusade. Sunday wasn't available, so an evangelist named Mordecai Hamm was invited to speak. While the campaign wasn't considered as successful as the first one, a young, lanky farm boy walked down the aisle on one of the final nights. We know him as Billy Graham.
Kimball reached Moody, who touched Meyer, who reached Chapman, who helped Sunday, who reached the businessmen in Charlotte who invited Hamm, who then touched Billy Graham. Talk about a legacy. You may not be a Billy Graham, but you might be an Edward Kimball. We all have been entrusted with the gospel. We all have a part to play.
Getting back to the parable, Jesus was essentially saying, “Take this message that I have entrusted to you and get it out to others. Do My business until I return.”
It comes down to this: some people will set the world on fire, while others are still looking for a match. One day, when you stand before God, He will want to know what you did with this sacred charge of the gospel. You have been entrusted with the gospel, and He has said, “Do business until I come.” What are you going to do?
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