What are the things we should be doing as Christians while we are on this earth now? Here are some of the common answers I have heard when asking this question:

• Prayer/Intercession
• Worship
• Fellowship
• Evangelism/Missions
• Bible Study
• Becoming more Christ-like

Now which of these things could be better done when we are in heaven?

• Prayer/Intercession – Imagine being in the presence of Christ, able to talk face to face.
• Worship – We’ll be doing that for all eternity with billions of others.
• Fellowship – There will be no conflict in heaven! The bride of Christ will be in complete unity and intimacy.
• Bible Study – We won’t need to study God’s word as we’ll know it and Him completely.
• Becoming more Christ-like – No need for self improvement in heaven!

What is left? There is only one thing that can only be done while we are still here on earth: the Great Commission! If this does not reveal our true, core purpose while we are still on this earth, I don’t know what will. While worship, prayer and all the other things we should be doing are good and important, those should be secondary to the church’s primary purpose right now, to reach the lost for Christ, building His kingdom! Lets look at our lives and ministry and ask God to help us reorder our priorities to match His.

Is it really a coincidence that the task of the Great Commission/evangelism is the most neglected task of all by Christians? It is the one thing with lasting importance, and the Devil is doing everything he can to distract the church from it to delay the return of Christ. More than 50,000 people are dying every day who have never even heard the name of Jesus. It is high time we return to our true purpose.

“A tiny group of believers who have the gospel keep mumbling it over and over to themselves. Meanwhile, millions who have never heard it once fall into the flames of eternal hell without ever hearing the salvation story.”
– K.P. Yohannan

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14 (New King James Version)