Does the church need a deadline?

Famous American composer, pianist, and jazz orchestra leader, Duke Ellington, once said, “Without a deadline, baby, I wouldn’t do nothing.”

Now there’s a sentiment many can relate to!

Without a deadline, formal or informal, much of what is needed to be done, or is most beneficial for us, often wouldn’t get done. At least, not in a timely way. We’re often too busy doing the things we would rather do than the things we should be doing.

Perhaps that’s a contributing factor as to why the church is so lackadaisical about it’s commission by Jesus Christ to go make disciples of the entire world — there’s no date specific for completing the task.

But there is a deadline.

Yes, the return of Jesus Christ is certainly a deadline, simply because time to complete the commission will then have run out. There’s also another “natural” deadline, and that is a certain number of people die each day; their chance to respond to the Gospel message ends with their last breath.

But we never know who will be here today and gone tomorrow, and we don’t know when Christ will return. In that case, carrying out the responsibility of making disciples of all nations becomes an urgent mission, to reach with the Gospel today who can be reached before their earthly life expires, or before the Lord returns.

Time is ticking.

Are you acting urgently to be Christ’s ambassador? Is your church urgently sharing the Gospel with your community? Or are you busy doing what you’d rather being doing while time goes by?

Scotty