If ...
... we can say the Apostles fulfilled Matt 24:14 in their day.
24:14 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.(NKJ)
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!â€Â
Paul correctly observes that it all goes back to the preaching of the gospel... and preachers must be sent ~ both by God and the Christian community. When we think about it, God could have chosen any means for the message of salvation to come, such as angelic messengers or directly working ~without a human preacher. BUT He did not~ he chose one dominant way of bringing people to Jesus Christ~
through the preaching of the gospel. :yes
The feet speak of activity, motion, and progress, and those who are active and moving in the work of preaching the gospel have beautiful feet!
Parousia, you have solid knowledge of the word... don't tell me that you have never witnessed to an unsaved person and told them how they may be saved who asked you for the reason you are hoping?
Then why would Paul through the scripture continue to exhort the Christians in Rome, AFTER Matthews gospel was written to preach the gospel? What about all the epistles... and the book of Revelation? Many many times the church is commanded to preach the gospel~ It is the great commission spoken of in Matthew 28?
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus' command commissioning them and us today, is given because of His authority. This indicates that this is an authoritative command, not a suggestion. . .
It is the same idea as if an officer reminded a private of his rank before he gave the order.
Because Jesus has this authority, we are therefore commanded to go. It is His authority that sends us, His authority that guides us, and His authority that empowers us.
The command is to make disciples, not merely converts or supporters of a cause. The idea behind the word disciple is of a learner, or a student.
Of all the nations... In His previous ministry, Jesus deliberately restricted His work to the Jewish people (Matthew 15:24) and previously sent His disciples with the same restriction (Matthew 10:6).
Only on rare exceptions did Jesus minister among the Gentiles (Matthew 15:21-28).
Now all of that is in the past, and the disciples are commissioned to take the gospel to all the nations. There is no place on earth where the gospel of Jesus should not be preached, and were disciples should not be made.
All the world still includes us, we are part of that world that needed top hear the gospel, so the preaching MUST go on jsut as Jesus commanded it to be preached to all the world.
How else can anyone recieve their salvation unless the gospel is preached... in every generation of the world?
They Can't. The Gospel is everlasting. It can never cease in it's function of calling sinners to salvation.
In Matthew 23:13 the word gospel means the following:
gospel = euaggelion in Greek; From Vine's expository dictionary...
Gospel (Noun and Verb: to Preach):
originally denoted a reward for good tidings; later, the idea of reward dropped, and the word stood for "the good news" itself. The Eng. word "gospel," i.e. "good message," is the equivalent of euangelion (Eng., "evangel"). In the NT it denotes the "good tidings" of the Kingdom of God and of salvation through Christ, to be received by faith, on the basis of His expiatory death, His burial, resurrection, and ascension, e.g., Act 15:7; 20:24; 1Pe 4:17. Apart from those references and those in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, and Rev 14:6, the noun is confined to Paul's Epistles. The Apostle uses it of two associated yet distinct things,
(a) of the basic facts of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, e.g., 1Cr 15:1-3;
(b) of the interpretation of these facts, e.g., Rom 2:16; Gal 1:7, 11; 2:2; in (a) the "Gospel" is viewed historically, in (b) doctrinally, with reference to the interpretation of the facts, as is sometimes indicated by the context.
The following expressions are used in connection with the "Gospel:"
(1) kerusso, "to preach it as a herald," e.g., Mat 4:23; Gal 2:2
(2) laleo, "to speak," 1Th 2:2
(3) diamarturomai, "to testify (thoroughly)," Act 20:24;
(4) euangelizo, "to preach," e.g., 1Cr 15:1; 2Cr 11:7; Gal 1:11 (see B, No. 1 below);
(5) katangello, "to proclaim," 1Cr 9:14
(6) pleroo, "to preach fully," Rom 15:19
Nothing in the bible that I have ever seen or read says otherwise... we are commanded to preach it, to be heralds of the good news to testify of its saving power, to proclaim liberty to the captives as our lord Jesus Christ did. May we preach his gospel fully! For when we do we are promised a reward. :D Why else would any person AFTER they are redeemed be left here on earth? For what other purpose do we remain and suffer, filling up the sufferings of Christ?
How else may we glorify God? :nod
Do you REALLY think that the last 2000 years the church has mis-interpreted the scriptures? That godly men greater than you or I in Christ mis-understood what
you now know?
that they have been preaching the gospel in pulpits for centuries in error? And women and men and children have lost their lives for the sake of the preaching of the gospel in vain? No~ certainly you cannot think that.
I pray not. bonnie