The Blessings of Preaching

I believe everyone in Zion knows well how important the mission of preaching is and how great the blessings are. What would happen to the world if there were no people who were called and sent by God?

There is a book titled Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis by Rowan Jacobsen, an American author. The title itself is very meaningful and thought-provoking. The mission of evangelists in the spiritual world is similar to the role of honeybees that make this earth fruitful. Without gospel preachers, the world would be a place where nobody could expect the fruit of salvation. Let’s think about what a great blessing it is to have God-given authority to save the world.

The ecosystem without honeybees and the spiritual world without evangelists

We see a variety of fruits in the mountains and fields, but they cannot be brought forth by themselves. Most of them are the fruits borne thanks to the honeybees that fly deep into the mountains and the remote fields to carry pollen. Even such small insects fly busily from flower to flower, helping fruits and crops ripen, in compliance with God’s command.

Even though honeybees are such little creatures, they are so precious to fruit-bearing plants and to food-eating animals as well. If honeybees disappear from the earth, the fruit plants and seeds will become extinct one after another and it will greatly affect the ecosystem. Over 60% of the total food crops all over the world produce fruits as a result of being pollinated by honeybees. So, if the honeybees disappear, the plant ecosystem will be destroyed, which can have a severe impact on the earth’s ecosystem as a whole, resulting in the destruction of herbivores, carnivores, and even human beings. That’s why Albert Einstein said, “If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live.”

Just as the author warned that there would be a fruitless autumn in a world without honeybees, the future of mankind will become gloomy without gospel preachers.

. . . “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Ro 10:13–15

Faith comes from hearing the message. How can people hear the gospel of the new covenant without someone preaching to them? How can they believe in Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother if they have not heard about Them. Telling them the good news of salvation and helping them recognize the Savior and believe in Him—this is what we must do as those who have received the new covenant earlier and keep it in our hearts.

God has entrusted the mission of preaching to His people who will be saved. In obedience to God’s holy command, we must perform the role of spiritual honeybees.

Without someone delivering the light of truth, this earth will be a chaotic place where there is only complete darkness. God, who is the true light, has commanded His children to “arise, shine!” (Isa 60:1–4). For the bright future of mankind, there should be gospel preachers who carry out their mission faithfully.

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season

Let us preach the gospel to many people around us so that their souls can be saved, not just leaving them alone. We need to take pride in our role and participate in the gospel work that pleases God, making disciples of all nations as evangelists.

The blessings of preaching are not given to everyone. God has entrusted the mission of preaching the gospel only to those whom He approves.

For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 1 Th 2:3–4

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Ti 4:1–5

We cannot achieve salvation without doing anything. Unless we work hard to bear spiritual fruits, the world will gradually drift away from salvation. God earnestly wants all people to be saved. That’s why He has told us to preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season, as evangelists.

Like the honeybees that travel all over the country to pollinate plants so that they can bear fruits, let us preach God’s word diligently. We should bear spiritual fruits by praying earnestly for the souls of those who have not yet heard God’s word and by providing them with the words of truth diligently. Only then can we offer the precious firstfruits—the redeemed from the earth—to God (Rev 14:4–5; Isa 66:20).

Give them warning from Me

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Mt 28:18–20

Jesus proclaimed that He had all authority in heaven and on earth, and then He said, “Make disciples of all nations.” Preaching is something that God has commanded us to do; it is the execution of our God-given authority on all people.

Preaching is the great task of executing God’s authority on His behalf. It is not something we can choose to do or not to do; if we do not preach the gospel, all seven billion people will be in danger.

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you account-able for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.” Eze 3:17–19

“Give them warning from me.” Considering these words, we can see that we go to all nations as the gospel prophets with God’s authority on His behalf. When we go and preach the gospel, those who accept it will be saved, but those who do not believe will be condemned.

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mk 16:15–16

Let us preach the good news of salvation to many people who are still waiting for salvation, not neglecting our God-given duty. When we preach the good news, there are some people who will refuse to listen, but there are certainly those who will be saved, too. That’s why God has told us to preach whether they listen or fail to listen (Eze 3:10–11).

Evangelists who bear fruit in God

We have received such a great and holy mission from Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. Nevertheless, if we just keep silent, we are like honeybees that just keep still without doing anything. No matter how many bees are in a colony, if none of them work, there is no reason for their existence, and it will bring results against God’s will.

We are the children of heaven, who are to display God’s splendor (Isa 60:21). In obedience to the holy command of God who has saved us, let us go to Samaria and to the ends of the earth and reap the fruit of salvation diligently.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Jn 15:1–5

No matter how diligently we preach the gospel, we cannot bear fruit unless we remain in God. When we receive vitality and nourishment from God who is the vine, we who are the branches can bear fruit. We need to always work hard at preaching the gospel, thinking about the will of God who has entrusted the important mission to us.

God has taught us the truth earlier to give us the opportunity to store up more blessings in heaven. Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother have forgiven all our sins that we committed in heaven. I earnestly ask all of you, brothers and sisters in Zion, not to lose the opportunity to repay Father and Mother for Their grace, but arise and proclaim the gospel powerfully to the whole world.