The Greatest Work

There are a variety of different types of tasks and jobs around the world. Among all of them, there have been many great works which benefit people, awaken the spirit of the age within them, and deserve to be recorded in history for all time. Then, what is the greatest type of work?

God is indeed great. Everything that our great God manages and conducts is definitely great as well. God has entrusted us with one of His greatest works. It is to “preach the gospel to all nations of the world” (Mt 24:14).

Everything in this world has its own meaning and value; however, all of its splendor only lasts for a little while before it vanishes forever. On the contrary, the work of preaching the gospel, which God has entrusted to us, is a valuable mission that enables us to receive the glory that will shine forever (Da 12:3). The angels and other spiritual beings in Heaven are not permitted to participate in this work, even though they desperately want to. The gospel work is a very special and precious duty that is only given to God’s children, those who have inherited the flesh and blood of God.

Preaching, the Greatest Work

Let us see through the Bible what God did when He came to this earth.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Lk 19:10

Jesus came down from Heaven to this earth to seek and save the lost. The greatest work that God, who is the greatest of all, wanted to fulfill when He came to this earth was to seek and save His children who were lost from Heaven because of their sin. God came to this earth to give them the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Jesus showed us how to carry out this great work.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mk 1:35–38

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up to pray, and then proceeded to travel from one village to another, preaching the gospel. He said, “That is why I have come.”

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told us that He came to this earth to save us, and in the Gospel of Mark Jesus said that He came to preach. Through this, we can understand that preaching is the greatest and most important work we must fulfill to save mankind. The task of preaching the gospel is the greatest work that God, who is the greatest, did for our salvation. This is why we are carrying out the work now.

The Mission of Preaching Is Entrusted to Those Whom God Approves

The work of preaching is not given to everyone. If you need to deliver something of great value to someone, whom would you entrust with your errand? You would never ask a stranger to do it for you. You would only entrust it to your most reliable child, who always obeys your words.

God has not given everyone the mission of preaching. He has only entrusted it to those whom He approves.

On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel . . . 1 Th 2:4

From a spiritual point of view, preaching is truly an important duty, because it is the task of leading mortal sinners to the path of salvation. An important duty is not entrusted to just anyone. In the same way, the mission of preaching the gospel is not given to everyone. It is only given to those who have fully realized the value of salvation. God has entrusted this great mission to us. This proves that He has placed an incredible amount of trust in us.

. . . a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior . . . Tit 1:2–3

God came to this earth to fulfill the greatest work. He manifested His word through preaching, and in turn He has entrusted this work to us. Who on earth can proclaim to everyone in the world that Elohim God has come to save us through the truth of the New Covenant that leads to eternal life? Preaching is something that only we can do because we are the people of Zion who have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.

During the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, the princes and princesses received special education which was not provided to common people. This was especially true for the prince who had been chosen to succeed to the throne. He needed to be educated in a very strict way. He was required to study the Confucian classics and history, as well as learn the rules of proper etiquette when talking, walking, etc. If he was not educated properly, he could lose his succession rights as the crown prince. Even though the entire process may have been a series of hardships for him, it was actually the necessary process for him to become a great king.

We are now preaching the gospel, which is not something that everyone can do. Preaching is a mission that God has given to us in order to make us worthy of becoming members of the royal priesthood who will receive the heavenly inheritance. God has only entrusted this great work to His successors, who are qualified for it.

If we do not regard the work of an evangelist as important, we will be no different than a crown prince who does not strive to train himself to become eligible to inherit the crown. Our place will then be taken by someone else, just as Esau’s birthright was taken away by his younger brother Jacob.

In actuality, those who do not realize the importance of preaching the gospel are no different than the man who hid the one talent he had received in the ground (Mt 25:14–30). Preaching is our duty. We should consider whether or not we have regarded this great work as something less important than worldly things. Have we had the same mindset as Esau, who neglected his God-given blessing? We need to examine ourselves again.

Preach on Behalf of God

God has given us the responsibility and authority to preach the gospel on His behalf.

At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “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.” Eze 3:16–17

It is the duty of an evangelist to give people a warning from God. God has essentially given us the spiritual power of attorney as evangelists. This authority is not given to anyone else.

The king of a nation does not simply give the authority to act on his behalf to just anyone. He grants that authority to the person he has chosen after long and careful consideration. In the same way, God has chosen us from among all of the nations to preach His word to the entire world.

We should conduct ourselves in a godly, sincere and dignified manner, as we administer the warning from God by preaching on His behalf. When we preach the gospel, we meet many different types of people, some of whom choose to reject God’s word. In these circumstances, we should not express how uncomfortable we may feel, or behave in a hasty manner when they do not receive the truth right away. If we do so, how can we say that we are acting on behalf of God?

We should consider how God carried Himself when He preached the gospel, and how He would conduct Himself if He were to preach the gospel in this present age. The good news that God has appointed us to preach is so invaluable. Therefore, we need to preach this precious gospel in the most valuable ways.

Apostle Paul Devoted His Life to Preaching the Gospel

Paul the Apostle lived his life in such a faithful manner that everyone who believes in God naturally comes to admire him. After meeting Christ on the road to Damascus, Paul wholeheartedly devoted his life to preaching the gospel, just as Jesus had done.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Col 4:2–3

The Apostle Paul encouraged the saints to always pray that God would open the door for their message, more than anything else, in order for them to proclaim the mystery of Christ. Paul made a point of continuously praying to God and asking Him to open the door for preaching the gospel. This was because he deeply realized in his heart that preaching is the greatest work entrusted to us by God, who is the greatest.

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 . . . 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

In his letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul encouraged him to be ready to preach God’s word both in season and out of season. Paul urged Timothy to do the work of an evangelist and discharge the duties of his ministry at all times, not only when he had the opportunity.

Paul also dedicated his entire heart and soul to preaching God’s word. He was even willing to die for the gospel of God (Ac 21:13). In preaching the gospel, Paul spared himself no pain: Five times he received forty lashes minus one. Three times he was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, three times he was shipwrecked, and he spent a night and day in the open sea (2 Co 11:23–27). Even though he faced many hardships, he was never afraid, nor did he ever give in to any circumstance he was faced with.

The Crown of Righteousness Prepared for Us

The greatest people in the Bible whom we should emulate include Jesus, who came to save us, Peter, John, and Paul, all of whom spent their whole life preaching the gospel. As evangelists they couldn’t keep silent even for a moment because they realized that preaching the gospel is the greatest work among all of the tasks someone could choose to undertake on this earth.

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Ti 4:6–8

When Paul knew that the time had come for him to leave this world, he looked back on his life and was completely confident that he had lived a valuable life. He stated clearly and confidently that the crown of righteousness was laid up for him, as he had diligently run the race toward the heavenly goal by working hard to achieve the greatest mission on this earth, preaching God’s holy will to the people of this world.

There are so many different kinds of jobs in this world; however, all of them only exist and are needed here, on this tiny earth. The mission of preaching, which God has entrusted to us, is completely different. We should prepare for the eternal world we are going to, in the same way that the apostles of the early Church did, and we should stop regarding this visible world as if it were everything.

The reason God has told us to preach the gospel is because He wants to give us eternal blessings, not transient ones. God wants His children to receive the eternal blessings of Heaven. The efforts we make to carry out the duty of preaching are very small when compared to the great rewards we will receive in Heaven. Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Ro 8:18). Once the apostles fully realized this, they devoted themselves to preaching the gospel above anything else.

In this age, we have been given the mission to preach God’s word to all people. We cannot simply stand by and watch this work take place. We must participate together in the greatest work that God has entrusted to us. By doing so, we can receive the promised crown of righteousness as God’s children.

Preaching is a great mission that can only be given to the greatest people. At the end of our lives on this earth, we should have enough faith to be able to confidently say, “Now the crown of righteousness is waiting for me,” just like the Apostle Paul did. Brothers and sisters in Zion! I earnestly ask all of you to preach God’s good news of life wherever you are. Employees should preach at their place of work, university students on their campus, military members within their respective service branch, and housewives in their neighborhood.