The Urgency of Obedience

Obedience to the Lord is a fundamental characteristic of the life of a disciple. We believe obedience is important, but do we believe that obedience is urgent? Consider how Peter and the Church responded to the words of Jesus “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem” (Acts 1:8). Peter boldly preached on the Day of Pentecost and 3,000+ are converted. A short time later, he preached in Solomon’s Colonnade, and 5,000+ are converted. The call to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ happened daily in the temple and from house to house. 

As the church grew, the persecution grew as well. The Apostles were thrown into prison and threatened. In Acts 5:19, we read that “an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night and said, “Go and stand in the temple complex…, and tell the people all about this life.” A few hours later, the Sanhedrin convenes and is shocked to discover that those who were in prison are free and actively doing what they were told not to do—preach the Gospel of Jesus. When confronted, Peter responds, “We must obey.” There it is. Urgency. You can hear the urgency in Peter’s response. Peter believed obedience was important, but he also believed it was urgent. He then does the unthinkable under the circumstances, he preaches the gospel to the Sanhedrin (v. 29-30). The Sanhedrin flogged the Apostles before releasing them. In response, the Apostles “continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Messiah is Jesus.” For the Apostles, obedience in the proclamation of the gospel was driven by a sense of urgency, “we must obey.”

Urgency brings clarity, alignment, and focus to the willing heart that desires to obey the Lord in the Great Commission. When we say that “We are asking God for a gospel-movement among every least-reached people group,” and then qualify our statement by declaring “in our generation,” we are saying that our obedience needs to be urgent. There is urgency because of the need of the world is great. The lost are slipping away into an eternity without hope at an alarming rate. 151,600 people die each day. 6,316 people die each hour. 105 people die each minute. Yet, there is urgency because the promise of the gospel is even greater. Every lost person without hope can find hope and eternal life in Jesus Christ. This is why “we must obey.”