Summary:
Three important reasons why we must preach the gospel:

1. Preaching is returning your debt.
2. Preaching is a commission given by the Lord Jesus.
3. Preaching is the only way through which men can be saved.

The work of preaching the gospel is easy to talk about but difficult to do. To persevere in it is even harder. When we first believed in the Lord, we had the zeal to bring people to believe in the word. Those who really come to believe in the Lord are few; we meet with many difficulties bringing them. Our zeal to preach the gospel is splashed by cold water, that’s why some people lose their zeal to preach. Still, some persevere to preach the gospel in season and out of season. Why should we continue to preach the gospel no matter what situations we meet with?

1. Because preaching the gospel is returning your debt.

Rom 1:14-15
I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

If you asked Paul, “Why do you want to go to Rome, which is so far away, to preach to the Romans?” Paul would answer, “Because I’m a debtor to the Romans.” When you owe a debt, it’s only right to repay it. If we don’t rest our debt, we’d be pursued by the law. We have to make the effort to repay it no matter how hard it is. We still have to preach the gospel no matter how hard it is, because we are all debtors to preaching the gospel. When we talk about ‘debtors’, we often think about owing money. Sometimes we say, ‘I owe you a favour/meal’ because someone helped us with a personal problem. When someone does a favour for us, we owe them a debt/favour in return. Now we have received such a great grace in the gospel, why don’t we think in the way that we owe a debt to the gospel?

When Jesus sent His disciples out, He instructed them many things. One of them was to “freely receive, freely give”. We have received the salvation grace of the gospel freely. Similarly, we should freely preach the gospel to those who come to believe. If we don’t preach the gospel, we are debtors to the salvation grace of the gospel. Paul had received the great grace of the gospel, so he often recalled how he was in debt to the gospel. Paul didn’t owe a debt to Jews who had already heard. But he did owe a debt to the Gentiles who had not heard. That is why he turned to the Gentiles to repay the debt he owed to them.

Haven’t we also received the great salvation grace of the gospel? We too are also indebted to the gospel. Especially to our relatives and friends who have yet to hear. We owe them a chance to hear the gospel and be saved. If they passed away suddenly, before we got a chance to preach to the fairly young them, we would feel even more in debt. We would regret and wonder why we did not preach the gospel to them earlier.
In this world today, there are more kinds of disaster we may not even think of. The life of man is even more unpredictable. When someone says goodbye, it could be forever. While we still have breath, there’s still opportunity to believe. But once we cease to be alive, we lose that opportunity. So whilst both sides still have the opportunity, grasp it to preach the gospel. We need to repay the debt of the gospel. Remember what Jesus said. Freely we receive, freely we give. Let’s repay the gospel.

2. Preaching the gospel is the commission given to us by the Lord

Titus 1:3
but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;

How is the word of God manifested? Through the work of preaching. Who will preach the word? The disciples of the Lord Jesus. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus said to His disciples, “Go into all the world to preach the gospel.” This instruction was not only for the disciples at that time but all disciples thereafter. As disciples of the Lord in these last days, we have the responsibility to preach the gospel. The Lord Jesus has already given the commission to us.

Why doesn’t He give this commission to angels? Angels are powerful! Angels would be able to preach the gospel faster and better! Angels won’t feel disheartened like us when we preach the gospel. An angel is in absolute loyalty to the Lord. Angels won’t change the word of the lord and will definitely obey commandment to preach the gospel. But Lord Jesus doesn’t give commission of preaching to the angels, because angels don’t go through the experience of being saved by the gospel, of acknowledging one’s sins and repentance. If angels preach to us, it would be like a computer programme reading a script out to you. That is why God doesn’t use angels to preach, but rather humans who have experienced the process of acknowledging our sins and repentance.

Mark 5:18-20
The man who had been healed from demon possession begged to follow Jesus. But Jesus didn’t permit him. Instead Jesus said, ““Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.””

We can see the Lord doesn’t give everyone the task of preaching the gospel full time. But the Lord wants each and everyone of us to do our duty of preaching the gospel. That’s especially to our family members and relatives.

That man went home and preached to his family. He also went to his close relatives and friends distributed in Decapolis (meaning 10 cities, a large place!). He obeyed the word of the Lord to go to his friend and relatives to preach to them in these cities.
It’s easier to preach to our family members. But it’s harder to preach to our relatives. It’s easier if they live near us but if they stayed in a different city, It would be more difficult as there’s limited transport. This man is a role model for us in preaching. He obeyed the word of the Lord to go back home and preach to his friends and family. He did it no matter how hard it was. He put in his effort to preach. He preached the great things the Lord had done for him. Instead of preaching what great things he did, he preached what great things the Lord had done for him.

We are also people who have received the salvation grace of the Lord. We ought to obey the word of the Lord to preach to family and relatives. We don’t just owe them the gospel, it’s also a commission given by the Lord. Since this commission is given to us and not to angels, shouldn’t we give even more heed to this? If our company gives us an important task to do, we’d take it seriously and put in effort to complete the task. We’d think of ways to overcome it, because we know it’s the company’s affirmation of our abilities and also a test. It’s also a chance to decide whether to promote or demote you. Or perhaps someone you love deeply asks a favour of you. Even if you are very busy, you will make time for him/her. Because you love the person deeply and he/she matters to you. So you will put aside other important things to do this thing that’s even more important to you.

Just look at how we react to an instruction from our boss or our lover. We’re able to tell which is more important. Why is it we are unable to do so with regards to the instruction of the Lord? If we only esteem the word of men but not the work given by the Lord, then how are we supposed to give an answer to the Lord?

3. Because preaching the gospel is the only way for men to be saved

Acts 4:12
Peter bore testimony, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Peter’s words may offend other religions because they also teach what men should do to be saved. Different religions have different methods to seek salvation. Some do it by merit. If you do more good works and are kinder, you accumulate more merits to be saved. Some do it by bitter self cultivation. They put aside their usual lives, go into the mountains and cultivate themselves. Some even go to the extent of torturing themselves to punish themselves for sins they have done. Some try to redeem their sins by being vegetarian or meditating.
All these ways of redemption have been thought up by men. But man is not the judge in the last days. How can an instruction of men save him from the judgement of God? Because God is the judgement. Only the method of salvation given by God can save men from the coming judgement. His method is to believe in Jesus who died for our sins on the cross. This is the only way men can be saved from sins. “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one can come to the Father except through Me.” There’s no other way. There’s no other truth. There’s no other way that can cause men the forgiveness of sins. Only the gospel of salvation of the Lord can forgive. We must preach this gospel of salvation. But if many don’t listen, should we still continue?

Rom 10:16-17
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Paul tells us a truth. We can preach the gospel but not all can receive the gospel. Prophet Isaiah also said, “Lord, who has believed our report?” We can see in the Old Testament how no matter how the prophets preached, the people didn’t listen. Since the people don’t obey, do we preach the gospel in vain? Actually, we all know the importance of preaching the gospel. We also know that despite putting in the effort to preach, they might not believe. And some people even say, ‘you can talk to me about anything except Jesus.’

Should we continue preaching then? Continue wasting our time?

But Paul tells us another fact: faith comes from hearing. And hearing is by the word of Christ. If we do not preach the gospel, where comes the opportunity to bear? Without hearing, how will they believe? This is why we have the responsibility to preach the gospel so that they can hear it. So that they have a chance to hear the gospel believe and be saved. Whether they believe or not is their problem. But whether we preach or not is our own problem. One day, God will pursue the matter of why they did not receive the gospel. Similarly, God will also judge us of the sin of not preaching the gospel.

Eze 33:4-5
then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life.

Someone who keeps watch has the duty to blow the trumpet to warn others that judgement is coming. If the people hear the sound of the judgement but do not heed the warning, then blood is on his own head. But if the watchman doesn’t blow the trumpet and the watchmen are killed, blood is on the heads of the watchman.

When we accept the gospel, we also accept the duty to preach the gospel. He uses us as watchmen today, to blow the trumpet of the gospel, to bring it to others. This is why all of us have the responsibility to preach the gospel. We know there’s not much time. And the gospel is the only way to save others.

Jesus said that when night comes, no one can preach the gospel. The night is not a physical night. In the book of Revelation, it prophesies that after 1000 years have ended, the devil will be released. In that time, no one will be able to preach the gospel. In the 1000 year period, the door of grace is open. We do not know when the night is coming but we know it is coming. When night comes, we will not be able to work. It’ll be time for us to face our greatest persecution and test. But we don’t need to fear the coming of the night. When preaching, we may face many difficulties and persecutions, but let’s keep the following in mind.

Matt 28:19-20
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, 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.”

The Lord Jesus says all authority has been given to Him on heaven and earth. Therefore, when Jesus sent us out with the commission, He sent us using all the authority given to Him. What does this mean?

In a place that gives esteem to authority and status, we’d understand the words of Jesus more. In a place which prizes authority, people may ask us which company sent us, who gave us the authority to do this? If we come from a small company, the authority we speak with will be different. We must know that the Lord Jesus personally sent us to preach the gospel. It is not the evangelistic committee or the church ministers.

What authority does the evangelistic committee or the church ministers have? We must have the understanding that it is the Lord Jesus Himself who has sent us to preach the gospel. Let’s be aware the Lord Jesus is sending us to preach the gospel with authority from heaven. This authority is able to overcome the devil, to overcome death, to forgive sins, and is able to save people to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Hence when we preach the Lord’s gospel, we don’t need to look down on ourselves or fear. Let’s not despise ourselves under the pressure of the world.
Let’s not fear persecutions of the devil.
Because we are preaching the gospel by the authority of the gospel of the Lord. The Lord is King of kings and Lord of lords! Do you believe? The Kings of kings and Lord of lords has sent us to preach the gospel. He sent the Holy Spirit to testify, to help us. He tells us not to be afraid because “I will be with you”.

Let’s obey the word of the Lord and preach the gospel, because when night comes, no one can work. Let us grab hold of this opportunity while we still have it. Let us take the chance to preach the gospel before it’s too late. It is necessary to repay the debt of gospel. We have to carry out the commission given by God.

Although we face many difficulties in preaching the gospel, and although it is easy for us to feel disheartened, God knows our weaknesses. As long as we have the heart He will help us.
May the Lord help us that we may have faith and courage to preach the gospel of the Lord.