God has entrusted humanity with a profound and joyful mission: to be ambassadors, champions, and living examples of the good news. This incredible message is about reconciliation with God, friendship with our Creator, a fresh start, and a glorious, pain-free future – reminiscent of the Garden of Eden. Despite humanity’s past missteps, God continues to choose us to expand His glory and Kingdom across the earth. Throughout the Bible, He provides guidance on His ultimate plan for His Kingdom to reach every corner of the world, a plan that involves growth, multiplication, and outreach.
Firstly, our purpose on earth is to magnify God’s glory. The prophet Habakkuk declared God’s intention for His glory to be known worldwide: “For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the LORD” (Habakkuk 2:14). God has placed us here so that His magnificence, His presence, and the honor of His name are acknowledged by everyone, everywhere. Psalm 46:10 emphasizes this, urging us to “Be still and know that I am God…I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Our continued presence on earth serves to fulfill this divine declaration.
Secondly, we remain on this earth to bless all families – encompassing all ethnicities and nations. God’s promise to Abraham resonates through time: “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to all the families (ethnicities, nations) on earth” (Genesis 12:1-2). This calling extends to us today. It is wise to consider our strategic positioning, wherever we may live, to actively bless all people groups of the earth. God revealed to Ezekiel a strategy for reaching the world, stating about Jerusalem, “This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her” (Ezekiel 5:5b). As agents of positive change, we should recognize our placement, whether divinely appointed or chosen, and intentionally seek opportunities to bless others with the life-changing good news entrusted to us.
Thirdly, we are still here because countless individuals have yet to hear and experience the transformative good news of a present and eternal Kingdom. This Kingdom offers a King who loves them deeply and desires them to live with Him forever in a realm prepared from the dawn of time (Matthew 25). Jesus Himself proclaimed, “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations (all ethnicities, all people groups) will hear it; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). While interpretations of end-times prophecies vary, this verse undeniably provides a clear mission: to share this good news with all people groups. Jesus’ return to fully restore all things is linked to the fulfillment of this global message.
Our purpose, therefore, is to expand God’s Kingdom on earth by embodying its principles and inviting others to join. Jesus’ central message was a call to transformation: “Repent, turn from your own ways because the Kingdom of God is at hand (which means now available, accessible, enter-able)” (Matthew 3:2). The Kingdom of God, or Kingdom of Heaven, was a recurring theme in Jesus’ teachings, mentioned over a hundred times in the Gospels, surpassing any other subject in frequency. Jesus demonstrated the essence of His Kingdom during His earthly ministry, and He calls us to do the same. When Kingdom values permeate our broken world, the light of heaven breaks through, pushing back the shadows of darkness, and the Kingdom expands.
Jesus healed the sick, confronted demonic oppression, restored mobility to the lame, sight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf. He empowered the marginalized, welcomed the stranger, and defended the vulnerable. He spoke out against injustice, challenged corruption, and rebuked hypocrisy. He loved the unloved, reached out to the ostracized, and blessed children. He resisted temptation, offered forgiveness, proclaimed truth from Scripture, and dedicated Himself to prayer. He chose, empowered, and prophesied over individuals, calling them blessed, beloved, daughter, and disciple. Similarly, we are called to embody Kingdom principles – healing, wholeness, justice, love, and light – in places currently dominated by darkness. We are to share the incredible blessings of the Kingdom we have received with all peoples, nations, and ethnicities across the globe.
Fourthly, our continued presence is because Jesus desires more followers, more disciples from every nation. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus commissioned His followers: “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20). We are still here because Jesus wants more disciples, and we are tasked with making them.
Jesus’ call to “follow me” is frequently accompanied by challenging implications that we often overlook:
“Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Matthew 4:19)
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)
“Follow me and be my disciple,” (Matthew 9:9, Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27)
“Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. (Mark 10:21)
In essence, we are still here to spread and expand God’s glory throughout the earth, to bless every family and ethnicity, to extend God’s Kingdom on earth by demonstrating its values and inviting as many as possible to join, and to create more disciples of Jesus. These disciples are to emulate His actions, love as He loved, and live as He lived. We are called to transform the world and invite others to join us in this world-changing mission before it is too late. For one day, the opportunity will pass. The time to act is now.
