Where Is Your Sense of Urgency?

Just before the Bible ends, we find these words: “He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon!’ Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20, NLT). This promise creates a profound sense of urgency in how we respond to the world around us. That is the Great Commission tension our faith demands: we cry out to the Lord, “Come, Lord Jesus,” even as we plead with others, “Be reconciled to God!” (2 Cor 5:19-20, CSB). We long for Christ’s return, yet we desperately want our loved ones to turn to Him before that day arrives.

Living with this Great Commission urgency requires a commitment to praying with fervor. Because none of us can open blinded minds (2 Cor 4:3-4) or heal broken hearts, we recognize that only God can transfer people from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col 1:13). Urgent prayer is therefore a non-negotiable foundation for any outreach effort. We must acknowledge our total dependence on the Holy Spirit to produce genuine conversions while we faithfully share the message of reconciliation with those who are lost.

Furthermore, this urgency compels us to turn from our own sin immediately. We pursue holiness for several vital reasons: we want Jesus to find us faithful upon His return, we desire to live as a distinct light to the world, and we know that unfaithfulness weakens our credibility when we speak the gospel. As Isaiah 59:1-2 reminds us, sin can hinder our prayers and obstruct our witness. By prioritizing personal repentance, we ensure that our lives reflect the transformative power of the message we proclaim to others.

Thus, the words, “Be reconciled to God” drip with urgency. Indeed, living with Great Commission urgency means:

1. Praying with urgency. None of us can open blinded minds (2 Cor 4:3-4) or heal broken hearts. Not one of us can produce conversions to Christ; only God transfers people from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col 1:13). Urgent prayer is therefore non-negotiable.
2. Turning from our own sin with urgency. The reasons for doing so are multiple: (1) we want Jesus to find us faithful when He does return; (2) we desire to live in such a way that others see something different in us; (3) we know that any unfaithfulness to God on our part can weaken our credibility when we do speak the gospel, and (4) Isaiah 59:1-2 reminds us that sin in the camp hinders our praying in the present. The stakes are too high to live with anything less than repentant urgency.
3. Recruiting prayer warriors to join us in praying with urgency. Our supernatural enemy, Satan, will do all he can to distract our non-believing family and friends from following Jesus. I know that fact, for I watched for 36 years and 47 years, respectively, before my dad and mom became believers in their 70s. And, I’m convinced God heard my personal prayers because I aggressively asked believers all over the world to pray for my parents—with urgency.
4. Proclaiming the gospel with urgency. Billions of people have little or no access to the gospel, and it is our responsibility to get the Word to them and then equip them. Many of us, in fact, followed Christ because others faithfully shared the gospel with us. Christ wants to find us watching and working (and, doing so with passion) when He comes again. He wants us telling the good news with urgency.
5. Trusting God with urgency. God’s still in the business of saving souls, and He’s still a trustworthy God. We can rest in His plan to draw others unto Himself according to His timetable (John 6:44). Trust matters now with urgency.
6.  

“Come, Lord Jesus.” “Be reconciled to God.”

May you and I pray the first phrase to God and announce the second one to the world with urgency.

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This article originally appeared on ChuckLawless.com and is reposted here by permission.