“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14
The Great Commission tells us that Jesus Christ will return after the gospel of the kingdom has been preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations.
The Great Commission was written in two books: Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-18. The keyword that we can derive from both verses is “disciple.” Evangelism should not stop only when someone receives Jesus as their God, but it should also guide them to be a disciple. 1 John 2:6 says, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” Therefore, we should strive to be like Jesus by being His disciple.
After Jesus ascended to heaven, 120 of his disciples went to an upper room in Jerusalem. They prayed, praised, and worship the Lord day and night in unity . This is talking about restoring the Tabernacle of David, which is also known as a prayer tower. That is what the disciples did for 10 days until suddenly the Holy Spirit was poured out on them on Pentecost Day. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and started speaking in tongues. This was the first Pentecost.
Following the first Pentecost, in the 1990s, there was a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit all over the world, which later became known as the second Pentecost. America experienced revival that started on Azusa Street and in other nations, such as Wales, England.
These days we are in the third Pentecost where the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit is taking place. This is the time where we will witness the greatest harvest of souls before Jesus comes for the second time. The third Pentecost is necessary to fulfill the Great Commission. The gospel is being preached in all the world to be a testimony for all the nations.
The third Pentecost will also rise up the generation of Jeremiah, which is the youth generation that is filled with the Holy Spirit and refuses to compromise with sins. They will also serve their nations fervently like never before.
The third Pentecost will bring forth a united body of Christ as written in John 17. If the world sees this, it will believe in Jesus, and harvest of souls will definitely take place. Let’s prepare ourselves so that God can use us as the messenger of the third Pentecost. God bless you.
Source: Sermon by Pdt. Niko Njotorahardjo, GBI Gatot Subroto, Jakarta