Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
God instructed His church to preach salvation, focus on fulfilling God's plan. Therefore, it is essential to be conscious of the power of the Gospel. Those that don't believe the Gospel is "power-ful" are ashamed of it and. consequently, perceive it's value as lower than what God invested in it. Others abuse the Gospel for their own benefit, which is unacceptable.
According to God's plan man should have filled the Earth in the best meaning of the expression. God's kingdom should have been revealed at all levels, everywhere. God's glory, harmony, balance and perfection should have filled the whole world. (1M 1:28).
But this intention was stopped forever. God's solution of this unexpected, unplanned situation is suggested in Revelation, chapter 21: „And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." (Rev 21:1).
The world, as we know it today, will cease to exist. Also Jesus himself says: "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Mat 28:20). The world will face a judgment and will cease to exist, disappearThus we can presume that the Earth will never become, what God had originally intended for it to be. If that was the case, God will have not destryed it at the end of times.
Church will not change this situation because it can't. Yet, God has not given up on the plan, that His creation, His people will spread God's kingdom throughout the Earth. Although not in the originally intended form and extent. As His creation and His people we must clearly grasp this., We should preach the Gospel to all people throughout the world (Mat 28:19). Leaving not a single place on the Earth without the message of the Gospel. But many Christians are ashamed of the Gospel. Why?
People are not ashamed of their successes, of good things. They are ashamed of not succeeding and failing. Ashamed of what they consider insufficient, worthless. If they are ashamed of the Gospel, then it's because it has not a real value in their eyes. They do not perceive the power contained in the Gospel. Unlike Paul, who fully realized this (Rom 1:16).
God's power is already contained in the Gospel. Simply said, power is the Gospel itself! If one does not perceive this, he no longer believes in power of the Gospel and begins to seek ways and means how to "insert" this power into the Gospel.
The Gospel is - first the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, second true and simple spreading of the message about this. Everything else is just means (praise, worship, etc.). Not, vice versa! Unfortunately we see this substitution of means for a goal quite often.
In a broader sense, the Gospel is in fact everything that we find in the Scripture, but crucial, most important is what is said above. The fact, that the Gospel is a message of salvation to one and of condemnation to the other, does not make the ones who preach responsible, it makes the ones, who hear it responsible, whether they'll accept or reject it.
Therefore it is necessary to make sure that we perceive the power of the Gospel, truly believe in it and are not ashamed of it. Preaching the Gospel with just covering the felings of shame becomes a mere; unpleasant duty, not what had God called us to. It is important for us to believe in power of the Gospel.
Secondly, it is important that we don't change or abuse God's Word, in any way. Many people do it now as in the past someone always did, Paul confirms: "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ" (2Cor 2:17).
And what is also needed is to preach the Gospel not just from faith but also because of love of the people who we preach to. For then we truly care about their wellbeing. After all, their gain - salvation - is the goal of the Gospel.
The Gospel is powerful, and when used correctly, brings salvation to people. Some people don't perceive its power, others believe it, but exploit it just for their own benefit, for fame, money. They do not care about other people's lives - the ultimate goal of the Gospel. They devalue the Gospel in most wicked way.
