Let’s remind ourselves who we are, who the church is.  And we’ve seen one of the great benefits of being citizens of the kingdom, of being the children of God, of being partakers of that great redemptive work through the blood of Jesus by which we’re justified.  I don’t care how you feel, you might be cast down, you might be in one of those low spots—we all have them.  We’re high and then we have some low days that we go through.  I don’t care how you feel, you are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ; amen?  Accepted in the beloved.  No need to go out and perform.

Even as we’re talking about the requirement upon ourselves to go out and do these great works in the name of Jesus, don’t get into a works mentality.  We’re not out there trying to perform.  We’re not out there trying to get accepted of God.  We are already accepted.  The comment we made, last session we were in, is that when we stand before the Lord, it’s not going to be, as we’re standing before Him, with all of us are being judged of our works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.  When we’re standing before the Lord, it’s not going to be how many people got healed, because we can’t heal anybody.  It’s going to be how many people we prayed for and laid hands on and spoke to and commanded devils to leave.  It’s by our obedience that we’re going to be judged.  The consequences of our prayers are up to God.  He’s the Healer.  But beloved, we’re called to go out in His name; amen?

Mark 16:14 has some powerful words; “afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.”  It’s that Thomas spirit.  “Until I see it with my eyes, until I put my fingers in the nail prints in His hands and thrust my hand into the wound in His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).  Aren’t you glad we’re of those people who having not seen, we believe?  He said we’re blessed.  He said that those who have not seen yet believe, we’re a blessed people.  There’s a working of God on our behalf, those who live and walk by faith and not by sight.  And so, He rebuked them and reproved them.  But isn’t it interesting?  Isn’t this just like the Lord?  After jerking them up, what does He do?  He throws absolute confidence in them and says, “Now I want you to go out and do a work for Me.”  We’re not forsaken or overlooked because of our failures.  God doesn’t put us on probation.  And after having reproved them, the Scripture says, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16).  Powerful.  “He that believeth not shall be damned.”

If we could only be touched somehow, enlightened, and somehow really believe that these people that we don’t talk to are being damned.  Do we care?  Now I know we all do.  We sure do doctrinally.  We all have an empathy, but we need to come to understand what’s at stake.  These people’s eternal souls, they have to believe; but how can they believe without hearing?  And how can they hear if they don’t have a preacher?  You’re the preacher.  We, the church, each one of us individually, are ordained of God to go out and bring forth fruit that remains; amen?  Can we stand by idly and watch this happen?  Now much of what happens in the body of Christ is—this isn’t saying that we necessarily all have to go stand on the street corner and preach to everything that comes by, but we have to be sensitive to hear when the Holy Ghost says, “Here’s a heart that’s ready.”  Amen?  As we’re dialoguing with people, we’re looking for opportunities to inject the gospel.