Why do Christians persist in spreading the gospel despite persecution? Many people don’t understand this. In the past, I also felt confused: There are hundreds of thousands of preachers all over the world. No matter what persecutions and tribulations, or hardships and dangers they face, they never stop preaching the gospel. What is the strength that makes wave upon wave of them move courageously forward? Not until I became a Christian did I come to know the answer.

As recorded in the Bible, from the time Satan tempted Adam and Eve into betraying God, it has been unceasingly corrupting us humans, making us live in sin and away from God’s care and protection. At the end of the Age of Law, because of failing to abide by the law and lack of enough sin offerings, people of that age were all in danger of being lawfully condemned and executed. However, God didn’t have the heart to see the humans created by His own hands destroyed, so He personally incarnated and served as a sin offering to redeem the whole of mankind from sin and forgive man’s sins. There is no doubt that this was the greatest news for people at that time. But because of the limitations of His flesh, the Lord Jesus could only do His work among the Jews, and people in other places were unable to gain God’s salvation. God couldn’t bear to see mankind live in darkness, and hoped that His gospel could be spread to every place in the world, so that all created human beings could gain His redemption and enjoy peace and happiness. So after the Lord Jesus’ resurrection, He said to His disciples, “Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). From God’s words, we can see that preaching the gospel is an important requirement of God for all Christians, and is the mission of Christians. God hopes that all created beings can accept His gospel so that He can save the whole of mankind rather than a part.

The Lord Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). “Go you therefore, and teach all nations….” (Matthew 28:19). And God’s words say, “If you devote yourself to God, unimpeded by any power or force, then God shall look upon you with favor and shall bestow His blessings upon you. If you are of high station, of honorable reputation, possessed of abundant knowledge, the owner of plentiful assets, and supported by many people, yet these things do not prevent you from coming before God to accept His calling and His commission and to do what God asks of you, then all that you do shall be the most meaningful cause on earth and the most righteous undertaking of mankind. If you reject the call of God for the sake of status and your own goals, all that you do shall be cursed and even despised by God.”

From God’s words we can see that as a creature and a Christian who follows God and enjoys His endless grace, spreading and witnessing the gospel of Christ are our bounden duty and lifelong mission. No matter what hardships and dangers, or persecutions and tribulations we encounter, we should persist in fulfilling our own mission. Take the twelve apostles of the Lord Jesus as an example. After the Lord Jesus was resurrected and ascended up to heaven, they started to preach the gospel of the heavenly kingdom everywhere. During that period, they abandoned their jobs and left their family, endured being ridiculed, slandered and abused by the world, and encountered the pursuit and persecution of the satanic regime, suffering various kinds of hardships. Although they were once negative and weak, they were encouraged and motivated at the thought of how the Lord Jesus was crucified to redeem mankind and bestowed endless grace upon mankind. So regardless of what hardships they faced, they were determined to spread the gospel of the Lord Jesus, so that more people fooled and afflicted by Satan could hear God’s gospel and gain His salvation, no longer living in darkness and under Satan’s domain. No matter how harsh the environment was, no matter how the satanic regime persecuted them, no one was afraid and retreated because of their own safety and interests; instead, they persisted in preaching the gospel until the last moment of their lives. As we all know, many of the Lord Jesus’ disciples were martyred for His gospel work, bearing a beautiful and resounding testimony. This is approved by God forever. Just as the Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). So it is approved and commemorated by God to persist in preaching the gospel in persecutions and tribulations.

God’s words say, “If our minds and bodies are not for God’s commission and not for the righteous cause of mankind, then our souls will feel unworthy of those who were martyred for God’s commission, and much more unworthy of God, who has provided us with everything.” God’s words have clearly said that preaching the gospel is to save souls, is approved by God, and is the most righteous cause in the world. If we, for the sake of our own interests, safety, and a peaceful family life, can’t spread or testify to God’s gospel or bring all those living in darkness, pain and helplessness to the presence of God to accept His salvation, then not only are we unworthy of the saints throughout the ages who were martyred for God, but we also fail to live up to God’s expectations for us and are unworthy of God, who has provided us with everything.

Every time God comes to work, He needs us Christians to spread His gospel, so preaching the gospel is our lifelong mission. The gospel of the Age of Grace was spread to the ends of the earth by all the disciples and apostles of the Lord Jesus, and has been promulgated to this very day. Similarly, the gospel of the Lord Jesus’ return in the last days also needs to be spread and witnessed by us Christians, so that all of mankind can return before God’s throne and gain His salvation of the last days.