Why We Do What We Do

First Century Christian Church of Northern Illinois

When Jesus Christ established His church 2,000 years ago, he demanded that His followers be active in sharing the faith with a world mired in the spiritual darkness of sin, paganism, false religions, agnosticism and atheism.

In fact, Christ's command to preach the gospel wasn't optional--it was mandatory. Here's what he said: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

Throughout 2,000 years, many of those who have obeyed Christ have often faced great opposition and persecution wherever they traveled. 

Many have been beaten, jailed, lost their modest possessions and have even lost their lives. Why? Because they had the audacity to declare the crucified and resurrected Christ as the one and only path to salvation and eternal life. By doing so in obedience to Christ, they declared all world religions and the prophets and gods of those religions to be utterly false.

That doesn't go over well with those who are proud of the belief systems and the gods of those belief systems they follow. And that has never gone over well with those who want to live their lives free of rules and moral accountability for their actions.

Today, atheists can be as violent and brutal to Christian evangelists as are Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus etc. And atheists are often given a pass for their mistreatment of Christians because they've successfully managed to portray themselves as a class of people victimized by religious, i.e. Christian oppression.

And so, persecution comes with the territory. Many people who profess to be Christians want nothing to do with that persecution, so they're content just to attend services once a week. For them, that's the extent of how they express their faith. Needless to say, they're the proverbial salt that has lost its saltiness. (Matthew 5:13)

What have we done at First Century Christian Church of Northern Illinois to help fulfill the Great Commission? Last year, our website: www.prophecyreviewonline.org reached 118 nations across the world. 

When you consider that there are 193 nations in the world, that's a pretty good accomplishment for a small fellowship. When the fellowship began in 1996, we had two choices: (1) we could try to build a mega-church that attracted hundreds or thousands of people, or (2) we could try to effectively present the gospel to the world in a way that wasn't being done.

We chose the latter because while big churches with big memberships look successful, they're often just another form of cultural Christianity that's based upon business models with boards and committees that create policies and itineraries.

Though we've reached 118 nations, we want to reach all 193. With the advent of electronic media, we're doing our part to help fulfill the Great Commission.

Certainly, there are those who believe that we're wasting our time. But you're only wasting your time--and the Lord's time--when all you do is hold services once a week and only want members who will agree with you.

I've been in those types of churches. They not only don't work--they stink. And they don't do anything to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.