And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. – Matthew 28:7
This little phrase convicted me during my devotions this morning. See, it was Saturday morning—the day our church has set aside for church visitation and soulwinning. The hour was late, and I truly was contemplating not going.
The word “quickly” means “to act with speed and be inclined to hastiness.” Simply put, it means not to drag our feet. In this instance, the angel was telling the women at the tomb to go quickly with haste to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen. As we see in the next verse, they did just that. They got up off their feet and ran from the tomb quickly with fear and great joy. I can only imagine how they must have felt in that exact moment!
I think, many times, we as Christians have lost the joy of knowing that Jesus is alive. Even I have been guilty of not preparing my heart and spirit to go tell others about Christ and the gift of salvation. I tend to drag my feet on Saturday mornings. I push the snooze button one too many times (on purpose) until it is too late for me to get ready and leave on time. We all have been there.
To be transparent, God is not pleased with this type of apathy, and I know it. If I allow it, my flesh can take over easily and dictate what I do on Saturday mornings, when I should just do what I know I should do.
Let us take a moment to pause and consider the meaning of the word “quickly” from this verse:
Act with Speed
In other words, we should not waste time or move at a snail’s pace when it is time to tell others about Christ.
This reminds me of an illustration from my husband’s life. Every Saturday when we would get up to go soulwinning, he just could not get out the door fast enough! He did all the preparation the night before to be ready for visitation. Also, he woke early to pray for souls to be saved during soulwinning. Not only that, but when we reached the neighborhood we were going to visit, he also went from door to door as if he had the most important message in the world to give them. And, of course, he did!
I wish I had just a little bit of his energy and heart to tell others about Christ. I fear I have lost my boldness in this area of my Christian life. I have let other things take precedence over the most important thing. It is a weekly struggle because the devil does not want me or any Christian to tell people about the gift of salvation. If we take our time and drag our feet, there is less of a chance that we will even make it out of the house, let alone tell anyone about Christ. Then, the devil will win.
Be Inclined to Hastiness
The word “hasty” means “to do in a hurry with rapid action.” Basically, it means doing something with promptness and efficiency.
The women at the tomb did not hesitate to run to the disciples to let them know that Jesus had risen. They did not stop to smell the roses along the path, nor did they skip here and there, commenting on the garden. No! They ran to the disciples to give them the wonderful news.
We must remember how important it is to tell others about what Jesus did on the Cross for us. He gave His life to pay for our sins. Sadly, many Christians, including myself at times, forget that Hell is real and that so many people still have not heard about eternal life. They do not know that Jesus died for them so they can go to Heaven. Many do not even know or believe that there is a Heaven.
It is interesting to note that, as I was reading this passage of Scripture today, I received a text from a good friend, asking me if I was going to be at visitation this morning. Our soulwinning visitation starts at 10 a.m. I looked at the clock on my wall—9:15 a.m. I was just starting my devotions; I had been dragging my feet all morning.
I thought about telling her no and that I would not make it because it was too late. I needed to eat breakfast and walk the dog, but then I reread this verse. Talk about conviction! I could not get the phrase “go quickly” out of my mind. It was as if God were trying to push me off the couch to get ready.
I texted her back and said, “I can’t make it at 10, but I can meet you at the church at 10:30. Does that work for you?”
She said, “Yes! I’ll meet you there.”
We need to take a step back, pause whatever we are doing, and take time to reassess our priorities when it comes to soulwinning. Get an accountability partner or two and hold each other responsible for telling others about Christ. If going on Saturday is not an option, then make it a point to go another time, but do it. If physically going out soulwinning is not possible, take 10 Gospel tracts, put them in envelopes, and mail the Gospel to 10 homes.
Go! Do it quickly and with haste! People are dying without Christ every day. There is no time to waste.
by April Hernandez
