Mark 4.19 explains the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

The lack of Christian vitality in the United States can be traced to the ineffective work of Christians to obey God’s command to make disciples. The Christian’s lack of effort can be traced to the three things that God warns will make us unfruitful if we pursue those things rather than the things of God.

If we are to recapture the hearts and minds of people for the things of God we must recommit ourselves to the work of God which is the implementation of His will on earth as it is in heaven. The command to make disciples, the objective of the Church, is evidenced by obedience to all the Words of God in Jesus Christ.

The three things we must cease are:

First, we must stop worrying about the future which causes us to place an inordinate amount of time and effort trying to control its outcome. We worry about the future more than the work of God when we hoard money in order to ensure our comfort later. We think and work too much for a comfortable retirement rather than a world where Jesus is loved first and most by everyone. God reminds us we cannot control one hour of our lives so commands instead we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and trust Him to take care of tomorrow.

Second, we must stop trying to accumulate as much wealth as possible. We do this so we can live as comfortably as possible. Most of the world lives miserably. They do so because men are evil thus creating environments of oppression and abuse. The gospel of freedom from the penalty of sin is the gospel that frees men to love others as they are loved by God. We must invest as much as possible in people coming to know Jesus as Savior if we are going to see real and lasting change on the earth.

Finally, we must stop making personal pleasures a priority over God’s kingdom coming to earth as it is in heaven. We spend more time and money on our hobbies than we do the work of God. Certainly the earth was created good and God does not oppose our enjoyment of His world but if we spend more time and money on our pleasures than on God’s Kingdom we have our priorities wrong. We play too much and instead must get to the serious business of God’s work if we are going to change the direction this country and this world is heading.

The work of bringing the Kingdom of God to earth as it is in heaven has been assigned to people, we either embrace it and bear fruit for God’s glory or we ignore it and reap the consequences of a world living in rebellion against God.