“Thus, it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead. And that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem.”
– Luke 24:46–47
So Luke 24:46–47 is a summary of the gospel. Think about it. Luke 24:46 says it’s written, this is Jesus opening disciples’ minds to all the old Testament has been prophesying and saying for centuries. It’s written that the Christ should suffer, that Jesus would die for sinners. And on the third day rise from the dead.
In Luke 24:46–47 Jesus makes it clear that the gospel is to be spread in all the world. May we pray to the end that God will use His church to get the gospel to all the world.
Jesus death and resurrection. That’s the core of the gospel, right? And that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name. So that’s the gospel invitation, that because Jesus has died on a cross and risen from the dead, that all people everywhere should repent and believe. That they should turn from sin and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, and that that message should be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem.
Oh, this was huge. Like, everything in the gospel here in Luke 24:46–47 is revolutionary. Jesus dying on a cross for sins, that’s revolutionary. Rising from the dead, that’s revolutionary. As a result, that repentance for the forgiveness of sins, that just as we’ve talked about, salvation by grace through faith in Christ, this is how we can be saved. And this should be proclaimed in his name to all nations. That too is revolutionary.
Furthermore, this is not just for the Jewish people. It’s not just for the people of God from the old Testament. This is for everybody, everywhere in the world. And the gospel must be proclaimed in all the nations. That’s what Jesus makes clear in Luke 24:46–47. So this good news of his death, his resurrection, the call to repentance, that call must be spread in all the world to all the nations.
Luke 24:46–47 Instructs Us That the Gospel Should Be Proclaimed to All The Nations
So when we pray for unreached people groups on this podcast, we are simply doing what Jesus said must happen in the gospel. We are aligning our prayers with the purpose of God in the gospel, the purpose of God in all history. We know where the whole story is headed. Indeed, every very nation, tribe, language, people gathered around the throne of Jesus, singing his praises for the forgiveness of sins, for his death, for his resurrection.
This is why we pray like this, and this is why we live. Every single one of us as a follower of Christ, we live for the spread of this gospel to the nations. It looks different in different ones of our lives, but mission is not like a compartmentalized program in the church for select few people who are called to that. This is the purpose of our lives. This is the core of the gospel. Thus, this message must be made known among all the peoples of the world. So we all pray for that. Like, continually.
The Spread of The Gospel
We all give toward that. As a result, we all go right where we live and wherever God leads, and we all help send people who are going to places where the gospel is not yet gone. So, oh God, in light of Jesus’s words here in Luke 24:46–47, we pray for repentance and forgiveness of sins to be proclaimed in Jesus’ name to all the nations. God, knowing that there are many nations, ethnic groups, people groups in the world where the gospel has not yet gone.
God, we pray for the spread of the gospel to all of them. So we pray that all of them would hear that Jesus has died and risen from the grave, and eternal life is available through repentance of sins. In like manner that forgiveness of all our sin is available through faith in Jesus. God please cause that message to be made known everywhere in the world, and please use our lives toward that end.
Prayer For The Nations To Hear Of The Gospel
Please use our churches toward that end. So God, forgive us, forgive us for our tendency to sit back, soak in, sing about the gospel, and yet miss the point that this gospel is not just for us, and it’s not just for people around us. It’s for people around the world. It’s for all the nations to hear. And there’s so many nations, 7,000 plus people groups who haven’t heard. Who are unreached.
Such as groups like the Rajput Canet in India, 670,000 of them who have little to no knowledge of Jesus. No known believers among 670,000 people. So God, please change that, and please use our lives and our churches to change that. Help us to live for what Jesus said the gospel is all about, the proclamation of his name, forgiveness of sins through his death and his resurrection to all the nations. In particular God, captivate our lives and our families and our churches with this aim. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
