Preach the Gospel
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
- Mark 16:15
Last words are important. When Jesus gave His final instructions to His disciples, they included a very clear description of what should motivate a true disciple of Christ. The very first of the last things Jesus said is that we should “Go...and preach the gospel to all creation.” There are two points in this statement that I want to mention.
First, He tells us to go. The certainty that we have the ability and the God-given authority to complete the task is proven by the simple command to go. Jesus would not send anyone on a mission that He did not empower them to complete. The fact that He tells us to go is proof that we have all we need to follow through on His directive to us. In Matthew’s account of this passage, Jesus said, “…All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18-19). All authority was given to Him, and He gave the order for us to go. That means we have been deputized and authorized to conduct Kingdom business in the earth.
Next, we see the use of a small word that has big implications. He told us to preach the gospel to all creation. All very simply means all – nothing is left out, all who were oppressed….” That means every person who was oppressed was healed. When Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation, He did not intend that anyone be ignored or overlooked.
We tend to limit the declaration of the Gospel to those who stand behind a pulpit week in and week out. But regardless of how effective preachers can be, they cannot reach all the world. Every single believer has been given the authority and the direction to go into all the world. That doesn’t mean that you have the responsibility to share the gospel with every one of earth’s billions of people. It does mean you have the God-given responsibility to share the good news with the world of your family, your friends, your neighborhood, and your job. All of us are included in this basic instruction to be carriers of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world around us.
Consider this: if every true disciple of Jesus Christ was to win one soul in the next six months, the kingdom of God would double in size. That means life-giving churches would also double in size and influence in that same period of time. We have no reason to be fearful. We have been given instructions and impartation from our risen Savior to go into all the world—all our world—and proclaim that Jesus is Savior and Lord.
Lord, grant me Sophia and Phronesis wisdom as I go through this day. When I am tempted to give up, help me to keep going. Grant me a cheerful spirit when things don't go my way. And give me the courage to do whatever needs to be done. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Further Reading
- Mark 16:15
- James 1:5
- Exodus 28:3
