I just read a study that shocked me. According to a survey conducted in 2017, more than half of Christians (51%) said they had never heard of the great commission. A mere 17% said they had heard of it and knew what it meant! Apparently our churches have failed miserably at explaining this important command. A command given by Jesus himself. Unacceptable!
If you’re a Christian, you have a job to do.
Let’s get right to it. This is the great commission:
Then Jesus came to [His disciples] and 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 very end of the age.”
~Mathew 28:18-20
The book of Mark repeats the command:
And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Mark 13:10.
[Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15.
There are more passages, but we need not go into them because the message is clear: As followers of Christ we must share the gospel with others.
Simple, not easy.
The word gospel means, “good news”, and we have good news indeed! Let me summarize:
- We are all sinners, and we are all headed for an eternity in Hell [Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23] (Ok, that’s obviously not the good news, but we’ll get to it shortly).
- Jesus died to pay for your sins and mine. He is our only escape from Hell, and the only way to Heaven [Romans 5:8].
- Confess with your mouth that “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved [Romans 10:9 and Acts 16:31].
Jesus can save you from an eternity in Hell and gift you an eternity in Heaven! It’s yours for the asking. That’s the gospel! It’s beautiful, wonderful, and simple. Reminds me of those old, GEICO commercials: “So easy, a caveman could do it!”
Yet as simple as it is, sharing it can be incredibly difficult. Fear often holds us back. We’re afraid of how people will respond. (Will they think I’m a fool? A religious nut? What if they make fun of me? Will I lose friends? What if they have questions I can’t answer?) But the stakes are too high to let fear stop us.
There will come a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord [Philippians 2:10-11]. For many, that day will be terrifying. They will realize too late their folly in rejecting God, and if their name is not found written in the book of life, they will be cast into the lake of fire [Revelation 20:15]. We should do all we can to warn people of this fate.
You don’t have to go overseas to fulfill the great commission.
The mission field is all around you, wherever you are. Your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers need God’s love and forgiveness. They will face enormous consequences when their time on Earth is up. Love them enough to share the gospel with them.
When you do share the good news, there will be times when you fumble. Your words will come out all wrong, and you might walk away feeling like a failure. Take heart! You’ve done what God has told you to do. He will handle the rest. You’ve planted a seed, and if their heart is open to God’s love, that seed will take root in God’s time.
And remember that it’s not just what you say, it’s also how you live. If you live your life with integrity, and if you follow God’s Word, you will stand out like a pink flamingo in an Eskimo village! In other words, live like you are not of this world. People will be curious, and their curiosity will provide you with opportunities to share Christ with them.
The bottom line is this: we have a duty as Christians to carry out the great commission. Let’s always be on the lookout for ways to spread the good news!
