To Encourage You

Mark 16:15 “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’”

If you are a believer, have you told anyone about Jesus today?  If not, how about this week, this month, or this year? If not, why not?  Didn’t Jesus tell us to do so in His simple and direct words from Mark 16 above?  If we don’t do this, aren’t we disobeying Him? Is that what a Christian should be in the habit of doing?  Or should obedience to this one mission characterize our lives?

But you might say, where do I start? When? To whom should I speak, and what should I say?  Well, in any other area of life, when you were under someone else’s authority who gave you a task you didn’t fully understand, what did you do? If your boss gave you something to do by the end of the day and you didn’t understand it, did you just blow him or her off?  I would guess not. You went to your boss and asked for more guidance, or you went other places you knew were a source of help and sought it there. It’s no different when it comes to commands from our greatest Authority, or at least we say He is. We just ask Him, which is simply another word for prayer.  God loves when we do this, for that’s another one of His commands – to pray, about everything, and when we do it, to pray in His will. What could be more in line with God’s will then to ask Him how to share His Word with someone who has never heard it? He will surely answer such a prayer. He will also answer prayers for open doors to share, boldness, wisdom, and the right words. 

But besides this, we are to read the guidance He’s given us in His Word. We can’t hope to tell others about something we’ve never read or understood ourselves. Not that we need to be the world’s greatest expert – but we should simply learn what we can as we spend time daily in the Bible, pray for wisdom to understand it, and then tell someone about it that knows less than we do (believe me, there are lots of them out there).  And ask others about it, i.e., others that you know have been obedient to Christ’s command. How have they done it? What have they learned? Will they pray for us? Will they help us?

So have you ever asked such questions of anyone? Are you interested and concerned enough to ask? You see, sharing the gospel is what we’re still here for as believers. We would understand more, worship better, and live a life that in all respects glorifies God better, in Heaven, and God could take us there at any moment if He wanted to. But if you’re reading this, God has determined that your time has not yet come.  In the example of King David, we are told “after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep” (Acts 13:36).  Like David, if you’re still breathing, God has work for you to do – and among those responsibilities is to share the gospel.  It’s the last command that Christ left us with. These were His final words: “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”  A neighbor, a relative, a friend, an acquaintance – they’re all included in that term. Are you doing it? Do you want to? Surely if Christ lives within you, this desire also lives in your heart.  But we all need a little encouragement sometimes, for we live in a world that, for the most part, doesn’t want to hear it. Nevertheless, we are told to go and proclaim. And just think where you’d be if someone else hadn’t been obedient to Christ’s command and tell you?