Going into All the World

Just before Jesus left earth and ascended to heaven, He gathered His disciples who had been with Him for the past three years. While they were sitting around a table sharing a meal, Jesus commissioned them to continue the work that He had begun.

Jesus had spent most of His ministry proclaiming the arrival of the Kingdom of God, which is the rule and reign of God. The right response to this arrival was for people to turn from their old ways and believe in Jesus. 

The very first words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are in Mark 1:15, and they are an announcement of the arrival of God’s Kingdom. And Jesus’ last words to His disciples, starting in Mark 16:15, build upon His first announcement. The call Jesus left us with was to continue to tell others the good news of the Gospel.

This good news is that Jesus has brought the arrival of the Kingdom of God to earth, and that through His death and resurrection, He has made a way for all people to have a new life in Him.

This task of evangelism, or telling others about Jesus, was the first thing that Jesus asked His followers to do as He left earth. Telling others about what Jesus has done for them is one of the most important things that we can do with our time. We have been given the greatest gift of all—eternal life with God. But that free gift is freely available to the rest of the world as well.

So take some time today to pray for those in your life who do not know the hope that Jesus gives. Pray for their salvation, but also pray for opportunities to share your own faith story with them. 

Telling others about Jesus doesn’t mean you have to stand on a street corner shouting, but it does mean you should seek out intentional and meaningful conversations with others. When we tell others about the new life and new Kingdom available to them, we are continuing the work that Jesus left us to do.