“He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." - Mark 16:15

In the context of this verse, Jesus was teaching his original disciples about the mission he gave his Church. The main task is to "preach the good news". This burden of preaching the good news is not merely upon the original disciples but upon every disciple of Jesus ever since. It's not merely the responsibility of guys like me (paid clergy), rather it is instead the collective work of the Church as a whole - around the world and throughout history. There is an international scope to this mission - "Go into all the world." This means we are called to share the message of who Jesus is and what he has done with every individual in every country, in every language, under heaven. And just to ensure we didn't miss his point, he adds "to all creation." This means that the work isn't over until we've preached the good news about Christ to everyone everywhere. 

So have you embraced the good news about Jesus by faith? Are you trusting in his life, death and resurrection? Have you embraced his salvation from sin, guilt and death? If so, do you share this same good news with others? In your everyday conversations - at work, with family or friends, around the water cooler or at the dinner table - are you pointing others to the person and work of Christ? It's been rightly said that following Jesus is personal but never private. As our verse shows, he commands us to tell others about who he is and all he's done. You don't have to know everything about him to tell others what you know. You don't have to wait until you have enough courage or for the perfect moment to do so. Start where you are. Move towards others. Pray for those who don't yet know him. And when God provides the opportunity, love your neighbor enough to talk to them about Jesus. Who knows? You may be the person God uses to bring salvation to them.

For Jesus,
Pastor Mark