Remember, your mission is simply to share what Jesus has done for you. You see, there is no more powerful witness than that of a satisfied customer. As D.T. Niles said, “Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread.” And by the way, Jesus charged you only with going and sharing, the results of your sharing are up to the Holy Spirit.
The Journey: Mark 16:15-16
Jesus told his disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
You may recall the television show from years ago called Mission Impossible. It always began with a scene in which Mr. Phelps, leader of a team of government spooks, would receive a tape describing his next mission. The tape usually began with the line, “Your mission, should you choose to accept it…” Then, after describing the mission, the tape would self-destruct in a puff of smoke.
For the believer, Jesus’ command here at the end of Mark’s Gospel is our mission. From a human point of view, it is “mission impossible.” But because it was given by Jesus, empowered by Jesus, and would be attended by Jesus as his followers went forth to do it (“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” Matt. 28:20), it truly was, and is, “mission possible.” But unlike Mr. Phelps, we don’t have the option of accepting it. If you desire to be a Christ-follower, you will do this.
Remember, your mission is simply to share what Jesus has done for you. There is no more powerful witness than a satisfied customer. By the way, Jesus charged you only with going and sharing, the results are up to the Holy Spirit. As Elton Trueblood said, “Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.”
The mission is very clear and quite simple: Take the Good News with you wherever you go and share it. What is the Good News? That at the cross, through Jesus every human being can find that they are beloved of God, without exception. “Preaching” that message is the mission of the Christian.
Don’t let the word “preach” trip you up. For sure, the Gospel is to be formally preached by preachers from pulpits in church services and by evangelists to great crowds of listeners. But the word “preach” has a simpler application as well. It simply means “to proclaim.”
Proclamation can happen in both formal presentations as well as informal conversations. I think the church has done pretty good job in the formal aspect of this mission. It is the informal, everyday part of the mission to be carried out by the individual believer where we have not done so well.
The mission of the Christian is proclamation. You and I are tasked to go and tell the story of Jesus. That is our business.
So that begs the question: How’s business? When was the last time you talked about your faith in Christ in a casual conversation with a friend or a co-worker? In the last six months? This past year? In the last five years? Have you ever shared Christ with another?
Don’t you think it’s time we get back to business? I do!
How about you and I look for opportunities today to carry out the mission! Jesus is counting on us. So let’s get our “preach” on!
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