"Go into all the world and preach the gospel." (Matthew 28:19) It is one thing to read the Great Commission and yet another to embrace it in our lives. Was Jesus saying that all should adopt this as a mission in their lives, or was it just for the chosen ones? Yes, there are places in the Gospels where Jesus addresses a specific person or group, but at the same time there is clearly a principle valid for all of us. Is that the case here?
Some might respond, regarding the Great Commission, that it is not their calling to go out to the nations. Even so, the "nation" surely includes the locality where you live.
With the new life and Holy Spirit that was given to Paul at his conversion, he desired to tell everyone the truth he had discovered. Paul's case is an interesting one, because he had previously been a non-believer, and he had even gone as far as persecuting believers in the Way. His was a dramatic conversion. Each of us comes to believe in Jesus in a different way, and each of us has a powerful testimony of how God's grace has saved us. While many around us may want to argue with the contents of the Bible, they cannot argue with what we tell them is our experience.
In order to share the Good News with others, we do not have to know the Bible inside out. We simply have to share our experience, that we know personally that Jesus was sent to forgive our sins, to conquer death, and to set the prisoners free.
Paul's journeys and experiences show us a man who desired to maximize every opportunity to preach Christ crucified and his power over death. Paul never slackened in his mission. He was and is a great example to follow. We should desire to share the gospel message in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. This should not be the exception but the standard for all believers.
We might be the only chance someone has to hear the Good News that will bring great change and ultimately salvation to that person's life.
- 21 MARCH -