“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
TEXT — Mark 16:15-20
Message
Hansen wrote his grandmother about his absolute delight at meeting and engaging with his new heroin (rather than heroine). He succeeded at turning what he intended for her joy into a medical emergency. The poor grandma missed several heartbeats at the thought of her beloved grandson sliding into drug use and, worse still, brazenly boasting about it. A tragedy of far greater proportions ensues when a believer or an entire local church permits the omission of the great commission.
Christ’s parting charge to His disciples has far-reaching implications for the existence and destiny of the Church. The early disciples realised that preaching the gospel and making disciples is part of God’s great redemption plan, which involved sending His only begotten Son to a gruesome death on the cross. Therefore, they set about the task with utmost passion.
Christ’s “Go ye” is a ministry imperative rather than an appeal, suggestion or advice. Prompt and persistent obedience is the only response the Master expects. The early disciples had no access to sophisticated technology and means of transportation as we have today, yet they fulfilled their mandate. Souls perish, societies remain morally bankrupt and Satan rejoices when soul- winning is neglected. Failure to develop converts into disciples causes the church to become a sad nursery where converts become perpetual spiritual babies.
The onus for world evangelisation lies on us. We may not be responsible for the generations past or future, but we certainly are responsible for this generation. We must preach Christ without restriction or obstruction. Failure to do so puts us among the faithless and disobedient.
Thought for the day
“Do not make the great commission your great omission” is certainly more than a play on words.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
