Go Tell! by Joy Salvage

What is known by Christians everywhere as “The Great Commission” is found in Matthew 28:18 -20. Then Jesus came to them and said, ”All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”

Just before his Ascension Jesus reminded his disciples that all authority had been given to him and, as the ultimate authority, he instructed them to make disciples of all nations. Matthew was not the only one to record this in the Gospels. Mark 16:15 says “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”, Luke 24:47 “repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached …to all nations” and John 20:21 “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you”. No matter which Gospel we read the message is clear – Go tell!

Jesus lived selflessly and died for the sins of all mankind and we cannot be true disciples if we do not tell everyone about his great love and sacrifice. We, who know the joy of being able to turn to God in every situation, cannot keep this privilege to ourselves. We must share the message of grace, mercy and forgiveness of sin with our families and friends, our colleagues and acquaintances and everyone we come into contact with. We should also live in such a way that our lives are testimonies to God’s love. The great commission is to tell everyone. This starts in our homes and then spreads to our daily contacts and then moves to supporting outreaches everywhere in whatever way we can.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul asks the following questions: “But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? How can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them?” (10:14 Message). Can you imagine being in dire straits and not knowing God? If you were let down and disappointed by everyone you know and could not pray to a God you believe in and trust, how would you feel? If you were kept in safety through a dangerous situation, to whom would you give thanks if you did not have a personal relationship with Jesus? We cannot keep the Good News to ourselves because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and everyone should have the opportunity to accept him as their Saviour.

There are different ways of spreading the News. We can become full time ministers of the Word and go where God sends us. We can go out into our neighbourhoods and tell others about him face to face. We can tell about him in emails to and conversations with those we are in contact with every day. We can give time and support to the outreach programmes of our congregation. Almost every outreach effort requires funding and it is not enough to support only the immediate needs of the congregation - we must reach out because that is what Jesus asked of us.

Some of us may think that we are not able to do any of these things, and it may be true, but there is something that we can all do – we can pray. We can pray for everyone in full time and part time ministry. We can pray that the leadership of the congregation will be led to make wise decisions when choosing outreach programmes. We can pray that we, and others, will be given opportunities to speak to neighbours. We can pray that those to who receive emails about the Good News will be receptive to the message. If we really cannot give, we can pray that God will speak to the hearts of those who can. Remember the widow who gave despite her lack of funds and think again before you say that you have nothing to give. God will honour sacrificial giving.

Jesus did not instruct us to do this and leave us to our own devices – the last part of verse 20 makes that clear: “I am with you all the days until the end of the world.” (MKJV). As long as we are willing he will provide us with the strength and ability to “Go tell!”