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The Great Commission
Sharing the Good News
Welcome
First, I'd like to thank Pastor Joe Roof of Calvary Baptist Church for his series The Words of Agur. I'm sure we'll hear from him again this year. Today, we beging a new series about sharing the gospel. We'll explore the motives and methods for personal evangelism.
Scripture Reading
(18) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Mat. 28:18-20)
(15) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mar. 16:15-16)
Understand the Command
The two passages above are known as the Great Comission. They are the starting point for our study because they are Christ's first call for His followers to take His message into the world.
You might think Jesus only meant this command for the apostles, but I hope you'll reconsider by the time we finish this series. To get started, let's look a couple simple points from these passages that support the idea that sharing the gospel is your job.
Teach Them What I've Taught You
The first thing I'd like you to notice about Christ's command is that it sets up a self-propagating system. He told His followers to go to all nations and proclaim the good news. When people responded in faith and were baptized, the apostles were to teach those new believers to do what Christ taught them to do. What did He just teach them to do? To tell other! From that day, until today, there has been an unbroken chain of gospel proclamation. Thank God a generation along didn't break that chain, or you wouldn't have heard about God's saving grace.
It's Natural to Share Good News
Mark called this message were are commanded to share "the gospel." Gospel means "good message" or "good news." It's good news! You don't need a command to tell others good news. You don't need permission. Many Bible characters shared the good news as soon as they met Jesus. Here are some examples:
One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. (Joh 1:40-41)
The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. (Joh 4:28-30)
As you can see, all these folks told others about Jesus. They didn't share the good news because someone made them feel guilty. They didn't do it because their church sponsored an outreach program. They did it because they met Jesus and they had to tell someone.
How Are You Doing/
- Have you met Christ? Is He your Savior?
- Are you excited enough about Christ to tell others about Him?
- When did you last share the gospel, plainly, practically and personally, with someone?