And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned.”
If you go to an international airport, you’ll see a large screen that lists all the flights leaving the airport and their destinations that reach all over the world. From one location, planes are filled with people and luggage and sent out to far-off places for different purposes. Traveling to all the world is just one flight away. However, at the time the disciples received this message, travel on this scale was impossible. No person was traveling to all the world—such an idea was far out of reach.
Even with the technology of travel, such a call still feels impossible today. We are all limited by our jobs, our homes, and our routines. We also feel the limits of our ability to communicate, know God’s Word, and share the love of Christ with others. Jesus’s call feels intimidating and overwhelming because it is impossible without Him. Yet this fact should not cripple us; instead, it should remind us to press into our Savior and depend on Him to advance His message in the world. Jesus never meant for us to accomplish this task in our own power. He has given us His Holy Spirit to equip us and be with us every step of the way, and He has given us His church to pursue His mission alongside other believers.
- How is your life shaped by the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)? What are some ways this call feels impossible for you?
- When have you shared your faith with someone else? What did you learn from that experience? What is one step you can take toward sharing with someone else today?
- Pray and ask God to give you confidence and direction in His call to go and tell.
