And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
After His resurrection but before His ascension, Jesus appeared to the Apostles and issued what is commonly referred to as “The Great Commission.” Simply put, He commands them to go and to spread the good news (the Gospel) to the world. To us, His work here at The Fellowship, He has made precious promises connected to the Great Commission. E has said that we would travel throughout the world proclaiming Jesus and that many would come from various parts of this world to our city and to this Fellowship. You need only look around to see that He has made us a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic body, a microcosm and a hint of what His Kingdom looks like. We boast in the Lord’s faithfulness when we say that people from approximately thirty countries have called The Fellowship their home church at one time or another. There is a purpose for His amazing work here.
It is our responsibility to understand why He has woven together this unique body of believers. He has gathered us, and He is equipping us so that we can be part of the army of believers that He is marshalling to accomplish His purposes in this world. I believe the Lord desires to give us a baptism in the love of Jesus and in the knowledge of His Word that we would know those things that the Apostles knew and walked in so that, like the Apostles, we can more powerfully impact our world with the Gospel. Part of the preparation also involves your receiving what the Lord imparts through me. In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul tells Timothy, “and the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” What I have heard and learned from the Lord, I regularly commit to you, and I know that as you live out what you learn, you teach others, and His Kingdom advances.
When the disciples ask Jesus if He would be restoring the kingdom to Israel at that point in time, He answers them, “it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8). What that means to us is that we start wherever the Lord has planted us, and we become those who witness of the Lord’s love, mercy, and grace, and as opportunities arise to launch out, we go forth, still with the Great Commission burning within us, taking advantage of open doors to proclaim God’s goodness and provision to a hurting world. What an incredible honor! Seize every opportunity while there is still time!