Living a life on mission is the call for every Christian. Often we can fall into the trap of thinking that sharing the love of Christ with others is reserved for pastors or missionaries. Thinking that they have a more crucial role in spreading the Gospel than us average Joes. But that is just not the case. We all have the same call in our lives, the call to go.

Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

These are the last words Jesus speaks to his disciples in the book of Matthew. The last words to us as a reader. The last words of most writings are meant to shape the way we go out from reading the text, and these are no different. We’ve seen all that Jesus has said and done throughout the book of Matthew, now it is time to go! Jesus has very similar words in Mark 16:15 where he says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” This good news is meant for us to share.

Good news. Good Gift.

First, what is the good news? We were all destined for death. Every one of us. God set a standard of perfection through his law. And none of us could even come close to keeping it. However, the good news is that God has given us a good gift. Ephesians 2:8-10 says this, “for you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” Salvation is God’s gift we can receive through his grace and our faith in Jesus! Not because we deserve it, but because he gives it. This means that if you are in Christ your no longer a path to death, but a path to life!

That’s cool I guess… No! That is awesome! And not in the cheesy Lego movie kind of way awesome. But awesome in the way that we are in such awe of the gift, it is impossible to put it into words. So awesome that we are made complete in Christ. Awesome that Jesus’s blood covers our iniquities. Awesome that our hearts can be so full of the love of Christ that they begin to spill over.

Let’s put this into a story. You are sick. A terminal illness that could take your life in 3 seconds or 30 years. And not only you are sick, but everyone you know. Everyone in the world is sick with the same disease. You’ve tried to treat yourself with everything from essential oils to WebMD, but nothing can even come close to solving the core issue. But one day you go to the doctor, and he tells you there is a way to be healed. You want this healing, so he takes on your sickness and makes you healthy. Free of charge. How exciting would that be? The way you lived your life would be drastically different. You would have hope for the future, free of the weight of impending death. And most importantly you would recommend that doctor to everyone you know.

Is following Jesus that much different? We all live under the judgment of sin, but Jesus takes on that sin. Taking away the punishment of our sins, and giving us the greatest gift of all, life. How can anyone who believes in that sit by idly and not share that good news with everyone that they know?

Life on Mission: The World.

There are currently 8 billion people on earth. And a quick Wikipedia search will tell you that there are 2.4 billion people who follow Christ. Now who knows how accurate that number is, but is it reasonable then to assume at least 5.6 billion people do not know and follow Christ. This is a sad reality. Because if you believe the words of Jesus in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Then currently there are 5.6 billion people who can not come to the Father. This is why going to all the world is important.

5.6 billion is a huge number, such a large number that it feels impossible to think about reaching everyone. But Jesus does not leave us out to dry. Our job is easy, all we are asked to do is share. It is not our words that do the saving but the work that Jesus already did on the cross. He already did the heavy lifting. And He says “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” He is not leaving us, he will be with us until the end.

Then there are then 3 action steps to take to reach the world:

• Pray – In Luke 10:02 Jesus says, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” So pray to God that he would raise up labors to go out into the world and preach of his goodness and faithfulness.
• Become a missionary overseas – If the Lord calls you to go overseas, then listen to that call and go. Take his message and proclaim it everywhere
• Support a missionary overseas – If you do not feel called to go overseas, then support those who do. Help them to live out the great commission in prayer, relationship, and finance.

Life on Mission: Our Communities.

We sometimes look at Jesus’s last words in Matthew, where it says go into all nations, and think that the only place to go is other countries. But that is not true. There are billions of people in the world who need to hear, but there are also people all around you who are in just as desperate need as anyone else.

The funny reality is we are living in the “all nations” Jesus talked about. Christianity started in Israel. Today I am sitting in a small town in the middle of the United States. That is only possible because generations-on generations of believers listened to this call to go. Preaching near and far. So we too must listen to God’s call on our life, and share his good news. Even if you don’t feel called to preach the gospel overseas, you are still called to preach it where you are at.

If you have been saved by Christ, then you have good news in you. You have a story of being brought from death to life. There at billions of people who are in need of saving, so share your story. So that God may transform their hearts through his good gift which is his mercy.

By: Aaron Hershberger