READ: Mark 16:9-20
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. ” – Mark 16:15-16
According to Mark, these were the last words of Jesus Christ. They form what we call The Great Commission. Mark’s commission was given when Jesus appeared suddenly to the eleven whilst they were eating. God can give you a momentous message even whilst you are eating. Each of the apostles repeated the Great Commission because they were the last words of Jesus Christ to us all. Make yourselves saviours of men!
The Great Commission is a commission to go. Jesus said, “Go! Go!” These were His last words. These words have been disobeyed by a large percentage of the church.
The opposite of “going” is “staying”! The exact opposite of going somewhere is settling down. The exact opposite of going somewhere is establishing yourself somewhere else. What a nice and settled church we have today! There is very little movement, very little missionary work, very little evangelism and very little church planting.
What is the greatest characteristic of the present-day church? It is a church of pleasant feelings, pleasant meetings, pleasant songs, pleasant conferences and pleasant prospects. These are not people who want to go anywhere! These are not people that are going anywhere!
The Great Commission is a commission to specifically preach the Gospel. Jesus said, “Preach the gospel!” Preach the good news of Jesus Christ! That is the gospel! “Gospel” means “good news.” The news of Jesus Christ and the cross of Jesus Christ is the best news this world has ever heard.
Today, most pastors do not know how to preach the gospel. We can teach on prosperity, abundance, success, faith and miracles but few can actually preach the gospel.