Title: Preach the Gospel, Mark 16:14-18
Contents
Preach the Gospel, Mark 16:14-18
Jesus died on the cross for us and rose on the third day to give us eternal life. And the resurrected Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples. However, some of the disciples did not believe even when they saw the resurrection of Jesus. Today's text is what Jesus is saying to such disciples. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature!" This is the great command of Jesus. We, who have been saved and called by the grace of Jesus, have to work hard just like the disciples.
Then who are you, the object Jesus commanded here? It is the disciples who rebuked them for their lack of faith and hardness of heart in verse 14. To these disciples, Jesus entrusted the heavy responsibility of preaching the gospel. The more important it is, the more trustworthy and powerful it is, the more he gave this mission to the disciples who did not believe in his own resurrection. Even if our faith is lacking and our hearts are hardened at this time, Jesus calls us and calls us. I believe you are there.
Paul confesses this fact in 1 Timothy 1:10. “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he has counted me faithful, and has entrusted me with the ministry.
This kind of God's grace comes with responsibility. There is a reason why Jesus chose his disciples by grace. It is to spread the gospel to all people. In any community, you must be responsible in it to have a purpose in yourself. God has a purpose for bringing Christians into the world. That is to preach the gospel. Therefore, Christians are responsible beings who have received grace. We must take on these responsibilities. Then who are we to preach the gospel to? This is all people in the world. We must preach the gospel to all people who are born of God but are under the wrath of God because of their sins.
Then why should we preach the gospel? What is the Gospel?
The gospel is the power of salvation. Jesus died for us on the cross and rose again to give us eternal life. This is the gospel. Believing this is what makes me a person of the gospel. We believe in the gospel not only to gain us wealth and honor. The gospel is Jesus Christ. It was not because of our flesh or material that Jesus Christ suffered on the cross. Truly, it was to give eternal life to all people in this world so that we could enter the eternal kingdom of God.
Jesus described himself this way. “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Yes. Jesus is our way, the way of all life. The gospel is the path that all mankind must follow, the path of the heart, the path of peace, and the path to heaven. The way home is the way we go, step by step. Jesus is the Lord Emmanuel, who becomes the way for us, takes our hand, leads us to the kingdom of God, and is with us. Jesus is the truth. It is the truth that sets us free. Also, the gospel is life. There is no passing from death to life without Jesus. The ultimate goal of man's saving is life. If you gain the world and lose your life, you are nothing. Christianity is the religion of life.
The church is an instrument of mission. The church established as the body of the Lord on this earth is a missionary community. The church is a witness of the gospel. The church is a responsible entity to live up to the will of the Lord. Evangelism is not a means to grow the church or a means to expand the church. Evangelism is a spiritual battle and a holy war. I believe that this is what Jesus said to his disciples before his resurrection and ascension into heaven, that is, to us and to our glory church.
Now is the time for us to respond to the word of the Lord. The Lord expects obedience from us. What we need to know clearly is that there are lives that are dying even at this time because they do not know Jesus who is life. Like Isaiah's confession, we too, "Here I am, send me. I will go."
I pray that you will become a witness of Jesus who testifies of the gospel to my family, my work, my friends, and my compatriots.