“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all
creation.”
—Jesus
An acquaintance once said to me, "Don't answer questions that people don't ask."
At first it sounded smart and thought provoking. But now, though it might fit in some post modern book or blog, it falls flat to the floor. Empty words.
What did Jesus command His disciples to do just before He ascended up to Heaven?
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." (Mark 16:15).
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." (Mark 16:15).
He didn't send them out telling them to not answer questions that people don't ask. He didn't tell them to go into all the world and wow the people through scientific debate or philosophy. He didn't command them to persuade the world with intellectual arguments of worldly, humanistic wisdom.
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all
creation.”
If you read the bible and study what Jesus did and taught, He spoke the good news of salvation in Him, to the hearts and spirits of people. Broken, lost, hurting people—even if they didn't think they were lost, hurting and broken. He never tried to wow people with the statistical probability of Him fulfilling even just eight messianic prophecies concerning Himself.
To many today, the words, "Preach the gospel" sound outdated and old fashioned. It makes some people who call themselves Christians squirm. They think what worked in the past will no longer work with this modern generation. They think people today need to be swayed by hip music and philosophical reasoning. And we wonder why so many people seem unresponsive to the message that many churches are sending out.
Do you know what the "Gospel" is? The Apostle Paul writes;
“I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which
also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if
you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For
I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that
He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians
15:3-4)
This is the Gospel in a nutshell. However, for a very detailed overview of this all important topic, check out this excellent article at Christianity Today called, "What is The Gospel?"
We must get back to the Bible. If you don't know the Scriptures concerning Jesus, you can't effectively speak the Truth in love to the people who need it most. I recently heard someone say, "Jesus is just really a cool Guy to hang with." And while that may be true, that won't save anyone's soul.
People need to know who Jesus Christ really is—God Himself.
People need to know why Jesus came to earth—to save them from their sins.
People need to know why He had to die on the Cross—to pay the penalty for their sins.
People need to know why Jesus rose from the grave—to prove that He defeated death.
Do you really want to help people?
Preach the Gospel.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
(John 3:16)
—God is Love and Love Never Fails
