And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

                                                                                                               Mark 16:15-16 

As we close out our study in the Gospel of Mark, we see the church’s single focus, to “preach the gospel to all creation.” We often think about this as a broad-based mission and it is. But in order for the church to fulfill this mission, individual Christians have to be committed and engaged.

Consider a sports team that has as their goal to win a championship. The goal itself is a good one and worth the effort of the individuals on the team. The coaches play the role of instructing the team and guiding them in a game plan, practices, and others regiments designed to give the athletes the best opportunity to achieve the goal of winning. But the instruction of the coaches is not enough. With the goal in place and the leadership of the coaching staff, success will still be determined by the individual commitment and effort of the individual athletes on the team. If the athletes make the appropriate sacrifices and dedicate themselves to achieving the overall goal, winning the championship can become a reality for the team. But without that commitment and dedication, accomplishing the goal will be quite difficult.

The same is true for the church. God has placed leaders in the church to equip the members in order to do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13). These leaders act as coaches for the rest of the church. They plan, instruct, and guide in such a way that the members will be prepared for maximum effectiveness in accomplishing the goal of sharing the gospel with the world. But having this broad-based mission, given by Christ Himself, does not mean that the church will automatically be effective. Along with the mission and the God-given leadership, the sharing of the gospel requires the commitment and dedication of the members. Just like dedication from the athletes is required for the team to excel, Christians must be devoted to the purpose of sharing the good news to all creation. Paul put it this way:

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 

                                                                                                2 Corinthians 5:18-20

It’s hard to miss the focus of this passage, the reconciliation of mankind to God. First, we have to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. It is impossible to give away something that we ourselves do not have. Unrepentant, non-believers cannot share the gospel since they themselves have not received salvation through Christ. So we first must be saved ourselves.

Secondly, we are to share that experience with those around us who are without Christ. Jesus has given to the church the ministry of reconciliation. That means that we should desire to see people reconciled to God. Every person has a choice to make regarding the gospel (whether they will believe or not) but we are not to focus on the decision of the individual rather we should make sure that we have clearly and concisely communicated the gospel to them.

Lastly, this mission makes the church ambassadors for Christ. We are His representatives on earth. When someone observes the life of a believer, they should see Christ. As imperfect people, we often fail in this representation, but everyday gives us new opportunities to correctly and effectively serve and represent our Savior.

How dedicated are you to the proposition of sharing the gospel with others? Is serving Christ at the center of your life? Take some time today to evaluate your level of commitment to the preaching of the gospel to all creation. Make a commitment to use your gifts and talents for the proclamation of the gospel. You just might affect the eternity of someone around you!