Go, and Tell!

Many today view the early church as a group of people who were loved by everybody and who were blessed by God with growth and excitement at every turn! Apparently, they have never read the book of Acts or the letters to the churches in the New Testament. It was only by the grace of God through the work of the Holy Spirit in believers that the early church survived the first century of its existence, let alone the centuries of persecution, false doctrine and trials that followed. Yet, in the midst of all this, the true Church not only survived but spread throughout the world because there were those who understood that they had a mission from Christ, their Savior and Lord, to proclaim the truth of the Gospel to all peoples, to all nations. Following His resurrection, Jesus said to the disciples, “As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). Known to us as the “Great Commission, ” Jesus said to His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations …” (Matthew 28:18). It was clear from the very beginning of the “church age” that the Church did not exist for itself or for its own purposes, but rather, for the spread of God’s kingdom through the proclamation of the Gospel, the “telling of the good news!” Only by GOING and TELLING can the Church today fulfill our calling and bring glory to the God who “called us out of the darkness and into His marvelous light!”