Jesus commissions us to live and share the gospel, and this implies both a pressing need and a great sense of urgency. With the gospel as the only means of salvation for humanity and faced with the reality of sin, suffering and death that characterizes this post-modern age in which we live, the people of God must redirect their pastoral work in the light of this divine mandate:
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 18-20 NASB)
The whole word for the whole world means: preaching the gospel to the unreached without adding to or taking away from Jesus’ message; edifying all believers with all teachings in the Scriptures to become true Christian disciples; worshiping the one and only God in all time, place and circumstance, and opposing all idolatry which is sin; fellowshipping with one another as a sign and testimony of unity, overcoming cultural, racial, and linguistic barriers so the world will believe in Jesus; and serving our neighbors in order to transform their lives and surroundings.
Jesus sends us to carry out the totality of the redemptive mission. It is not a privilege for some, but a responsibility for all. We must go to the whole world, with the whole message from God’s word, knowing that He is with us all days—always, even to the end of the age.
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