"And Jesus came 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 of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen." (Matthew 28:18-20)
The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded all who believe in Him to go and make disciples of Him from all kinds of people wherever they may be. This command, famously known as the Great Commission, has sparked millions of Christians going and preaching the Gospel to others.
Many Christians, however, feel like they can never preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ for so many reasons, some of which stem from wrong beliefs, fear, or a low level of self-esteem. They think they are not "called" to preach the Gospel.
With that in mind, I'd like us to talk about this important matter. Can everyone preach the Gospel? Or is preaching limited to only a select few who have what it takes to preach?
Let's find out.
An all-consuming commission
When the Lord Jesus Christ gave that command, He was addressing the disciples, a small rag-tag bunch of men who had followed Him, abandoned Him (except for one), and followed Him again. I'm sure we think of these disciples as a group who had tremendous faith, but they didn't. (see Matthew 28:17)
They were imperfect humans just like any of us, but they were commissioned to preach the Gospel. Some of us might think that they have something pretty special in them that qualified them for the task of preaching the Gospel of Christ, but in fact, they don't.
What it takes to preach the Gospel
Preaching the Gospel need not be a difficult thing. One doesn't need a degree of some sort of formal training for it. While trainings and degrees can certainly help, all we need is to know the Gospel and what God has done for us.
Think about it. Peter and some of the disciples were mere fishermen who had no training. All they had was a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, which we have if we confess to believe and follow Him.
That said, here are some things that we need to have, just like the disciples did:
Jesus as our Lord to follow:
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
His command to obey:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you..."
His word to teach us:
"...all things that I have commanded you..."
His empowerment that enables:
"and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen."
Friends, we are given the great honor of telling the world about our God and what He has done for us. Let us not cower from that.
