THE GREAT COMMISSION: Evangelism in Real Life

“Then He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15

Notice that Jesus said, “Go into all the world” and not “Go into all the church”. I used to think the Great Commission only applied to pastors or international missionaries, which I am neither. What changed everything for me was a research study.

A number of years ago, a study on city population to church attendance found that if everyone in every major city wanted to go to church there wouldn’t be enough churches to accommodate everyone. In an instant I realized that we can’t wait for people to go to church, we have to bring the church to them. We have to BE the church in every moment, situation, room, and opportunity.

In this study’s scenario, there’s an audience who couldn’t fit in a local church if they wanted to, there’s another audience that knows they need God, but refuse to go to church because of church hurt, misconceptions, etc. and still third audience that have trouble seeing God in a traditional Sunday service, but can at coffee shops, concerts, in nature, and more because that’s their context. God is big enough, gracious enough, and powerful enough to meet people where they are. The Gospel can be contextualized through any avenue and still hold its integrity without diluting its truth.

Evangelism isn’t just pulpit ministry or street preaching on a soapbox with a megaphone. It’s everyday life. It’s being present, kind, intentional, and Spirit-led in conversations about Christ with coworkers, friends, baristas, and strangers. You are a carrier of the Gospel wherever you go. Think of it as everyone you meet is suffering from dehydration and you have unlimited access to cool, refreshing, life giving water for their soul.

It’s not your pastor’s responsibility

The job of a pastor is to shepherd the flock and equip saints for the work of the ministry. What happens on Sunday - the singing, preaching, praying, is necessary, but is a short reach that often does not extend throughout the week. If you think “If I can invite them to my church, they can hear my pastor preach the Gospel, then they’ll be saved” then you’ve lost the plot.

It’s your responsibility. You’ve been equipped, discipled, rooted, and called for such a time as this. Don’t pawn it off to someone else you think is qualified, because the one qualified is you. Share the Gospel through whatever context is fitting at the time, take a stranger out for coffee, hear their story, share your story, and watch how God works in and through your life.

FOUNDATION PROMPTS:

• How can you reflect Jesus where you already are?

• Who might God be prompting you to connect with?

• When was the last time you shared the Gospel with someone outside of a church building setting?