“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
Jesus’ last command on earth was to go and make disciples of all the nations. But what does that look like? Are we all called to travel across the world to make disciples?
While many people are called to overseas missions, many people are not. If you aren’t called to overseas missions, that doesn’t mean that you are disobeying Jesus’ command. Making disciples of all nations can look like you spreading the gospel exactly where you are.
So, if this is Jesus’ last command to us while he was on earth, why is it so hard to share the good news?
When I was in high school, I remember taking an Apologetics class. We studied why we believed what we believed and how to converse with people who didn’t believe in God. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very important to know what you believe and why you believe it. But, as a high schooler, I took this to mean I needed to pass the test or know all the right answers before I could share my faith. In my mind, I truly believed that every person I encountered would be a hardcore atheist like the ones whose arguments we studied in class. Because of this, I felt a lot of pressure and would enter evangelistic conversations with an attitude of timidity.
In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul reminds us of this: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
I was operating out of fear instead of fully trusting in God. I was putting all the pressure on myself and my own abilities instead of surrendering those fears to God and trusting him in those moments.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 can help us truly understand what it means and looks like to share our faith:
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
Paul, the apostle of Jesus and one of the greatest evangelists in the New Testament, says that he came to Corinth and preached the gospel “in weakness with great fear and trembling.”
Even in Paul’s weakness, God used Paul to preach the gospel.
In our weakness, God is glorified. Sharing the gospel isn’t about eloquence or having all of the right answers. It’s about being faithful with every opportunity God has given us and obeying Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples.” It’s about trusting that if you step out in faith, God will use that.
It’s not our job to change the hearts of people, only God can do that.
Today, what would it look like for you to step out boldly in your faith and share the gospel? Who has Jesus laid on your heart to share his good news with?
I want to encourage you to boldly share the good news of Jesus and watch what he does when you do.
Kali Gibson is the editor-in-chief for So We Speak and a copywriter for the Youversion Bible App.