Go Ye!

Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

Such a simple verse.....just a few words.... but the implications of this verse(as it is with any verse) is enormous as you unpack it

Now we need to qualify who the "You" it is both us as individuals and us and a church.

I know there are times that we don’t feel that this applies to us PERSONALLY .... Think about it... It’s the great commission The "GREAT" Commission. We don’t think of ourselves as being able to accomplish great things....we’re just ordinary folk. This doesn’t apply to us, it only applies to the missionary, the evangelists, the preachers we don’t feel that we have the gifts..... we don’t have the tools. But I have to tell you, it wasn’t just Billy Graham that was there listening. It wasn’t just ....William Carey, Hudson Taylor, Livingstone......BILLY Sunday, DL Moody.

When God says go He is talking to us as individuals and us as the church .....go preach the good news to everyone. ALL of us!

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

No matter where we go , no matter what we do...we are always bearing witness.....whether you know it or folks are watching you. Why do you smile? Why are you content? Why are you able to handle problems and setbacks the way you do?

1 Pet 3:15) "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

And what is that Hope that lies within you?? JESUS CHRIST

And when you share that with folks you are sharing that good news.... It’s something we ought to be doing everyday naturally

Many time we lose that focus, we lose sight of that goal

ILLUSTRATION OF THE FIREMAN STORY

"I’m the head of the this Committee", that’s what I do, "I take care of the church building" or maintenance, "I do the church’s book work"

So many times we say "I take care of -----. Don’t get me wrong....all these things are necessary but sometimes we take that service that we render, and use that to say that we are too busy...

(John 15:8) "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."

I know that it’s a scary thing to do, but God would never send us to do what we are not able to do. God never asks us to do anything that he hasn’t given us the power to do.

(Col 1:28-29) "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. {29} To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me."

We are not to worry ... the message is the Lord’s and the power comes from Him!

Now, we go not only as individuals, BUT THE The body must go

Not only does he mean you as an individual, but you as a body, as a church, as believers, as a unit working perfectly together.

My wife knows me for what I am. She knows that I’m like a little child easily amused by some of the simplest things. I can remember coming back from... Chicago airport??.......long time ago and there was one of these...I don’t know what you would call it... it was enclosed in plexiglass...it was huge it was about 10 feet on each side, It was a series of rails and buckets, and ramps and little Curley ques things and, and what would happen is a little ball would start rolling down the ramp, and ...........

All the parts have to be there...the little up and down guy, the solid part that holds everything together, everything working in perfect harmony, everything moving at just the right time.

Wouldn’t it be neat if that was the way all churches worked? We should! No egos ... no struggles... no disagreements... just keeping the main thing the main thing

(1 Cor 12:12) "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ."

I love Paul’s analogy of the body in I Cor 2, the hand..... the foot... How would it be if the one foot wanted to go here, and head wanted to go there...you’d be walking like me. It’s that beautiful way that Paul puts it.

We are all part of the same body functioning together to accomplish a common goal. And within the body there is a diversity of gifts!