Text: Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16.  One of the great themes of the Bible is evangelism and missions. Even in the Old Testament, the Jews were supposed tell others about the  One True God.  We  see this theme elaborated  more in the New Testament.

All throughout the Old Testament, a Redeemer was promised. There are  prophecies  starting in Genesis 3:15 through Malachi  about the promised Messiah.

The Apostle Paul told us in Galatians 4:4, that God sent forth His  Son. Jesus was  born, lived and  died for our  sins and was  resurrected according to the Scriptures (I Cor. 15:3-4). After the  resurrection He gave the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16), first of all to the  Eleven Disciples and then to us today.

In Acts 1:8-9 we read of His ascension into Heaven after  He gave them the  commission  to start  where they were with the  preaching  of the Gospel and then spread out to other lands.  This  should be our  pattern for  missions. Some are called to be  foreign  missionaries, while some are  called  to be  missionaries  here in the  USA, and  ALL of us are called to be  missionaries in our “world,” our circle of influence. Why should we  be involved?

It Is A Command From The Lord. Jesus gave the Great Commission and  has  entrusted with us the privilege of soul-winning.

It Is In The Plan of God (2 Peter 3:9) We see the patience and  long-suffering of God in this passage (Praise God! For if He was  not  patient, none of us would be  here today as   saved believers in the Risen Lord). God  desires that all be  saved and  has provided through Jesus the way to salvation–but we   know that many will not  accept Him. People are lost  without Christ.

If We Are Saved, We Will Want To Help Others Find Him! We have been called out of  darkness into the marvelous light of the Gospel (Col. 1:12-14).  Because we have   found the light, we  must help others (Evangelism and Missions) find the Light–start where you are. Missions are  both individual and  corporate, local and  world-wide.  We  must let our light  shine in a way that will bring God  glory (Matthew 5:16).

Jesus Is Coming Again! We have the  promises throughout the New Testament  that He is personally  coming back for us. This should be a  motivation for us  to be  involved in soul-winning and  missions. How should the fact that Jesus could come at any  moment motivate us? We must be ready at all times and  be  active in His service. We  must  be  found seeking the  lost and  strengthening the saved. The More we learn about Jesus and  His Church and His Word, the  more  we will be  mission-minded. Christianity is a  here and  now religion (Titus 2:11-14). While we  watch and  wait for His  coming, we  must be active in His  service, thus, we will be  involved in  Missions and Evangelism!