Mark 16:15-18 – A Job to Do
Jesus now gives His followers a job to do. They are to preach the gospel to all the world – not just Jews. They are to tell everyone of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and what that means. Wherever they go, they are to take the gospel; if they can’t go to a certain area, they are to send others there. They are to make it the whole business of their lives to send the gospel everywhere.
They are to set before men and women a choice of life or death. If they believe in Jesus, that He came to earth, that He died on the cross, and rose from the dead, if they repent of their sins, ask for His forgiveness, and turn their lives over to Him, they will be saved from sin and eternal death. Baptism will be the sign and seal that they are part of God’s family. But if they don’t believe, if they continue in their sins, rejecting and hating God, they will die an eternal death in hell. This is the choice that all of Jesus’ followers are responsible to set before men and women.
God gives the early church the ability to do many signs and miracles. These will be proof that their authority and the things they say come from God. Now we have the complete Word of God that we use, instead of signs and miracles, to prove whether or not what someone is saying comes from God.
Questions
- Who are we to tell about the Gospel?
- What are the two choices people have?
- How do we know if what somebody says is what God says?
Prayer Points
- Pray that we would speak to our neighbours about Jesus.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.