Imagine a deadly disease outbreak in a community, and a cure is placed in the hands of a group of people with one clear instruction: distribute it to everyone before time runs out.
It’s time to get to work, but instead of going, some begin to assume that others in the group will get the job done.
As obvious as it is that this should be handled with urgency, that no one should be standing idle while lives are at stake, this is often how we, as believers, treat the gospel.

We delay and sit back, waiting for a more convenient time, waiting for perfect conditions, a bigger platform, or the “right” moment. We assume it’s the responsibility of a few, like the pastors, church leaders, etc.
But it was never meant to be so.

In today’s devotional, we will be discussing God’s mandate to believers, popularly known as the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:19-20
New King James Version
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus gave this instruction to His disciples, and by extension, to us. It is not called the Great Suggestion or the Great Plea; it is the Great Commission.
It is also important to understand that this was not a command for a select few; it was given to the entire body of Christ.
This instruction is for every believer, and every believer has a part to play.
You may not stand on a pulpit or go on a formal missionary trip, but you have a role in spreading the gospel. As believers, we have been given the ministry of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20
New King James Version
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 

The moment we received salvation, we not only received new life; we also became ambassadors for Christ. God, after reconciling us to Himself, gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 
He committed to us the word of reconciliation, which is the gospel.

We are now to stretch our hands towards the unbelievers, be the representatives of the kingdom as ambassadors of Christ.
Our assignment is to proclaim that message of reconciliation and ensure that God’s Kingdom is represented well on the earth. An ambassador does not remain silent about the kingdom he represents, and neither should we.
We have been sent with a message and a responsibility to make Him known to the very ends of the earth.

Mark 16:15
New King James Version
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

As much as we get busy with other things in our natural lives, as much as we get busy with serving the Lord in other areas, we must not forget that the primary assignment of God to us, the primary purpose of the believer, is to proclaim the message of salvation.
Just as an earthly ambassador places the will of the nation they represent above their own, you also are called to put God’s will first in all things.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 
New King James Version
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

This is God’s will: to see all men saved. And as His children, we are to carry out His desire by fulfilling the instruction to go out. It is a mandate and instruction we must choose every day to obey.
We cannot delegate a certain time to when we would carry out this instruction.
We must open our eyes to see all men saved.

Matthew 9:37-38 
New King James Version
37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

We are to continually be labourers, there are souls out there hungry for the message of the gospel, seeking peace and help from sources other than God and if we can just be the light they need, if we can just stretch out the solution they so desperately find: the saving grace of Jesus.

When we understand that the world around us is suffering from the symptoms of sin and separation from God, and we carry the cure to this dying world, it will shift our evangelism from what we do only when convenient to an urgent mission. It becomes a mission we pursue daily, not something we postpone to next month, next year, or when we are done with the busy things in our lives.

The Great Commission is not reserved for pastors or missionaries; it is for all believers, wherever you find yourself. Whether in your office, on your social media timeline, or in your neighbourhood, you are positioned as an ambassador of God. If we truly understand the desire of God to see all men saved, then we must step into our roles as ambassadors and stewards of the ministry of reconciliation.

Prayer Point
Lord, I recognize my role as an ambassador of Your kingdom to the nations. Help me Father, to carry out your instruction to preach the gospel daily with the utmost dedication which it requires.