The Saviour commissioned His disciples to go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. How very comprehensive, how all-embracing was that command. By it the Apostles were directed to go everywhere preaching the gospel of the kingdom. No longer were the Gentile nations to be left out. By the coming of Christ and His death on Calvary the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile was broken down. By Him both Jews and Gentiles were now to have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
How fully the disciples obeyed their divine Master the subsequent New Testament history reveals. The task to which they were sent — the evangelisation of the nations — would have been impossible had not the Lord sent them and promised to bless them. With the Lord, however, nothing shall be impossible. In the strength of Divine grace they went forth and by the blessing of the Lord this small band of Christ’s followers fulfilled their commission to earn at the end of the day their Master’s approval: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant . . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
But why did the Lord command His servants to go into all the world? It was because the purposes of God with regard to the salvation of sinners had respect to all nations and kindreds and tongues. There was to be a people gathered out of all nations who would be to the praise of the glory of His grace eternally. Again, they must go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature because there was but one Saviour provided for all mankind. Christ was to be a light to lighten the Gentiles as well as the glory of His people Israel. Only by faith in the Divine Redeemer could sinners, Jew and Gentile alike, be saved from their sins. The gospel therefore must be preached for the obedience to the faith of all nations.
But let us ask ourselves — Is the commission divinely given so long ago still to be obeyed or are we to regard it as of no binding force in the 20th century on the Christian Church? It is still binding; and if it is to be fulfilled by the Church of God in this present age, it is necessary that faithful servants of the Lord be raised up, men burdened with a genuine concern for the souls of their fellowmen, and for the dark places of the earth.
In the light of this how should we be exercised? We ought to plead with the Lord that He would raise up witnesses for Himself in this dark day — “The harvest truly is great but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He would send forth labourers into His harvest.” When the Lord will raise up faithful servants for Himself in answer to the prayer of His believing people, then also will He fulfil the promises of His Word concerning the extension of His kingdom among all nations.
“All ends of th’ earth remember shall,
And turn the Lord unto:
All kindreds of the nations
to him shall homage do.”