COLUMN: Our mission is to 'go and tell' the gospel

 Richard Sharp said, “We can never turn the world upside down until we’ve turned the church inside out.”

The people observed the early church in the book of Acts and said, "These men who have upset the world have come here also" (17:6). The early church had just a handful of people, no buildings and no budget, nothing except a zeal for the Lord. How did they turn the world upside down? Because they turned the church inside out.

There are millions of Americans who do not know Jesus Christ as savior. How will we reach these people? We must turn the church inside out. We will never reach them if all we do is gather for worship on Sunday. Many of them will never come to our church services. We must go to where they are.

Billy Graham says there are three motives for Christians to tell others about Jesus. First, he says that the love of Christ should compel us (II Corinthians 5:14). The greatest thing we can do for another person is to tell them about Jesus Christ.

The approaching judgment is a second reason to tell others about Christ (II Corinthians 5:10-11). Do you feel something is about to happen? There is – the judgment.

Paul says that we are all going to have to stand before Christ to be judged. We must help all we can to be prepared for that.

Billy Graham says our third motive for telling others about Jesus is because we are commanded by our Lord. In all four gospels and the Book of Acts we are commanded by our Lord to “go and tell.”

We do not have an option but a command. Our Lord promises to be with us as we go and tell.