TL;DR:
Edward Lawlor said, “If God’s love is for anybody anywhere, it’s for everybody everywhere.” That's an echo of Jesus’ command in Mark 16:15 to share the Good News with all creation. The Great Commission isn’t optional—it’s a global mandate found throughout the New Testament. God’s love isn’t selective, and neither should our mission be. Whether by going, giving, praying, or supporting in other ways, every believer must be involved in reaching everyone, everywhere. This mission has eternal significance.
“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’”
Contemporary English Bible translations express the worldwide scope of Mark 16:15 in several ways:
No doubt about it: We followers of King Jesus are a commissioned people. That is clear from the mandate in Mark 16:15 to proclaim the Good News throughout the world. We delude ourselves if we view involvement in world evangelism as simply an optional add-on to the Christian life.
In one form or another, the command to go everywhere and tell everyone appears in all four Gospels as well as in Acts (Matthew 28:19–20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46–48, John 20:21, and Acts 1:8). Its appearance in all four Gospels and Acts underscores the importance the early church placed on Jesus’ worldwide mission. Over the last 200 years, that command has come to be known as the “Great Commission.”
Mark is the shortest Gospel, containing only 16 chapters compared with Matthew’s 28. It omits several events reported elsewhere, including Jesus’ birth and childhood. The presence of a worldwide commission in its traditional ending therefore gives that command considerable prominence.
To be sure, some of the oldest Greek manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel end at verse 8, and Bible scholars debate whether verses 9–20 were part of the original text. That question does not diminish the biblical basis of the Great Commission. Jesus gives the same basic command elsewhere: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21); “you will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8); and “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
We must not ignore the Great Commission or try to explain it away. It was a major concern of the New Testament writers. Dare we place less importance on it than they did?
How can believers today carry out the Great Commission? It certainly includes going to the ends of the earth. It can also include giving financial support, praying for world evangelism, creating materials that awaken missionary interest, telling missionary stories to children, or mentoring young people who sense a call to missionary service.
A million years in the future, most of the things that take up our time and energy now won't matter much. What will matter is whether people are with their Creator or separated from Him in hell. This means that whether or not we carry out the Great Commission will matter for all of eternity.
"If God's love is for anybody anywhere, it's for everybody everywhere." — Edward Lawlor [ more ]
— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
This blog on a world missions Bible passage is one of more than three dozen articles in the "Heart of God" series published in Engage magazine. That series looks at what the Bible says about missions.
The 15–20 words of Mark 16:15 offer important lessons for followers of Jesus:
It is a mistake to think that evangelism is only public preaching or handing out gospel tracts. Evangelism today takes many forms—personal relationships, digital media, humanitarian work, art, music, and more. It is often relational, long-term, and contextually sensitive.
E - Evangelize with love and light,
V - Voice the truth both day and night.
E - Each soul matters — none too small,
R - Reach the lost with Heaven’s call.
Y - You are sent to share God’s grace,
O - Over land and sea to every place.
N - Never fear to boldly speak,
E - Even when the world seems bleak.
Like acrostics? Here are more of them.
