Go Ye, Means Go Me?
Evangelism is a work that is commanded by
the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."(Mt 28:18-20) To
whom is the command "go ye" to refer to?
Did it only refer to the Apostles? If that were the case then evangelism
would have ceased by the beginning of the second century A.D. This command must
have a broader context than that.
Ivan Stewart wrote a book on evangelism called, "Go Ye, Means Go Me." On page 2, he writes, "Will Christians be surprised to learn at the judgment that the Lord really meant what He said when he commanded His followers to 'go' as well as to be 'baptized.'"
Again we must emphasize that we are also
commanded to "teach all nations," and to "baptize."
This must have seemed like a daunting task to first-century disciples, and to
many, it still is today. Daunting, though it may seem, we are still
commanded to follow Jesus' commands. If we fail to do His will, we will
not please Him. If we do not please Him we will also be found as
unfaithful, and the unfaithful will not receive the crown of life (cf.
Revelation 2:10b). May we all do our part to participate in evangelism.
Paul