Time is running out. That may sound dramatic, but it is the reality that followers of Jesus are called to sit with. The Great Commission is not a suggestion for the spiritually gifted few. It is a charge for every believer, in every season, in every place they find themselves.
Are We Living in the Last Days?
In Matthew 24, the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked Him when the end would come and what signs would signal His return. Jesus did not give them a date. He gave them a description.
He spoke of wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution, false prophets, and a love that would grow cold in many. And then He said this:
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." - Matthew 24:14 English Standard Version (ESV)
When the writers of the New Testament were putting pen to paper, they believed they were living in the last days. That urgency never left them. And it should not leave us either.
Nobody knows the exact hour. Jesus made that clear in Matthew 24:36: "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." - Matthew 24:36 English Standard Version (ESV)
Think of it like a giant hourglass in heaven. The top is completely covered. You cannot see how much sand is left. But the sand is running out. And we are closer to the end today than we were yesterday.
So the question is not whether the end is coming. The question is: what are we going to do about it?
What Did Jesus Actually Call His Disciples to Do?
In Luke 5, Jesus stepped into Simon Peter's boat after a long, fruitless night of fishing. He told Peter to go out into the deep and let down the nets. Peter obeyed, and the catch was so massive the nets began to tear.
And then Jesus said something that changed everything: "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." - Luke 5:10 English Standard Version (ESV)
What happened next is worth pausing on. Peter and his partners had just caught the greatest haul of their lives. Financial security was sitting right there in the boat. And yet Scripture says they immediately left everything and followed Jesus.
They did not say, "Let me sell the fish first." They did not say, "Let me get my life in order." They did not say, "I need more training before I'm ready." They went. Immediately.
That word matters. Because often when Jesus asks us to do something, He is asking us to do it when He asks, not when it becomes comfortable or convenient.
The Great Commission Is for Every Believer
At the end of His time on earth, Jesus made His expectations clear:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20 English Standard Version (ESV)
This is what we call the Great Commission. And it is not reserved for pastors, missionaries, or people with seminary degrees. It is the calling of every person who follows Jesus.
The pattern is simple:
- Find people who are not yet in the family of God.
- Bring them into the family of God.
- Disciple them and equip them to do the same.
That is it. That is the mission.
Why Do So Many Christians Never Lead Anyone to Jesus?
Here is a sobering thought: most people who call themselves Christians will never lead another person to Jesus. Not because they do not care, but because they keep waiting for someone else to do it.
We pray for God to reach our city. We pray for God to send someone to our neighbor, our coworker, our classmate. And all the while, God is asking a quiet but piercing question: are you asking Me to send someone else into the mission field that I already sent you into?
God has placed you exactly where you are on purpose. Your workplace, your neighborhood, your school, your grocery store, your gym. Those are not random locations. They are your mission field.
"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest field." - Matthew 9:37-38 English Standard Version (ESV)
You are the laborer He is talking about.
What If They Reject Me?
It is a fair concern. What if your neighbor thinks you are strange? What if your coworker pulls away? What if it gets awkward?
But flip the question around. What if they say yes? What if their household changes? What if they go on to lead someone else to Jesus? What if the ripple effect of one conversation reaches further than you could ever imagine?
The risk of saying nothing is far greater than the risk of saying something.
Romans 10:14 puts it plainly: "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" - Romans 10:14 English Standard Version (ESV)
Someone has to say something. That someone is you.
You Do Not Have to Be a Preacher to Share Jesus
Teenagers with no formal training are walking into public schools and leading dozens, sometimes hundreds, of their peers to Christ. Not because they have all the answers. But because they are willing to open their mouths and share what Jesus has done in their lives.
If a seventeen-year-old can stand up in a school gymnasium and preach the gospel, you can say something to the person sitting next to you at lunch.
You do not need a title. You do not need a platform. You need a willingness to speak and a trust that the Holy Spirit will do the rest.
What Does a Life on Mission Actually Look Like?
It looks like pausing before you leave a restaurant to pray for your server and asking if you can share something with them. It looks like noticing the person in the checkout line who seems defeated and saying a kind word that opens a door. It looks like being the coworker who is known for something different, something hopeful, something real.
It is not about having a scripted presentation. It is about carrying a genuine burden for the people around you and being willing to act on it.
Ask the Holy Spirit to give you names and faces. Ask Him to burden your heart for the people in your life who do not yet know Jesus. And then when He does, do not wait. Go.
Life Application
This week, identify one person in your life who does not know Jesus. It might be a neighbor, a coworker, a family member, or someone you see regularly but have never spoken to about faith. Pray for them by name every day this week. Then take one step toward them, whether that is a conversation, an invitation, or simply letting them know you are praying for them.
The greatest thing you can do with your life is lead someone to Jesus. The time to start is not someday. It is now.
Ask yourself:
- Is there someone in my life I have been meaning to share Jesus with but keep putting off?
- Am I asking God to send someone else to do what He has already called me to do?
- What is one practical step I can take this week to be a laborer in the harvest field God has placed me in?