Imagine a first-century advertising consultant offering to help Jesus promote His resurrection.

“Are you going to show yourself to the emperor in Rome?” the consultant asks. “What about the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem? Please tell me you’ll at least appear to Pilate.”

The risen Lord says He appeared to His followers and family members, but the consultant points out that the disciples abandoned Jesus, while some relatives doubted Him.

“I’ve asked them to tell others about me and what I did for them,” Jesus responds. “Those who hear the good news will also share it, and my story will eventually spread to the ends of the earth.”

Skeptical, the consultant asks, “But what if they grow weary? What if those who come after them forget? What if they don’t keep the testimony alive? What is your backup plan?”

“I haven’t made any other plans,” Jesus says. “I’m counting on them.”

Jesus is still counting on believers to continue the work of reconciling the world to himself. We are the carriers of the Great Commission.

Amid the darkness and violence of this present age, it’s easy to wonder whether such a bold mission can endure. The natural reaction is to retreat and hope for better days.

But God does not call the Church to retreat. Our mission is to advance the gospel — not despite the darkness, but through faith in a Savior who has already defeated it.

Our mission is to advance the gospel — not despite the darkness, but through faith in a Savior who has already defeated it.

Jesus said the end times would be difficult. “Because of the increase of wickedness,” He warned, “the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).

In 2 Timothy 3:1, the apostle Paul likewise said, “There will be terrible times in the last days” (2 Timothy 3:1).

Paul added, “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (verses 2–4).

This isn’t pessimistic speculation, but prophetic insight and an accurate description of today’s world.

Yet Jesus declared, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

When the world grows darker, the light of the gospel shines brighter.

Opposition is not a new challenge. In the Book of Acts, church leaders faced imprisonment, flogging, stoning, and even execution.

As the end of this age draws near, so does the pressing urgency of the Church’s mission. Spiritual warfare rages around the globe. Missionaries face intense resistance, and the window of opportunity in some nations appears to be closing.

In these tumultuous times, ministers of the gospel must stay the course by seeing the need, understanding the method, and submitting to God’s authority.

Seeing the Need

Romans 10:13–14 says, “‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

Millions of people around the world have little or no knowledge of the gospel.

Entire language groups remain unreached. These populations have no Bible in their native tongue, no church in their community, and no one to tell them about Jesus.

Even in the United States, many walk in spiritual blindness, desperate for the hope only Christ can offer.

There is a universal need for workers who are ready to see the world through God’s eyes — abounding in harvest fields that are ripe and ready.

Understanding the Method

Before His ascension, Jesus gave clear instructions and a word of assurance: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20).

Beyond evangelism, Jesus mandates discipleship. When we make disciples, we join their spiritual journeys, teach them about God and His Word, and equip them to disciple others.

Christ’s plan is missions, and His method is multiplication. When Jesus touches the heart of one, the impact ripples out to hundreds more through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment.

Jesus promised His disciples a supernatural Helper, telling them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Spirit empowers, provides guidance and direction, convicts, creates unity in the midst of diversity, and sustains believers when we grow tired and weary.

Understanding that our mission is doing God’s work through the power of the Holy Spirit should fill us with humility, hope, and hunger.

We are humble by realizing we cannot save ourselves or anyone else. We are hopeful because no matter how weak we may feel, God’s Spirit empowers us. We are hungry for a fresh infilling of the Spirit, recognizing His continued presence is imperative to the mission.

Submitting to His Authority

The lesser-known beginning of the Great Commission is Matthew 28:18: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”

Christ’s authority is the foundation of our mission — the Great Commission. Jesus, the sovereign Ruler of all creation, guarantees the mission cannot fail.

Nations will rise and fall, governments will restrict access to the gospel and persecute those who preach it, and cultures may resist the good news, but the gospel will advance.

Revelation 7:9 provides a beautiful glimpse of where this mission is heading: “There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”

What started with the Church’s formation in Acts will culminate in a glorious gathering of redeemed people from around the world praising Jesus Christ and worshipping at His throne.

Our Response

Jesus has no other plan. He has entrusted us with His mission.

This responsibility is great, but it should not weigh us down. Instead, it should awaken us. We are not merely spectators of the gospel story, but participants in it. The baton has passed to us, and we must run the race while there is still time.

Encroaching darkness reminds us why we must continue advancing the light of the gospel.

As we await Christ’s return, I pray that God will confirm in you His call for boldness, faithfulness, and unwavering dedication to completing the Great Commission.

This article appears in the Fall 2025 issue of Influence magazine.