Jesus begins His commission with an important declaration:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Then comes the call: go, make disciples, baptize, and teach.

Pastor Robbie invited us Sunday to think about which part might be the hardest. Teaching can certainly be difficult. Making disciples can feel intimidating. Baptism connects us not only to Christ but to a community of faith.

And then there is that little word:

Go.

Going can sound enormous. We might picture missionaries traveling across the world or people who seem much more comfortable talking about their faith than we are. But Pastor Robbie reminded us that “going” doesn't necessarily require getting on an airplane.

He shared the story of an elderly woman who lived across the street from her church. Even crossing that street could be difficult for her, but she still wanted to “go.” So she began a Bible study with the people in the home where she lived.

She went without going very far at all.

Maybe the hardest part of the Great Commission isn't understanding Jesus' instructions.

Maybe it's simply doing them.

But before we can confidently share the good news, Pastor Robbie raised another important question:

What exactly is the good news?

That's surprisingly difficult to answer.

We might say salvation. Hope. God's love. Jesus' teachings. Eternal life. Christ's victory over death. All of those are part of the Gospel, but how do we communicate something so big in a way that someone who hasn't spent years in church can understand?

Pastor Robbie compared the Gospel to a black hole: it can seem very small, but it is incredibly dense because so much is contained within it.

At its heart, the Gospel is an announcement.

In the ancient world, good news could be proclaimed after a great victory. A messenger would announce that the battle had been won, the king remained on the throne, and the people were secure.

The Gospel makes an even greater announcement:

Jesus has won. God's Kingdom has come. Death has been conquered. And God is making all things right.

That's more than a ticket to heaven someday. It changes how we live today.

Life gives us plenty of reasons to feel uncertain. We worry about our families, our health, our finances, the future, and what is happening in the world around us. Sometimes we even wonder whether we're equipped to handle whatever comes next.

The good news doesn't pretend those struggles aren't real. Instead, it tells us something deeper:

We are safe in Christ.

Not “everything will be okay” as a vague reassurance, but a deeper confidence that ultimately God holds us, God's Kingdom is coming, and Jesus has already conquered even death.

Pastor Robbie put it simply: we know who is going to make it okay. Jesus.

And perhaps that confidence is what helps us go.

We don't have to possess every theological answer before we share our faith. We don't have to become experts before we can tell someone what Christ has done.

Pastor Robbie closed with a story that brings that truth beautifully into focus.

Jesus hangs on the cross between two criminals. One recognizes that Jesus has done nothing wrong and turns toward Him. Jesus promises him:

“Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Pastor Robbie shared a preacher's imaginative retelling of what might happen when that man arrives in heaven. Imagine the angels questioning him:

What do you know about the doctrine of atonement?

Nothing.

What about your theology of Scripture?

Nothing.

Can you explain the creeds?

Not a clue.

Finally they ask him why he thinks he belongs there.

His answer is wonderfully simple:

“Because the man on the middle cross said I could be here.”

There is the Gospel.

He isn't there because he knew enough, behaved well enough, or accomplished enough.

He's there because of Jesus.

And so are we.

The Great Commission begins to look different when we understand that. We aren't going into the world to prove that we're right, demonstrate how much we know, or convince people to become more like us.

As Pastor Robbie emphasized, we aren't making disciples of ourselves. We aren't asking people to follow Pastor Robbie or even to follow a Presbyterian way.

We are inviting people to follow Jesus.

And the grace that makes room for us makes room for them too.

Jesus has grace for me.

Jesus has grace for you.

Jesus has grace for all people.

That's why Jesus says to go—to our neighborhoods, our communities, our cities, and ultimately all nations. The good news isn't something we've earned the right to keep. It is an announcement meant to be shared.

The King is still on the throne.

Jesus has conquered death.

Grace is available.

And because of Christ, we have a place in God's Kingdom.

The word evangelism can make many of us uncomfortable. We may immediately think, I don't know enough. I wouldn't know what to say. What if someone asks me a question I can't answer?

But remember who Jesus first commissioned.

They weren't a perfectly confident group of biblical experts. They were eleven disciples who worshiped and doubted at the same time.

And Jesus still said, Go.

Sharing the Gospel doesn't always require a polished speech. Sometimes it begins with living differently. Sometimes it means showing someone the grace we've received. Sometimes it means inviting someone into community. And sometimes it simply means telling the truth about why Jesus matters to us.

The children's message offered a wonderfully simple picture of this. After telling the story of the woman who searched everywhere for her lost coin and celebrated when she found it, Pastor Robbie gave a coin to the child listening—and then gave her two more.

Why?

So she could go tell the story to someone else.

That's the Great Commission in miniature. We receive the good news, and then we carry it to someone else.

This week, don't worry about whether you could explain the entire Christian faith in thirty seconds.

Instead, ask yourself:

What is the good news of Jesus to me?

Try putting your answer into one or two sentences—not because you need the perfect “elevator speech,” but because knowing why the Gospel is good news to you can help you share it naturally with someone else.

Then consider one more question:

Where is Jesus asking me to go?

Maybe “going” means across the world. But it may simply mean across the street, across the room, into a conversation, or toward someone you might normally overlook.

You don't have to have everything figured out before you go.

Neither did the first disciples.

Gracious God,

Thank You for the good news of Jesus Christ. Thank You that our place in Your grace does not depend upon how much we know, how perfectly we believe, or how much we have accomplished. We belong because of what Christ has done.

When we doubt, remind us that You still call us. When we feel unprepared, remind us that Your authority—not our ability—is the foundation of our mission. When we are afraid to go, show us the people and places already within our reach.

Help us understand Your good news deeply enough that it shapes the way we live and simply enough that we can share it with others. Give us courage to teach, disciple, baptize, and go—not to make people more like us, but to invite them to follow Jesus.

May the grace we have received never stop with us. Send us into our neighborhoods, our communities, and our world confident that Christ has conquered death, Your Kingdom is coming, and Your love extends to all people.

And when we wonder whether there is really a place for us in Your grace, bring us back to the simplest truth:

The man on the middle cross said we could be here.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

If you're looking for a church in Fenton, Michigan, or searching for a welcoming Christian community where you can grow in faith, ask honest questions, and experience meaningful worship, we'd love to welcome you.

At Fenton First Presbyterian Church, we seek to know Jesus Christ and grow, share, and serve as His disciples. Whether you've attended church your whole life or you're exploring faith for the first time, there is a place for you here.

Join us this Sunday as we continue discovering God's Word together and learning how Christ meets us in every season of life—even in the midst of the storms.

Come as you are. We look forward to welcoming you.