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After being asked what is the greatest commandment Jesus said, “… love God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second is like the first; love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Although the aim of whoever asked that question was to tempt Him, the point was driven home. We shall look at the way love for God and for neighbor plays a central part in sharing the gospel.

Great Commission

At the end of Mark, Christ Jesus gave the command to His disciples to go out into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature (every person). This has been commonly known as the great commission. Every Christian has the responsibility of sharing the good news with their neighbor. When we hear of the great commission, it comes to us like a great work that is made for some people – missionaries. Some Christians think it is not their duty and feel that we should leave the world alone. In some places, the responsibility is totally forgotten while in others it is done during evangelism weeks or for just formality.

While many shy away from proclamation of the gospel by word and resort to the easy formula of using their conduct, the Bible commands that we should use both words and deeds. It is not enough that your conduct is godly, still, your words are needed. Just because people can be won without a word does not mean you should not use them. The great commission is a noble task that all of us should engage in.

Paul in Romans 10 makes a wonderful case for evangelism. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Paul says that faith comes by hearing the word of God. How will the world hear them without someone telling them? How will someone tell them without being sent? Now, do you see that the Lord Jesus needs the laborers in his vineyard to win souls for Christ? We Christians need to see what responsibility has been laid for us.

Commandment of loving 

The greatest commandment is that we should love God with all our hearts, soul, and mind. This means that I should love God with my entire being. The second commandment is that I should love my neighbor as ourselves. We cannot obey the second and neglect the first. The love for our neighbor flows from the love for God. The more we love God, the more we shall love our neighbor.

Love is the greatest commandment. Beyond love, there is no law. The scripture also teaches I should not let any debt remain except for the continual debt of loving my neighbor. Ever considered that lack of love is the main cause of sin? God commands that we should love Him with all our hearts, souls, and minds. We should not love him partially with our hearts but fully.  This is because He is the creator and deserves all of the praise, glory, and honor.

We know that the scriptures teach that the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). How then shall a man with a deceitful and wicked heart love God with all His heart? We need a new heart for us to be able to love God. We need regeneration- a new birth. This happens when we believe the good news. When we love God more, then we shall obey His commands and consequently love our neighbors.

Good News of Love

The Gospel is good news that there is hope for lost sinners who by faith believe in Jesus. It is that all our sin, not in part but in whole – has been paid by Christ. Now, if this gospel is glorious to you, why would you not share it with your neighbor -who is desperately in need of it? Would you be happy if your neighbors saw you perishing and all they did was leave you alone? No indeed! Such are not friends but enemies. The best thing you could do to any human being is to share the Gospel with them.

We have so many people in our that have not heard the gospel. All these people are sinners before God and they are under the wrath of God unless they repent and trust in Jesus. They do not know the savior and they are in danger of hell. If the good news is really glorious to us, we shall be able to share it with all those near us.

The Connection

Now, do you see how the gospel, great commission, and greatest commandment are connected? We cannot choose to follow the greatest commandment and not share the Gospel. The gospel must be shared out of love. Dear brethren let us pray that God may grant us more love for Him and for our neighbors and zeal for reaching out to them with good news. It is for this cause we,PILGRIM MEDITATIONS, are here to advance the kingdom of God by sharing biblical reflections, thoughts, and meditations to point the lost to Christ, their only hope and encourage them in the Lord. Consider joining us in this noble task by reaching out to the people near you and telling them about the good news of Jesus Christ.