Great revivals always spark something but their success is only possible because everyday people heed the call to go and tell them.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Table of contents
Links and Downloads
Watch the video of this teaching at https://www.celllifechurch.tv/go-and-tell-them/ or on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/Nf5J73q4GfY
Introduction
When we think of the great commission we often picture the great evangelists traveling around the world preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to large crowds in stadiums or great tents. We picture great names like The Apostle Paul, Billy Graham, Amy Semple McPherson, Saint Francis, Saint Patrick, Martin Luther, Dwight Moody, and Luis Palau just to name a few. But the Great Commission is for all of us.
God has called some of us to preach to millions of people and he has called some of us to share with a handful of friends and family. In either case, we all have been called to go and tell them about Jesus Christ.
Let us look at a passage of scripture where Jesus healed a demon-possessed man and what Jesus told him to do.
The Demon-Possessed Man
This passage of scripture is found in Mark 5:1-20.
Mark 5:1-20
(1) They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. (2) When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. (3) This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. (4) For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. (5) Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. (6) When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. (7) He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” (8) For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” (9) Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” (10) And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. (11) A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. (12) The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” (13) He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. (14) Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. (15) When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. (16) Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. (17) Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. (18) As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. (19) Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (20) So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
This man had been tortured by demons for years. The demons caused others to be afraid of him as well. This man needed a miracle of deliverance and the other people in the area needed these demons to be gone, too.
Jesus cast the demons out of the man and the demons made a great spectacle entering a herd of pigs and drowning them. This would have cost the pig farmers dearly, and it had a big impact on the local people. When the townspeople came out and saw the man delivered and heard about the demons they were very afraid and asked Jesus to leave them. Understandably, the delivered man wanted to go with Jesus. But Jesus wouldn’t let the man join him. He told him to stay there and go and tell the others about the mercy he had received and what the Lord had done for him.
Jesus didn’t tell him to go on a preaching circuit, or rent a big tent and start holding revivals. He told him to go and tell his own people. Go and tell them.
Conversation With an Attorney
I once had the opportunity to go on a hike with some scouts on a local trail. One of the fathers that came with us is an attorney and we were having a great conversation about church, ministry, and living a Christian life. The topic of evangelism and the role of the Church in the Great Commission came up. We discussed great stadiums and big tent revivals compared to large church buildings that try to attract people. We also discussed personal ministry and evangelism and vocational ministry.
I started describing the mission of Cell Life Church and I asked the attorney, “In court, what is a witness?” He answered, “That is someone who testifies about something they have personally seen, heard, or experienced.” I asked, “Can a witness in a court of law testify about something they think happened or heard might have happened?” He said, “No. It must be what they have personally seen, heard, or experienced.” I then shared Acts 1:8 which says:
Acts 1:8
(8) But 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.”
When we read that verse in the context of the Great Commission which says in Matthew 28:19-20:
Matthew 28:19-20
(19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The attorney said, “That is one of the most profound things I have heard a preacher say.” It is not really that profound though, is it? Jesus has done amazing things in all of us. He asks us to go and tell the others we have influence with about what he has done in our lives so they can see what he can do in theirs.
Revivals
Recently there have been many large and popular revivals taking place across the United States on college campuses. Young people are turning to God and His spirit is being poured out on them. You may have been a part of one of these current revivals, or you may have experienced a revival in the past. These have a great impact on society.
Some revivals are big and very widespread with a global impact and others are small and just for a particular community. The revivals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries sparked the rebirth of the Pentecostal movement and ushered in a whole new wave of people turning to God through Jesus Christ around the world. Martin Luther sparked a revival that birthed the Protestant churches.
There have been many revivals through the centuries, and there have been many evangelists that have gotten their start in them. We listed several earlier. The success of these revivals has always been because everyday people went and told their family, friends, and neighbors about what the Lord had done in their lives, and what He could do for them. In other words, they heeded the call to go and tell them.
Conclusion
You do not need to be a great preacher to share what the Lord has done for you, and you do not need a ministry credential to preach to others what God has done in your life. We are all called to be witnesses of the love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness afforded to us through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We can all share what the Lord has done in our own lives and minister to others. Sharing these things we have personally experienced with others around us helps people to know who God is and what he desires for our lives. It doesn’t matter if you are sharing with one person, a small group, or thousands of people. Share what Jesus has done in your life with others.
Go and tell them about the strength you received through the Holy Spirit to overcome an addiction. Share with others the healing touch you received that made you whole physically, spiritually, or emotionally. Be the hands and feet of Jesus to others in your family and community thereby earning the right to share what Jesus has done in your life.
Simply put, go and tell them!
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