“The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”
Luke 8:38-39 ESV
As believers, as those who have been saved from sin and death, and as those who have been saved from the domain of darkness, we have been given a great calling. We’ve been called to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16:15). And we’ve been called to make disciples of all nations by going to them, baptizing them, and teaching them (Matthew 28:18-20).
However, as important as this is, it’s something that’s rather intimidating to most of us. We don’t feel qualified to do so. And we worry that we don’t know enough or that we aren’t skilled enough to do so.
We also tend to think that it means leaving our normal life behind. We think it means leaving home and family. And we think it means serving in missions or ministry in some way.
I think that, in this way, we tend to overcomplicate this call of Jesus. I think that we overcomplicate mission work. And I think that we overcomplicate the work of evangelism.
We read, in Luke 8, how Jesus met a man who was possessed by many demons. For a long time, he had gone about naked, and he’d lived among the tombs. We learn also that he had exhibited supernatural strength.
As Jesus commanded the spirit to come out of the man, he knew exactly who Jesus was, and begged him not to torment him. And as Jesus talked to the unclean spirit, we find that this man was possessed by not only one demon, but many. At the request of this spirit, Jesus then commanded them to leave the man, allowing them to go into a herd of pigs which was feeding on the hillside.
After being healed, after being cleansed by Jesus, the man begged that he might go with him. And, although it seems unusual to us, Jesus denied his request. He told the man that he should return home and declare how much God had done for him.
Although some people are called by God to move to a far-away country to share the gospel, and although he calls some to serve him in the role of pastor, youth director, or another ministry capacity, this isn’t true for all. Most of us fulfill the Great Commission in the way that Jesus prescribed to the demoniac, who had been cleansed. Most of us fulfill the Great Commission by simply returning home and declaring how much God has done for us.
We do so by declaring to our family how much God has done for us. We do so by declaring to our neighbors how much God has done for us. We do so by sharing with our friends and coworkers how much God has done for us.
We can support the work of missions with our prayers and finances. We can support the work of our local congregation with our prayer, finances, time, and talents. And we can do so realizing that our witness, in our home community, is equally important.
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