While Going: Preach the Gospel to All Creation

Jul 05, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Disciples Who Witnessed Everything But Still Had to Go

The eleven disciples walked with Jesus for years—they saw miracles, heard teachings, and witnessed resurrection power firsthand. Yet their calling wasn’t to linger in awe but to carry the gospel outward. Witnessing God’s work isn’t the finish line; it’s the starting block. Jesus’ final commission transforms spectators into messengers, demanding action even when faith feels complete. The call to “go” persists long after the miracles fade. [27:04]

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you settled for witnessing God’s work in your life instead of letting it propel you outward? What step can you take today to move from spectator to messenger?

Day 2: Preaching Through Pies and Parking Lots

The gospel isn’t confined to pulpits or polished speeches. It’s shared in grocery store aisles, over homemade pies, and in mundane conversations. Jesus met the woman at the well not during a revival meeting but in the scorching noon heat. Ordinary moments become holy ground when we see them as opportunities to declare Christ’s love. Ministry isn’t about platforms—it’s about presence. [33:04]

“Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am he.’” (John 4:26, ESV)

Reflection: What ordinary part of your routine could become a space to preach Christ this week? Who in your daily orbit needs to hear hope through your words or actions?

Day 3: All Creation Includes the People You Avoid

Jonah didn’t want Nineveh saved. We resist sharing the gospel with those we deem unworthy, annoying, or too different. Yet Jesus’ command leaves no loopholes: “all creation” means the coworker who grates you, the neighbor with opposing politics, the relative who seems beyond reach. Grace isn’t a privilege we ration—it’s a flood we channel. [40:55]

“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.’” (Jonah 3:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: Who have you quietly excluded from your “all creation”? How might your heart shift if you saw them through Christ’s eyes today?

Day 4: Powerless Preaching and the Spirit’s Surprise

We fear sharing the gospel because we’ll “mess it up.” But the disciples weren’t sent out with eloquence—they were sent with the Spirit’s fire. Jesus didn’t script the woman at the well’s testimony; He let her stammer, “Come see a man!” Our weakness is the Spirit’s runway. Preaching isn’t about perfection—it’s about pointing. [50:34]

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you held back from speaking because you felt unqualified? How might trusting the Spirit’s power, not your polish, free you this week?

Day 5: Chasing the One Like the Shepherd Chases

God pursues—He leaves the ninety-nine for the one. We give up on people after three tries; He chases through decades of rebellion. Our commission isn’t just to preach but to persist. The disciples kept going even when stones flew and prisons loomed. Weariness is human, but endurance is holy. Keep running after the one. [54:58]

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4, ESV)

Reflection: Who have you stopped praying for or pursuing? What small act of persistence—a text, a prayer, an invitation—can you take to chase them this week?

Sermon Summary

Jesus brings Mark 16:15-16 to the forefront and hands his church its marching orders. The text sends the eleven, and through them his bride, into all the world to preach the gospel to all creation. The gospel itself announces that God saw a sinful, lost people and sent his Son in the flesh, perfectly obedient, to bear their sins on the cross, the just for the unjust, so that those who believe would be forgiven. Grace stands as gift, not wage. Whoever believes receives forgiveness, the indwelling Spirit, and the promise of being brought safely home. Baptism follows as sign and seal of that faith, not its cause. “Whoever does not believe” stands condemned already, which keeps the edge of urgency on the charge.

The commission recalibrates the whole business of life. Jesus reframes prosperity, comfort, and schedule, and names the assignment as this, preach the gospel while going. Grocery store, workplace, home, school, sidelines, even a pie ministry, all become pulpits. Preaching is bigger than a microphone. One on one conversations, care in crisis, the ordinary rhythms of love, the steady witness of a life, all preach. The common fears about getting it wrong get answered by theology, not technique. Rejection does not land on the messenger. Rejection lands on Christ. Seed gets planted. God makes it grow.

“All creation” gets no edits. Jesus refuses the church’s temptation to choose its crowd. The “weird,” the different, the shattered, and the shiny and successful all stand equally depraved and equally within the reach of grace. Grace cannot be earned. It can only be received. Jonah’s story exposes how reluctance withers in the face of God’s persistence and how a city can turn when God’s word is proclaimed. So the text presses the same pattern. Belief saves. Baptism bears witness. Condemnation tracks unbelief. The joy of someone bowing to Jesus outstrips every other joy and fuels the work.

Jesus then hands his people a workable path. Prayer sets the table for daily encounters. Power from the Holy Spirit carries the weight and speaks through weakness. People get met where they are, like the woman at the well at high noon. Preaching starts with Jesus’ story, not self, and the gospel’s offense gets left intact. Pursuit refuses to quit, because the Shepherd leaves the ninety nine for the one. The charge stands today as plainly as it did then, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, spend the remaining breaths on that business, and leave the results to God.

Key Takeaways

1. The gospel goes to all creation. All people sit under the same need and the same grace, including the folks someone would rather avoid and the ones who look like they need nothing. Jesus removes the right to edit the audience. “No stone unturned” becomes the rule, not the exception. Grace goes where God sends it. [39:19]
2. Belief saves, baptism bears witness. Mark’s wording refuses a works ladder. Faith unites a sinner to Christ, and baptism follows as sign and seal of what God has already done. Condemnation attaches to unbelief, not to a missed ritual. The church honors baptism best by preaching faith in Christ. [43:35]
3. Rejection targets Jesus, not the messenger. This truth frees courage. The responsibility is to make Christ known, not to manage outcomes. Seeds get scattered with care, and God handles the germination and the timing. Fear of personal rejection loses its grip when the aim is faithfulness, not applause. [35:15]
4. Preach while going, in ordinary ways. Pulpits are helpful, but kitchen tables, job sites, checkout lines, and hospital rooms get most of the work done. Conversations, care, and even a “pie ministry” carry the news. Meeting people where they are, and naming who Jesus is, turns daily life into mission. [33:04]
5. Pray, power, people, preach, pursue. Prayer opens doors. The Spirit supplies courage and words. People get met in their real place, Jesus’ story gets told straight, and pursuit does not quit on the one who wanders. That rhythm keeps love from cooling and keeps mission from stalling. [52:51]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[22:39] - Prayer and setting the scene
[26:43] - The eleven and their witness
[27:23] - Last words before ascension
[28:04] - Go preach to all creation
[28:59] - The gospel as grace gift
[32:01] - Life’s business, preach everywhere
[33:04] - Preach by life, not platform
[35:15] - Rejection aimed at Jesus
[36:19] - All creation really means all
[40:35] - Jonah and reluctant obedience
[43:35] - Belief saves, baptism seals
[49:13] - Pray, power, people, preach, pursue
[54:58] - The charge for today

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Mark 16:15-16 (ESV)
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Jonah 3:1-10 (ESV)
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” [...] When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

John 4:7-26 (ESV)
[...] A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” [...] The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

Observation questions

In Mark 16:15-16, what two outcomes are tied to belief and unbelief? How does baptism relate to belief?
How did the people of Nineveh respond to Jonah’s preaching, and what does this reveal about God’s character?
In John 4, how did Jesus initiate a conversation with the Samaritan woman, and what barriers did He intentionally cross?
What examples of “preaching while going” in daily life were mentioned in the sermon (e.g., pie ministry, grocery store)? [33:04]

Interpretation questions

Why does Mark 16:16 emphasize belief as the condition for salvation, while baptism follows as a separate act? How does this clarify the role of baptism?
Jonah initially refused to preach to Nineveh. Why did God still use his reluctant obedience to bring revival to a hostile city?
Jesus met the Samaritan woman in a culturally unexpected context. How does this interaction challenge assumptions about who is “worthy” to hear the gospel?
The sermon states, “Rejection does not land on the messenger. Rejection lands on Christ.” How does this truth reshape fear of sharing the gospel? [35:15]

Application questions

Identify one group or type of person you feel reluctant to share the gospel with (e.g., the “weird,” successful, or culturally different). What practical step could you take to engage them this week? [36:19]
Think of a recent conversation where you avoided mentioning Jesus. How could you pivot a similar conversation toward His story instead of your own? [51:20]
When have you taken rejection personally after sharing your faith? How might remembering “rejection targets Jesus, not you” free you to try again? [35:15]
Name one ordinary rhythm of your week (e.g., grocery shopping, work breaks). How could you intentionally turn that routine into a “pulpit” for gospel witness? [33:04]
The sermon highlights prayer as preparation for daily encounters. What specific person or context will you commit to praying for daily, asking God to open doors? [49:59]

Sermon Clips

47s

#PowerToPreach

“``This formula here has power in it, that we're praying, that we're receiving the power of the holy spirit, and he is the one doing the work. We recognize where people are. We meet them in that space. We declare. We preach the good news of Jesus Christ, and we run as fast as we can after the lost. We pursue them. God's commission wasn't just for the first century church. It's for the church today. It's for Grace Ridge Church. And it goes something like this. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

47s

#OffensiveGrace

“You know, I like to water things down. I don't wanna be offensive to people we tell ourselves. I don't wanna offend people or hurt people's feelings. The truth is the gospel is absolutely offensive. It points you right in the chest and says, you're a sinner and you need a savior. You can't do it on your own. But by the grace of God, this gift that you get that you don't deserve, you've been set free from your sin, and you are assured a promise of a future inheritance in heaven. And so we preach. We preach and we leave the results to God.”

84s

#PursuedToPursue

“And this is another area where it breaks down in our our our Christian communities and that is this. We get fed up. You know what I mean? People drive us nuts after a certain point and we're kinda like, I've had enough. I'm just kinda done. I can't do this anymore. They're driving me bonkers. I don't wanna do this. And then we're reminded that god has never said that about us. Before we were even formed in our mother's womb, he knew us. He claimed us. He called us. He had plans for us, and we went our own way. Many of us are still going our own way, and he pursues us. He pursues us. He chases after the one. He leaves the 99. He says, no. I'm going after the one that's lost right now. He pursues us. And yet somehow, diabolically, we can receive the pursuing but we refuse to pursue others. Why? I'm exhausted. I'm tired. I can't do this anymore.”

72s

#JoyOfSalvation

“So what does this mean for us? Well, I remember vividly the first person I ever shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with. I was in high school. She was my neighbor. She was a year older than me. It was at a youth group. I invited her to go. She went. A good friend of mine, we grew up together, she kept asking me questions. And I was like kinda bothered. I'm like, why do you keep asking me these questions? And then it clicked like, wait a minute. She's searching for something here. So I'll never forget kneeling down with her in our sanctuary, in our home church one evening of a youth group on a Sunday night just praying with her and her receiving Jesus Christ as her savior. And I will say this, and some of you will think I'm nuts, but I'm not. And I'm clear spoken when I say this. There is no greater joy than someone accepting Jesus Christ. There is no greater joy in all of our lives than witnessing somebody who accepts Jesus Christ as their savior and makes him lord of their lives. There's nothing that compares to that. There is nothing.”

82s

#PlantSeedsShareChrist

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. And we hide behind some excuses. What if I say it wrong? Well, let's be honest. You're going to say it wrong. Whatever wrong is. Well, what if I don't say it the best? Let me help you with that. You're not gonna say it the best. Well, what if I you can go through the litany of excuses or rationales that you can proclaim but let me help you with this. And this is where the theology is behind the scenes. Theology is just a fancy word for the study of God. This is what God tells us. You're not reject being rejected when someone denies the gospel that you share. They're declaring they're denying Jesus Christ, not you. So when you go forth and you're sharing the good news, the gospel, you're preaching the good news to people and they're not interested in it, they're not denying you. They're denying the gospel of Jesus Christ. What's your responsibility? To make Christ known. It's not your fault if someone will not believe. It's your fault if you refuse to share. We plant seeds. God makes them grow.”

41s

#MissionNotOption

“I said earlier that if I get hit by a milk truck or whatever on the way home today, I know with certainty where I'm going, and I wonder if you have that same assurance today. If you do, awesome. Here's the message. We are to go into the world and preach the good news of Jesus Christ wherever we go. It's not optional. This isn't a recommendation. This is not a suggestion. This This is is a a declaration. Declaration. Jesus has commissioned you and said, okay, by the way, I'm leaving, and now it's on you. You go into all the world and declare the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

52s

#SavedByGrace

“So the fact that Jesus died for you who believe means you understand where you've been. You recognize that in your decayed and depraved state, God sent his son to die on your behalf. We call this grace. Grace is simply put, a gift that we get that we don't deserve. Jesus is the gift that we get that we don't deserve. So whoever believes in Jesus, their sins will be forgiven. Whoever believes in Jesus will receive the holy spirit who will come and dwell upon them, dwell within minister through them. Whoever believes in Jesus will be brought one day safely into heaven.”

86s

#ShareItsNotAboutYou

“So we think about that. Whoever does not believe will be condemned. Or in some translations, it says, is condemned already. You see, every single person is condemned because of the fall of man and our sinfulness, and God, through his power, saves us. And so those who do not believe are already condemned. Remember what Jesus' purpose in coming to Earth was? To seek and save the lost. And when he goes and ascends into heaven, he says, now it's your responsibility, your job to take this word to the world and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we have this message. We know that we're supposed to go to all creation. Our desire is that everybody would hear this message. We recognize that when we share the message and people don't receive it, it's not about us. It's their choosing. And it's their saying and it's understanding that we are not rejecting us, the messenger. They're rejecting Jesus Christ, the savior.”

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