According to recent estimates almost eight billion people are alive in the world today. The number of people on the earth is so great that it is difficult to conceive of it. Preaching the gospel to every person in the human race would be impossible. If you could witness twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for seventy years you would need to give the gospel to 301,369 people per day. It is humanly impossible to personally witness to every person in the world during your lifetime. Also it is unlikely that everyone witnessed to would listen much less receive Christ as their Savior.
Although you can’t reach everyone in the world you can reach someone. You will probably not have seventy years of ministry to witness for the Lord but you will have some time and opportunities and you should make the most of the time that you have. You can’t witness twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, but you can give many hours to witnessing. You cannot learn every language in the world but perhaps you can learn an additional language or reach a person that has immigrated from another culture. The cost of travel may prohibit you from significant travel but you can travel to some places to evangelize. The cost of evangelization is great and you probably cannot afford Bible and literature for the world but you can afford to pay for some of it. Evangelizing the world requires valuable time but you can give significant time to it.
How can we fulfill the great commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel? The Bible gives us this plan. We are to begin in our Jerusalem. God will direct us to a specific area and that will be our Jerusalem. Paul’s burden was that Israel might be saved. He also was sensitive to the Macedonian call and responded. God gives every person a burden to reach people in specific places. It may be to a small community or it may be to a populous city but God will give everyone a burden for someone somewhere to give the gospel.
Every preacher can have his sphere of influence. No man can reach every person in the world but every man can reach someone. It can begin with your own family and children. Don’t forget those closest to you. Sadly, there have been some that, while trying to reach the world, have neglected those closest to them, their own children. Also, your youth can be challenged and trained to go to the mission field thus expanding your sphere of influence. Every church can support missionaries that go to places they cannot go to reach someone they cannot reach. Over time a man’s influence can be expanded to his Samaria and eventually to the regions beyond. No man can reach every person in the world but every man can reach someone that no one else can reach. You can’t reach everyone but you can reach someone. By God’s grace we must take advantage of every opportunity while we can. “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” — John 9:4
