by Chris Matthews, Director
A hill preacher once prayed, “God send me anywhere as long as I can see it from my front porch.” Like a fable, this fiction has a truth that we must consider. How far is too far for the Gospel’s sake?
The first word of the Great Commission is “Go:” not “wait,” not “gather,” but “go.” And not just go anywhere—go farther. Jesus did not say, “Stay where it is comfortable and convenient.” He said, “Go ye into all the world.” The heartbeat of the Great Commission has always pulsed outward, beyond familiar borders, faces, and languages.
When Jesus walked this earth, He was constantly moving toward the next town, the next village, the next soul. He said plainly, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth” (Mark 1:38). That simple statement reveals the very purpose for which He came. His ministry was not stationary but advancing—never content with those already reached, always compelled by those who had not yet heard. He came to seek and to save that which was lost.
The apostles followed the same pattern. From Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth—their direction was always outward. The book of Acts records a missionary movement that could not sit still. When persecution arose, the disciples “went everywhere preaching the Word.” Paul was driven by the same conviction when he wrote, “Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation” (Romans 15:20). He was not content to strengthen only the existing churches; he pressed toward regions beyond, longing to take the Gospel where it had not yet been heard. Shall we not first consider the unreached, then the misreached, before considering staying near home?
Sadly, many today have reversed the order. We consider near
before we ever consider far. We often invest time, effort, and resources in what benefits us, while the fields that are truly white unto harvest remain untouched. Churches raise funds for new buildings and better technology while millions still live and die without ever hearing the name of Jesus Christ. We are not wrong to care for our own community—but we are disobedient if we do so while ignoring the rest of the world.
The Great Commission is not sequential but simultaneous. Jesus did not say, “Once you finish in Jerusalem, then move on to Judea.” He said, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The word both means that our vision must stretch to every circle at once.
To consider far before near does not mean neglecting our neighbors; it means seeing them through the same lens as the nations. It means we begin with God’s global purpose in mind and work backward to where we stand. If our first concern is the uttermost, our local efforts will be strengthened as our burden for the lost intensifies.
The truth is, our hearts tend to shrink to the size of our routine. We see only what is before us, and we justify it as faithfulness. But Jesus said, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” The problem is not the harvest—it is our eyesight. We must lift our eyes before we can lift our feet. Vision always precedes motion. When we look far, we begin to move far.
It may seem impractical to think about the farthest corners of the world when the needs nearby are so great. But that has always been the tension of obedience. The needs will never end at home—but obedience to Christ’s command must begin with His priorities, not ours. The Gospel should not stop with us. It is a river, not a reservoir.
Every believer must ask, “Am I going, sending, or standing in the way?” Every church must ask, “Are we structured around our comfort or His command?” The call to go is not a suggestion for a few; it is the identity of all who follow Christ. Whether our path leads across the street or across the sea, the direction must be outward.
The task is great, but the command is clear: Go. Go where Christ is not known. Go where there is no church, no Scripture, and no witness. Go where others have not gone because the cost is high and the path is hard. Go, because He went first.
To consider far before considering near is to think like Christ, to plan like the apostles, and to live like those who still believe that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, to every creature.
Spring 2026