Matthew 28.16-20:
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. (17) And when they saw him they worshipped him, but some doubted. (18) And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (ESV)
It is amazing to think that there have been times in church history when people had so interpreted certain texts in the Bible to mean that not much effort need be expended to communicate the gospel. I’ve heard it said that detractors told William Carey that if God wanted the heathen saved, He would save them himself. Such a conclusion is in complete opposition to the verses above known as “The Great Commission”. And it bears repeating that the commission is global in its scope. All nations. John 3.16 tells us that God so loved “the world”, and this means every person in the world.
It is easy for someone to be dwarfed in his or her thinking by the scale of the universe and to think oneself as insignificant and invisible among the billions of people in the world. But God sets His sights on individual persons. Whenever you read the gospels, please note how Jesus connected with individual people, particularly those in great need. He responded to them with great compassion.