Luke 24:46 -47 and said to them, "This is what is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later, and in his name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.
The disciples had witnessed the death of Jesus on the cross. He had given them several warnings of what was to come, but it was not something they wanted to hear so they chose not to believe it. By not believing it, they also chose not to see or accept the mission of Jesus and His gift of salvation. It was only after the Resurrection of Jesus, when He appeared to His disciples and explained all the things that had been written in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms, which pointed to His coming and His death, that the disciples finally understood His mission and believed. Jesus then gave them the Great Commission. He told them to preach to everyone the good news of Jesus having the authority to forgive, if only the people would repent. This command, by Jesus, to tell others about Him is found in Matthew, Mark, and in Acts.
Matthew 28:19-20 Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
Mark 16:15 -16 He said to them, "Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to you. Then you will be my witnesses to testify about me in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
The disciples carried out the Commission as best they could. It was not an easy task. The first Christian churches were started up. Letters and manuscripts had to be written and copied by hand and then delivered to each church. All the while, they faced persecution, imprisonment, and death, as there were always others who were trying to stop Christianity. But through their perseverance, and hard work at recording the life of Jesus and making copies of those records to be given to the churches, they have left us valuable information so that we can carry on with the Commission. Their work, combined with the records and writings written before Jesus came, all tell of Creation, how sin entered the world, the promise of a Messiah, the arrival of the Messiah, His life on earth, His death, His resurrection, and His promise to come back to take us home to live forever with Him.
People have worked hard and died in their efforts to make the Bible available to everyone. Though many others tried to get rid of it, the Bible survived. The story of redemption is still with us. There are still people trying to remove Christianity along with the story of redemption and the hope of a future in Heaven. Those who worked so hard to start the Christian churches and to get the word out to everyone have passed away. Now it is up to us to continue with the Commission and keep the beautiful story of salvation alive and available to everyone. Like runners in a race, the baton has been handed to us. Now we must take it and faithfully keep the story of Salvation alive and available to everyone. Don't give up. Keep your eyes on the finish line. Christ is waiting for us to be united with Him in Heaven.