The Law of Legacy: Jesus Turned His Ministry Over to His Disciples (Mark 16:15,16)

Extracted from The Maxwell Leadership Bible

Before Jesus departed this world, He gathered His disciples and issued a final command. We call it the Great Commission. He told them to go and preach the gospel to every creature on earth. Just as He came to seek and save the lost, they were to continue His ministry and fulfill it.

Jesus' legacy remains to this day because He carefully laid a foundation. He trained twelve men to reproduce His ministry. He passed on transferable concepts that anyone could learn after He had gone. If He had failed to multiply Himself in others, Christianity would have died long ago.

If we step back and look at Jesus' three-and-a-half-year ministry outlined in Mark, we can see Him preparing to have His legacy from the beginning:

1. He chose twelve potential leaders to mentor (3:13-19).
2. He spent the majority of His time with them (3:14).
3. He told them from the start that they, too, would be doing this (1:17).
4. He reproduced both His burden and His vision for people (6:7-13).
5. He allowed them to witness and even participate in His miracles (8:1-9).
6. He issued an imperative for them to go and do what He did (16:15,16).
7. He promised the credibility and provision they would need (16:17,18).
8. He worked with them, confirming their work and words (16:19,20).