The Great Commission is found in Matthew 28.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt 28:18-20)Pretty clear. Yes, "share the Gospel" is absolutely in there, but it isn't the only thing. It's not even the biggest thing. The Great Commission requires going -- "Go, therefore." The Great Commission requires making disciples, a process that begins with sharing the Gospel but does not by any means end there. The Great Commission requires baptism. If you lead someone to Christ and they don't get baptized, the Great Commission was not accomplished. The Great Commission requires teaching. Extensive teaching. Teaching all that Jesus taught. This is a lifelong task. And we've got that "Share the Gospel" part clear in our minds (even if we're not always very good at it), but we are woefully short on everything else in that commission from Christ.
This is important, but it's not my primary point here. Two things are. First, notice the source of the command. "All authority has been given to Me." The "therefore" in the next sentence means, "On the basis of Me and My authority,, I am telling you to go ..." This Great Commission is not a divine suggestion. It's a command from the Master of all things in heaven and earth. The other item is the operating environment. "I am with you always." Now that ought to be a fear and a comfort. A fear if we're not being obedient. "You know, Christ is here. Why aren't you doing what He said?" A comfort as you go about doing the task of going, making disciples, baptizing, and teaching. He's here. It's not you; it's Him. You're not the effective one; He is. You're not the final arbiter of success; He is.
We are commanded to carry out an admittedly difficult commission from the Lord of All. Go, make disciples, baptize, and teach. Repeat. Again. Over and over. It's huge. And He's here, so it's necessary. But, oh, the joy and satisfaction of operating in His power and His guidance doing His work! It's never a bad idea to serve the Savior. Nothing can be more fulfilling.
3 comments:
It’s almost like it’s a rule or something.
Silly boy. The Bible doesn't have rules. Laws, commands, declarations, instructions, but no rules. Everyone knows that.
What we have had for the past 30 years is a glorified incubator strategy.
bring them in to the alter call. baptize them, then teach them to be evangelist too.
the result are a lot of Christians that know the four spiritual laws, but not much beyond that.
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