The term “Great Commission” and its associated
theology and philosophy of ministry is derived from Matthew 28:18-20, which
reads, “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and
on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age."
God’s heartbeat is for souls. So following the resurrection Of Jesus, and
after spending time with them, He went back to Heaven to be with His Father and
to prepare a place for all His followers. But right before Jesus ascended into Heaven,
He gave a commission to His disciples.
This “commission” was a command that gave them authority to
proclaim His message of peace and reconciliation with God to the whole world.
Therefore, when Jesus gave the church the
mandate to “…make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19), He was
entrusting His disciples with the very essence of the Father’s heart.
So, the first disciples were to make more
disciples from all nations. This is an
ongoing mission. Since the first disciples are now gone and they did not make
disciples of all nations, they have left us with work to do. It is work that the whole Church should be
doing.
Jesus did not charge only certain people with
His Great Commission. He charged all of
His disciples, the Church, to fulfill the Great Commission. Are we going to be obedient to Jesus and make
disciples of all nations, going to them, sharing our faith and baptizing new
believers, and teaching them everything Jesus commanded us to obey?
Are we going to do that?
Will Jesus find us faithful in fulfilling His
Great Commission to the Church? The
missions experience can be one of total fulfillment of God’s calling. The foreign field brings challenges for the
missionary unique to each people group and location. The more prepared and supported the missionary
is, the more fruitful the experience will be. As we are committed to fulfilling the Great
Commission, the mandate to finish the task is upon every believer.
Together, we serve to win the lost in every
tribe, every tongue, and every nation.
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be
preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end
will come.” (Matthew
24:14)
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