For those who follow this blog regularly and prayed for our trip to Puerto Rico, thank you for your prayers. We had a wonderful conference with Pastors Ruben and Paula Gonzalez of Time of God Christian Center in Juncos, Puerto Rico.
Matthew 28:18-20(NKJV) 18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
We began last week looking at the Great Commission to the church. This is the directive given to the body of Christ by Jesus at the time of his ascension to heaven. A commission is an order that transmits the authority of one person or group to another person or group so they can do a particular job. In this case, every believer has been given the authority Jesus had when he was raised from the dead so that the people of the world might come to know salvation in Christ.
This is not the “great suggestion.” In the military an officer is considered commissioned. They have authority, but more important they have responsibility. They must be willing to give orders as well as take them. They must take the responsibility for the completion of the mission entrusted to them. Although they are allowed to have lives outside of the commission, the commission takes precedence over every other aspect of their lives.
I do not believe that the Great Commission is any different. We have the responsibility to carry out the assignment Jesus gave us and the authority to do it effectively. The Lord recognizes that we have other things in life and fully expects us to care for them and enjoy them. However, the commission takes precedence. When the commission calls, we are required by God to respond. How many of us can say that we are as available to our “commanding officer” as we should be?
In order to fulfill this commission, we must understand what it is. In the military, an officer takes an oath that they will honor the commission given to him or her. The oath defines that commission so he or she will understand the nature of it and be better able to fulfill it. The nature of our commission is defined in the statements given to us by Jesus himself. One of which is today’s scripture.
In Matthew 28, Jesus tells us what we are commissioned to do. Jesus commissioned us to “make disciples out of every nation.” We are not called to make converts. This is not about spreading an idea. It is about spreading a gift of life to all who will receive it. It is about introducing people to someone who can change their whole life. More important it is about inviting people to receive something that will guarantee their eternal future.
To understand what this means, let us look at this verse from the original King James Version of the bible.
Matthew 28:19(KJV) 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
You will notice that the Jesus tells his disciples to teach all nations. The Greek word used here literally means to make someone a student. This is the idea behind making disciples of all nations. A disciple is a student. When we think of the great commission, we often think in terms of evangelism. This is certainly part of the equation. Step one of the commission must be to lead them to salvation in Christ Jesus. If we do not do that, we cannot do the other elements of the commission.
In the account of the commission found in Mark’s Gospel, we read these words.
Mark 16:15-16(NKJV) 15And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Hear we find that the commission involves preaching the gospel to the whole world. The gospel is the message of the reconciliation of all people to God through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is the message of salvation. It is our right and responsibility to tell as many people as we can that Jesus died for their sins personally. The burial of Jesus represents the payment of the penalty for their sin and the resurrection is the ultimate victory for each over the devil.
When a person receives this sacrifice as being for their sin and submits to Jesus as the Lord of their life, something supernatural happens. The spiritual death that came into them as a result of the fall of Adam, is taken away and the life of God that was always intended to live in man is restored. This is the reality of salvation. The result of preaching and receiving of the Gospel is made clear in 2 Corinthians 5:17-18.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18(NKJV) 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
This graphically tells us what happens to a person who receives the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for his sin personally. He becomes a “New Creature” or something that never existed before. He is no longer separated by sin from God. He is made alive by the life of Jesus.
Every person born physically was born into the race of Adam and carried Adam’s curse. However, when a person accepts Jesus’ sacrifice for sin and then submits to Jesus as the Lord of his life, he is “born again.” He is someone who, moments before accepting Jesus, did not exist. This is a supernatural process that goes far beyond a change of philosophy or church affiliation.
This verse also describes the first part of the commission. We have been given the ministry, or mission, of taking the message of this reconciliation between God and man to all who will listen. Romans 10 says it very clearly.
Romans 10:14(NKJV) 14How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
So the first step of “making disciples of every nation” is to preach the gospel so people can receive the new life God has for them. However, once they receive that life, there is more we are commissioned to do. What is the rest of this great purpose Jesus gave to the church? We will continue tomorrow.
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