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Understanding the Great Commission

Read and meditate on Matthew 28:18-20.

When reading today’s title scripture (at a separate time), I realised something different. The eleven disciples had been told by Jesus to go to a certain mountain to meet Him. Once they had arrived, they worshipped Him (although some doubted!). It was at this point that Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission. If I were one of the disciples, I no doubt would have wanted to stay at the top of that mountain with Jesus and my like-minded friends, worshipping and basking in the glory of His presence.

But this was not the command. The command was to go – down the mountain and into all the nations and people groups of the world, making further disciples.

This speaks to me – us – even today. We are not to remain in our holy huddles, basking in the glory of His presence and splendor day in day out. Whilst we are not to fail to meet together as the church and worship Him, we are called to inconvenience ourselves, go from the comfortable places we have built for ourselves, and share the Good News we have found.

Whatever your comfortable mountain-top looks like, never be too afraid to descend and meet with the people on the ground who do not yet know Jesus. It is there that we are called to go.

Once we have come down the mountain, shared Jesus and made a disciple of The Way, we have further instruction to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

This is significant and necessary as it is a washing away of the old life before the Lord and an embracing of the new with Him. To make a disciple and not encourage that new believer to follow all of the statutes of the Lord is to short-change them of the way that they should go. They may push back, disagree or want to wait before getting baptized – this is not on you. It is the dispensing of the truth that you must be sure of. From then on, you can only pray and encourage that new believer in Jesus to follow in all His ways.

Some say that sharing their faith is to push Jesus onto another person; or that they find it more peace-giving to keep their faith privately, not bothering anyone else with it.

Friends, again, this is a gross short-changing of our fellow brothers and sisters who are lost in the world.

If you had the cure for a desperate disease and knew of many individuals suffering with that same disease, would you not shout the cure from the rooftops?

It is no different with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is the cure for our souls. The hope of eternity and the blessing of relationship with Jesus whilst we walk this earth – and beyond.

Extend this truth wherever you receive opportunity; the eternity of humankind depends on it.

Father God,

Please give me a renewed passion to fulfill the Great Commission! Give me the courage and fortitude I need to share the Gospel with others. I need your Holy Spirit to guide me and empower me to be brave.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Action Step: Write down a list of people in your life who do not know Christ and pray for opportunities to share your faith with them.