Discovering the Lord’s PrayerSample

Live Out the Great Commission

Jesus taught His disciples to pray for the coming of the Father’s kingdom. He desired that God’s will would be done on earth as it was in heaven. The Lord’s Prayer also includes a petition for deliverance. God is our Rescuer. He is our Savior. He can help us when we are tempted and when evil comes. Jesus knew that the disciples would need to be faithful to the teaching He had shared with them.

After His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, Jesus spent time with the disciples. Then, He ascended into heaven. But before He left, He commanded His followers to make disciples of all nations, teaching them what He Himself had taught them.

This Great Commission in Matthew 28:18–20 is one of the last things Jesus said on earth. The words we remember the most are the ones someone says in their last days. They are the words said when a person expresses their deepest feelings, what they want to last, and how they want to be remembered. With the Great Commission, Jesus showed His great desire for the message He had preached to spread throughout the world. The foundation of this commandment is God’s great love.

In John 21:15–17, Jesus asks Peter: “Do you love me?” Peter responds: “Yes, Lord; You know that I love you.” Jesus asks three times, and Peter responds three times. Jesus also says to him: “Feed my lambs... Tend my sheep." Sometimes we wonder how we can show God that we love Him. One way to do so is by making disciples. The Great Commission is to be loved, supported, and advocated for by all who love what Jesus loves.

We can all make disciples if we know the love of God, because it is His love that leads us to love others (1 John 4:19). Rediscover the love that only comes from God. See the love shown on the cross on Calvary. In John 10:11, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus is our Good Shepherd. When you feel loved and shepherded by Him, you can take that message to all the nations. You can participate in bringing about God’s kingdom. You can pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.