MATTHEW 28:19-20 – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE GREAT COMMISSION AND US. Ask any Christian what today’s scripture is and a large percentage of them, if not all, would correctly describe it as the Great Commission. Now ask the same group of Christians if they are actively obeying it. I am confident the answer would not be the same. A large percentage of Christians are not consistently obeying the Great Commission. I am not saying a good number of Christians are not sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus by passing out tracts or directly talking about Jesus to people. But that isn’t the Great Commission. The Great Commission is investing in people, making disciples or learners of Jesus who are growing in obedience to Him. So, in the next paragraph, I am going to maybe make some Christians uncomfortable. I hope not. I hope it doesn’t apply to any of us.
Look into our lives and identify specific people we are making disciples of the Lord Jesus. This means spending time with them in the Word, praying with them, being available to them, and doing so on a consistent basis. This also means we are not waiting on people to come to us, but as Jesus said, “Go”. We are intentionally investing in people by taking the initiative. We would include our children, spouses, other family members, and it extends to the world outside our physical families. Oh, by the way, gathering for worship on Sunday is a part of discipleship. However, it is not enough. And we don’t get a pass on obeying the Great Commission by being in church with other Christians. As I mentioned, we must on purpose spend time, unhurried time, investing in people for the purpose of maturing them in the faith. Well, if we are going to be obedient to the Great Commission, which is our reason for existing, two things have to grip our minds, hearts, and move our wills to action.
First, we must be convinced we exist for reaching, teaching, and maturing others in the Lord. If we don’t get “people matter and I must be spiritually investing in them”, then we will be able to memorize and quote the Great Commission, but we will be disobedient to the Great Commission. The Apostle Paul serves as our model in this “people matter first” area – For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again (Philippians 1:21-26). Pay attention to the heart of Paul. He yearns to be with Christ, but he knows it isn’t time. He still must remain in this world and the reason was for others – to mature the Philippian believers. Friends, we must be convinced of our responsibility and privilege to make disciples.
The next thing we must do with the Great Commission is obey it. Make ourselves available in our churches to mentor someone, and don’t wait. There are believers in our churches longing for this. Go after them in love and initiate discipleship. Our joy will explode as we invest in others. Also, be evangelistic by building redemptive relationships with unbelievers; neighbors and friends looking for opportunities to share Christ and offer time to study Him. This too is a joy producer. And there is a negative side. Too many Christians lack joy and the cause may well be our lack of obeying the Great Commission. So, the Great Commission. It does include us. May God help us to obey it by investing in people. After all, that is why we are still here!
PRAYER: “Father, help me to be a doer of the Word, not a hearer only.”
QUOTE: “The Great Commission is the both the great responsibility and privilege for every Christian.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim