The Great Commission - Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 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."(NIV)
In my faith, this verse of scripture is at the heart of our beliefs. We believe that Jesus is speaking to all Christians here, not just the Apostles. That we should spread our beliefs through compassion, love and the example of Christ. It is why we are so focused on Missions Work.
(I'm curious though, is this passage of scripture a central theme in other denominations and churches. If your reading this post, leave a comment about how it is taught in your church.)
Anyway, this assignment is troubling to me and to most. We are not comfortable going out and sharing our faith. It took me five years to give my 1st public testimony. Now, I had shared my faith with a lot of people in five years, but just not completely spilled the whole story. What is difficult is that you are sharing your beliefs on a journey that is not complete. In the Great Commission, we are asked to teach people to obey everything that our Lord has commanded. Yet I for one am not without sin. No doubt I will be called a hypocrite by many in my life. But I pray about my failures, plead for help in defeating them and believe I can defeat them in my lifetime.
So I will continue to try to learn about my God, and share my belief that he is the key to salvation. And this will be my contribution to Christ's Great Commission.
I guess that is what Faith is...
3 Comments:
(I'm curious though, is this passage of scripture a central theme in other denominations and churches. If your reading this post, leave a comment about how it is taught in your church.)
While it is widely taught that this is a “command” that was given to all believers, and that all Christians are responsible to carry out this ‘Great Commission’, I tend to be in disagreement.
First, the term itself is not a biblical term. I am not sure where the term originated, but it is not found in Scripture.
Second, most churches will go through a short ritual of salvation and baptism...and then expect those people to become 'disciples'. The truth is, they need time to learn and grow as Christians first.
Even in the new testament the disciples would stay a few days with people after they had shared the gospel with them and brought them to salvation. I think this is a necessary time that all new Christians need, though it's been my observation that this is not widely available.
I just posted my thoughts on The Great Commission on BibleNewz.com - I would certainly welcome your comments.
Best
Lynn
Hey Lynn, when the boss says "go" I go. I know it's a command. When it's Jesus (God of the Universe incarnated) and He say "Go into all the world and make disciples" I'd say that was definitely a Great Commandment. I'm sure that's how the name caught on. Also, some of the most amazing evangelists I've known were new Christians. They couldn't contain their excitement at knowing Jesus and where very effective at bring people along with them to know more about Jesus. Anyway we are promised that the Holy Spirit will help us know what to say. How much knowledge do we need to do a job when God is right beside us?
Actually, both this passage in Matthew and the verse in John (14:26) you allude to are specifically commanded / promised to the eleven disciples. Very few of the actual specifics of these commands / promises are claimed by believers today (notice that hardly anyone ever quotes the Mark version of the Great Commission today, few claim to have ALL truth, etc. from John). So, by what process have you arrived at the idea that these commands / promises are to be generalized to all believers?
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