Lord open our eyes, that we may behold wondrous things out of your word. Amen.
Hello and welcome to this weeks bible study. This study will discuss The Great Commission as given by Jesus Christ and how we are to obey it. This is a lesson I taught 13 years ago and the applications that we can draw from it can and have filled volumes but for now we will only hit a few highlights.
We tend to take seriously the last words of someone we love dearly. Naturally, we want to believe that what people speak with their last bit of energy and breath reflects what is uppermost in their minds. Among the last appearances and words of Jesus are found in Matthew chapter 28 verses 16 - 20. It is the final appearance recorded in Matthew. Jesus' words in Acts chapter 1 verse 8 express the same commission in terms of being a witness, but both commissions are essentially the same. A similar commission is found in Mark, Luke and John. All of Jesus' appearances occurred within a 40 day period between his resurrection and his ascension. The main point in the verses is Jesus' commission to be witnesses to people of all nations and to make disciples of them.
In the references mentioned above are a couple of word we need to look at a little closer. Commission and witness. These are word we use and hear often. When we think of commission we are most likely thinking in terms of money. That is how much commission do we receive for selling a particular item such as a car, house or any number of products. In the case of selling a house we want to know how much commission is the agent going to charge us for finding a buyer for our house. A commission can also refer to a situation such as to receive a commission as an officer in the military. It also has the meaning of a command to do thus and so and that is what Jesus had in mind here when he issued the commission to be witnesses. The other word is the one I just used and that is witness. We hear this word almost daily in news casts, movies, books and news papers we read. Exactly who and what is a witness? It is the attesting to a fact, a statement or evidence that an event happened. We hear reports that the police do not have any witnesses to the shooting meaning no one saw the event. Witness may be by a person or physical evidence. It may be a person witnessing another person signing a document. This of necessity requires both parties to be there at the time. Another example may be " this field has witnessed many battles " or " witness the nail scares in the hands of Jesus ". In the situation here Jesus is passing on the requirement to be witnesses that is to tell others what they have seen and the impact on themselves. Now lets turn to the Scriptures and take a look at Matthew chapter 28: verses 16 - 20.
Verse 16: Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
Verse 17: And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.
Verse 18: And Jesus came and spake unto them,saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Verse 19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Verse 20: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. A'men.
When we talk about a commission/ command to do something there is one obvious action that must occur. What is it? Doesn't a person have to take action / obey. If you are going to receive a commission for a sale don't you have to do something? Sure you have to take action. You have to sell the item. That taking action is the same as obeying a command. So why did the disciples go to Galilee? Think back to the time of Jesus' resurrection and the women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body and found the tomb empty. The woman went and told the disciples what they had seen and that they were told to go and tell the disciples to go into Galilee. Now there are two examples of obedience. The woman went as directed as did the disciples.
How are believers commanded to obey the risen Lord? The command is to go, make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey. So, how about us today? Does this commission apply to us today? If it does then what do we do about it? If we don't obey the commission then, why not? I realize I am asking these questions and you can not respond to me but I am asking you to think to yourself just as I am why we don't obey the Great Commission. Let me get a little more personal and ask why don't I obey the Great Commission? In other words what is my excuse? Lets look at a few possible answers:
Witnessing is not my gift. ( It is no a gift to tell what happened to you )
All my friends are already Christians. ( What about classmates, coworkers, neighbors?)
Don't know what to say. ( You are telling what happened to you. )
It's the pastors' and missionaries' job. ( Really? Is that what Jesus said? )
Apathy. ( ???? )
I'm ashamed to let the public know I am a Christian. ( Christ said he would not be ashamed of you )
I think a persons religion and beliefs are purely personal and should not be expressed. ( Really? Is that what Jesus said? )
Too busy.( ???? )
Fear. ( Christ said the Holy Spirit would be with you. The Spirit and God are one and the same and you are afraid. )
I don't think one person's belief should be forced upon another. ( No one is forcing anything on another person. Simply telling them what Christ did for you is not forcing. )
I would ask you to stop and seriously think about the above listing. I dare you to rewrite the Great Commission using the excuses listed above. Remember what a witness is.
Lets just take one situation which I am sure is applicable in every church today and that is a desperate need for more workers. I suspect you have heard your pastor or priest comment on the number of workers needed, When asked to serve Jesus through the church, how do we respond? How often do we use our time selfishly? How often are we prayerfully open to serve when asked? Have you ever asked if there is anything you can do to help? It is unbelievable the number of tasks that need someone to fulfill them in our churches. I am sure there are people in the child care area that are desperate for help as they hold two crying babies and have another small child wanting attention. They only have one lap and two arms.
Now lets talk a little about the Great Commission and break it down into pieces. What specifically does it tell us to do?
GO. This has the meaning of as you go or as you are going. They are to go not for the sake of going but go with a purpose to set up the christian religion in all places. Specifically for the disciples they were being sent out into the world to spread the good news about Jesus. We as individuals today may be called of God to go as missionaries perhaps even to a foreign land. If we are not called of God to go as a missionary we are none the less required to tell others about Jesus saving grace. The key here is, it is a command it is not optional. The command was then and today is presented to Christians not unbelievers. The point is to spread the gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ and encourage people to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior
MAKE DISCIPLES. The meaning is to make disciples of all nations. This means to teach. The meaning seems to be people groups not political-geographical regions. Lets make sure we understand just what a disciple is. A pupil, follower, or adherent of any teacher or school of religion, learning, art, etc. So you see you can be and are a disciple of many things but there was only one thing Jesus told his followers to be disciples for and that was teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.
BAPTISE THEM. Baptism is an public outward expression of an inner action of your acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Showing you are not ashamed of your relationship with Christ. Baptism is an integral part of making disciples. What authority is used to baptise a believer? You baptise them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
TEACH THEM. New disciples ( believers ) need to be taught. The Great Commission embraces both the outreach task of making new converts and the in reach of teaching and training them. You can become a Christian immediately but the process of becoming a disciple does not happen overnight. It takes a time of teaching, learning, maturing, and obeying following the conversion experience. It is really a life long process.
Lets go back and consider some of the reasons we do not witness and/or make disciples in light of Jesus statement that he would be with us all the time. This also means in all places from now to the end of time. In the final analysis if we truly believe that he is with us and he will help us then we don't have much of a leg to stand on for not being witnesses and making disciples. Do we?
Lets say for example you believe the command to witness and make disciples and you would really like to obey but you just don't know quite how. Lets assume that is so. Here are some specific, practical ways you can obey Christ in this regard.
First. Prayer. You have heard the expression " don't just sit there do something ". Well lets turn this around and say " don't just do something, sit there ". In other words assume your preferred position and pray. There is no more powerful way to make an impact on world and local missions than through committed prayer and intercession. Great Commission Christians are praying. You can become a part of evangelizing of the world without leaving the comfort of your home. You can do it without training, You don't have to go out into public, You don't have to speak in public, You don't have to be in a little group. Just do it alone in your home. Just talk to God and express what is on your mind and what you want and are asking for.
Second. Love the world at your doorstep. God commands Christians to show hospitality to strangers and there are thousands in our areas. Do you have the gift of hospitality? Why not sponsor a refugee family? Teach English as a second language. Be a friendship family to a foreign student. I know of one situation where a foreign student was invited to dinner at a friends home and was desperate in trying to figure out how to explain that he did not drink wine when it would be offered to him. He did not drink any kind of alcohol and his understanding was that everyone drank wine with their meal in the United States. He was much relieved to find out that his host did not drink any alcohol either. By one estimate 80% of the international students living in the United States have never seen the inside of an American home. Why? They have never been invited. Our opportunity to love them, lead them to Christ and disciple them is an open door. When they go home this door may never open again to them but if we lead them to Christ they take him back home with them.
Third. Take a walk on the wild side. Consider taking a short week or two vacation and go on a mission trip here in the United States or on an short overseas project.
Fourth. Give money to an effective charity. Charity is another word for love. Be generous in your gifts to your church and especially any projects that are designated as mission projects. In this regard there is a lot of work yet to be done. We have done a lot but more work is necessary. It is estimated that more than 2,000 nations ( ethnic people groups ) with 1.7 billion people, nearly a third of the human race has yet to hear the gospel in any form.
Now lets focus our attention on the only passage in the Bible that notes the time between Jesus resurrection and His ascension. Jesus spent time with his disciples, giving instructions and giving proof that He was truly the risen Lord and that He was alive. This is found in Acts chapter 1 verses 6,7 and 8.
VERSE 6: When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom of Israel?
VERSE 7: And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
VERSE 8: But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem , and in all of Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Verse 6 is interesting from many respects but especially from the point of view that the Messiah had been prophesied for generations and the Israelite people looked forward to that day but when Jesus came as the Messiah he was rejected by Israel. But those like the disciples accepted him as the Messiah but they really thought that he would restore the kingdom and take them out from under the oppressive rule of the Romans. So this question is quite logical for them to ask. You notice how he side stepped their question and assigned them the task of being witnesses to the end of the earth. Jesus indicated even he did not know the answer to their question. Why do you think Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem? The text gives us the answer, ( to receive the promised gift of the Father -- the outpouring of the Holy Spirit/ Holy Ghost ).
Why was this important or necessary? Wouldn't it be enough for them to just tell other people what they had experienced and what they had seen themselves? They had been there so they had first hand eye witness testimony. After all, isn't that what a witness does? ( No, simply telling what they had seen and witnessed without the concurrent witness of the Holy Spirit through them would not result in leading others to become disciples ). It is important to note here that we do the witnessing the Holy Spirit does the convicting and leading to salvation.
Where did Jesus tell them to be witnesses? ( Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and reaching to the ends of the earth). Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria were local areas known to the disciples so is there a meaning of those places for us today. Yes there is. Jerusalem was their home just like where I live is my Jerusalem. Judea was the equivalent of my county or perhaps my state. Samaria was the equivalent of other areas of the United States in relation to me and especially where people live that I have nothing in common with. They may have a different ethnic background and strange cultural habits. Samaritans and Jews both hated each other. A similar dislike occurred here in the United States between the North and South over the issue of slavery. One side or the other could be the others Samaria. And of course the ends of the earth is the rest of the world. Regardless of where you live or go in the world there are numerous barriers Christians must cross to bring the good news to a lost and dying world. We need to pray that God would remove from us attitudes and ideas that prevent us from being effective witnesses.
As we close this discussion lets take away the following thoughts:
1. Every Christian is called to be involved in his/her church's mission to make disciples of all nations.
2. New believers need to experience baptism and be taught the things of Christ.
3. Apart from the Holy Spirit's power Christians cannot witness effectively.
4. The Lord expects every church to have an agenda that includes helping send the gospel to all people groups while maintaining a consistent witness to people living nearby.
I know from teaching on this subject before there are still those who will say I am just not qualified to make such a testimony to others who I know do not know about Christ and probably have no desire to know anything about him. I remind you again a witness is some one who can testify to what they did, saw, heard and what it means to them. Witnesses tell what Jesus did for them. That's all. The Holy Spirit takes over from there. It is not our job nor do we have the ability to save anyone we can only lead them to the one who can save them. I believe the statistics show that it takes about 7 or 8 witnessing events before the person witnessed to accepts Christ as their Savior. So you should look on it as planting a seed, others are doing the watering and someone finally harvests. Keep praying, sowing seeds and watering and you have obeyed the Great Commission. We are just a simple beggar telling others where we found food.
Closing prayer. Father we thank you for who you are and what you have done for us. Help us to obey the Great Commission and remove any attitudes and ideas that prevent us from being effective witnesses for you. Amen.
Grandpa Bill
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