Thursday, May 3, 2018

A Moment in Biblical Literacy: The Great Commission


If you were asked to explain the “Great Commission" and locate it in the Bible could you?

Matthew 28:19-20  
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

What does it mean to “Go?”

The emphasis of the Great Commission is not on the “Go.”  The Greek word for “go” here is a modifier (participle) of the command in the passage, meaning “as you are already going do ____.”

We are already going to work, school, shopping, out to eat, visiting with family and friends, and even vacationing, but as we are already going we are to “Make Disciples.”  

What does it mean to “Make Disciples?” 

This is where the emphasis of the Great Commission of Jesus to His followers is found.

The Greek word for “make” is an imperative, a command to every believer, to every Christian, it’s not a suggestion nor is it a request.  You are commanded to share your faith in the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Gospel.  What is the Gospel?

“…Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).  

Before you go further, allow me to take a burden from your shoulders.  You cannot make anyone believe in Jesus and you cannot save anyone, that’s Jesus’ job.

1 Peter 2:24  [Jesus] Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

It’s not even your job to convict anyone of their sins, that’s the job of the Holy Spirit.

John 16:8   And [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

Your job as a disciple is twofold, first, you are to love God and love people, this is the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40). Second, you are to share your faith in the Gospel
 of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), the good news that God has made a way of salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ for any person.  You don’t have to argue or win a debate, just love people and speak the truth in love and trust the Lord to work in their heart.

Now, when you have shared the Gospel, and a person has believed and accepted Jesus as Lord and believed that God raised him from the Dead to be saved (Romans 10:9-10), then you make sure they follow in Believer’s Baptism.

What does it mean to Baptize?

Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water as an act of obedience to the command of Christ. It’s their public profession of faith, symbolizing their belief by faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for their sin.  It is symbolic of their death to sin, burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Jesus Christ.  (Romans 6:3-7)

As an ordinance of Christ to the Church, it is prerequisite to church membership (Acts 2:41-42). When a person is baptized a spoken formula of the baptism is to include, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”  

The Baptism provides no saving work toward a person’s salvation. You are neither more saved if your baptized nor less saved if you are not, salvation is by God’s grace alone, through your faith alone, in the work of Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).  As an act of obedience to the command of Christ it demonstrates that you have already believed.  It is an outward expression of an inward change.  

What does it mean to “Teach?”

Once a person believes by faith on Jesus for their salvation, they are spiritually “born again.”

John 3:3   Jesus answered and said to [Nicodemus], "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."  

A newborn believer is much the same as a newborn baby.  A newborn baby doesn’t have the knowledge or the skills to provide or protect themselves, they need someone to teach and guide them. 

A newborn believer knows that Jesus died for their sins and by faith gave them eternal life (John 17:3).  What they now need is to know how to live that life for Christ, to conform it to the image of Christ.  Learning every day to be a little more like Jesus through the taking off the old self (sin) and putting on the new self (faith) in Christ (Romans 8:29, 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:21-24, 5:1-2).

What do we teach a new believer?

·         How to read the Bible, the Gospel of John is a great place to start
·         How to pray, Matthew 6:5-13 is a wonderful outline for prayer
·         How to be the Church to worship, learn and fellowship
·         How to live their life of faith in Christ publically
·         How to share their faith

We call this Discipleship.

So, as you are going about living your life, take every opportunity to share the Gospel.
If you lead someone to saving faith instruct them on Jesus command to be baptized.
Teach them how to walk their new life in Christ pleasing and serving God.

And remember, you’re not alone in this Great Commission, Jesus said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Learn It - Live It - Love It - Share It

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