“Go ye therefore, and 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: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” - Matthew 28:19-20
Jesus is Lord. I think most Christians would agree with this statement, but do our lives reflect this? When a person joins the military, he is immediately instructed about the importance of saluting and obeying those of higher rank. A man will not have a successful military career if he only picks and chooses the commands he obeys.
At work, you are accountable to your boss or supervisor. You are responsible to carry out the commands and directives that he gives.
On a greater scale, Jesus Christ is Lord of all. Yet our perception of His commands are drastically different from the commands our boss gives. We treat the commands of Jesus like they are options.
Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and 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: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” This command, that we refer to as the Great Commission, is known by most believers. Yet very few people treat His command seriously. How many believers are actively sharing their faith? How many Christians are known as fishers of men? Our Lord has given us a command, yet we act as if this command is for someone else. Many think it is the pastor's job to evangelize. Some think that a select few are called to share the Good News.
It is amazing that we are not selective when it comes to receiving the positive promises of God, but we are very select in obeying the commands of God. Yet in John 14:15, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Obedience should be the natural response of a loving heart to a gracious God.
In the Great Commission, what are we commanded to do?
First of all, we are taught to evangelize. Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations...” We are taught to go and share the message of the Gospel. We are called to be proactive rather than reactive. We are not told to wait for an evangelistic opportunity. We are called to go. We are to be active in this work. Far too many are waiting for someone to come out of nowhere and ask them how to be saved. While this could happen, that is not the normal way evangelism works. Rather than waiting for sinners to come to us, we are commanded to go to them.
Secondly, we are called to enlist. Those who hear and believe the Gospel need to follow the Lord. Jesus taught us “... baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” When someone professes faith in Jesus, they should be baptized in water. This is a command from our Lord. We are not greater than our Lord Jesus. He was baptized by John. We are to follow in His steps. In baptism, the water is a symbolic grave where the old sinful life is buried and the believer rises to a new life in Christ. We celebrate the beauty and meaning of this ceremony. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change. Evangelism is not the end of the Great Commission. When a person repents and believes, we continue obeying the Great Commission by baptizing the new believer. I realize that baptism is not considered highly important by many churches, but it needs to be. Baptism is a step of obedience for the new believer … and for the Christian worker who desires to keep the Great Commission.
Finally, we are commanded to educate. A new believer that has been baptized needs to be taught. Jesus said, “... teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Discipleship is a vital part of the Great Commission. We haven't obeyed the Great Commission fully if we fall short of teaching discipleship to new believers. Ultimately, we want to teach new believers to obey the Great Commission themselves. Properly implemented, the Great Commission results in multiplied growth that continues for generations to come.
Here's the big question. Are YOU a Great Commission Christian? Are you actively obeying the Great Commission? Are you seeking to win souls to Christ? Are you leading them to be baptized into a local body of believers? Do you seek to instruct the new believer to be a fully devoted follower of Christ? Are you a Great Commission Christian who leads others to be Great Commission Christians?
The disciples were Great Commission Christians. They evangelized. They baptized those who believed. They emphasized discipleship and Christian doctrine.
The early church took Jesus' command seriously. So should we.
