Just over 2000 years ago, between the time that He died on the cross as our Passover Lamb, and when He ascended to the right hand of the Father, Jesus Christ commissioned us. That commission was given to the apostles, but applies just as much to all of us today as it did to them. Jesus died to save the lost, and it is our job to lead them to Him. That is the essence of the Great Commission. The Commission is found in 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 worshipped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in Heaven and Earth has bee 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.”
To make disciples of all nations, we need to know what a disciple is. According to the NIV bible dictionary, a disciple is a follower or student, especially one who believes what the leader teaches. Anyone who believes in Jesus is His disciple. Any born again believer, by that definition, is a disciple. Those disciples are commissioned to go forth and make more disciples through all the earth. The Great Commission is the heartbeat of the evangelistic movement. It commissions us to win souls for the Kingdom of God. That is the essence of every non-denominational church that I have been to. In Mark 1:17, Jesus calls His disciples, saying, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”. The Lord called them to fish souls for the Kingdom out of the great sea of humanity. Those apostles fulfilled their part of the commission, and great numbers were added every day.
What about us? Are we doing our part to fulfill the Great Commission? Not from what I have seen. If we were, there would be less empty seats in the churches. The world would not be going to hell in a hand basket. There seems to be an evil tone throughout a large portion of the world. The kind of tone one would imagine permeated during the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. People are less centered on Jesus and more centered on self. We need to get an evangelistic spirit, going forth, finding those lost, hurting, broken souls in need of a Savior. Then introducing them to that Savior who has already suffered all that afflicts them, who died for them, and now offers them healing, salvation, and a more abundant life. Jesus commissioned all who believe in Him to bring the lost to Him, are you doing your part?
To make disciples of all nations, we need to know what a disciple is. According to the NIV bible dictionary, a disciple is a follower or student, especially one who believes what the leader teaches. Anyone who believes in Jesus is His disciple. Any born again believer, by that definition, is a disciple. Those disciples are commissioned to go forth and make more disciples through all the earth. The Great Commission is the heartbeat of the evangelistic movement. It commissions us to win souls for the Kingdom of God. That is the essence of every non-denominational church that I have been to. In Mark 1:17, Jesus calls His disciples, saying, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”. The Lord called them to fish souls for the Kingdom out of the great sea of humanity. Those apostles fulfilled their part of the commission, and great numbers were added every day.
What about us? Are we doing our part to fulfill the Great Commission? Not from what I have seen. If we were, there would be less empty seats in the churches. The world would not be going to hell in a hand basket. There seems to be an evil tone throughout a large portion of the world. The kind of tone one would imagine permeated during the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. People are less centered on Jesus and more centered on self. We need to get an evangelistic spirit, going forth, finding those lost, hurting, broken souls in need of a Savior. Then introducing them to that Savior who has already suffered all that afflicts them, who died for them, and now offers them healing, salvation, and a more abundant life. Jesus commissioned all who believe in Him to bring the lost to Him, are you doing your part?
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