The Messiah’s Great Commission

What do you think of when you hear the words “Great Commission”? Perhaps you think of going overseas to some far-away land, a “church planting” endeavor, or perhaps a famous missionary such as Hudson Taylor or William Carey. Unfortunately, there is a common disconnect that occurs with the Matthew 28 text. The Great Commission is all too often associated with the task missionaries or leaders of your church are expected to fulfill. Part of the problem is, we understand mission work as just that, a task or activity to be completed by those who are “called to go.” In fact, the essence of the Christian life is not about a system of religious obligations, but rather a life style of surrender and submission to following Christ. The overflow of such a life reveals itself in the making of disciples for the sake of God’s glory and the salvation of souls. We know from the New Testament that God does not expect every person to be summoned to a cross-cultural ministry. One example would be Romans 15 where the apostle Paul is found recruiting people to support him, not necessarily to go with him to Spain. So how will the nations hear the good news of Jesus Christ? 1 Peter 2:9 tells us we are to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Each one of us is to faithfully and boldly speak the excellencies of the gospel within our context and network of relationships. This is not a passive idea but an active, life-long endeavor. We are ambassadors for Christ commissioned with an incredible privilege, and compelled by the love of Christ to live as faithful disciples who are to make disciples. We are not simply presenting a convincing argument to people; we are introducing the person of Jesus to them—the One who lovingly draws them to Himself. May we love what Jesus loves as we follow Him. – Pastor Nate