The Great Commission

(From my sermon on 9/14/8)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been 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.”
(The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Zondervan: Grand Rapids)

Last words are important. These are the last recorded words of Jesus Christ to his disciples. They set the stage for what comes next. What was to happen after Jesus left his physical, earthly presence? Was the incarnation merely an experience for the people who encountered him? Or was the incarnation the beginning of something entirely new? Of course, we believe the latter and the Great Commission is the start of that next step.

When Jesus starts these last words, he gives the basis for all that follows. He has authority. In fact, he has all authority. He has authority in the heavens. He has authority where God dwells! But this authority is not only other worldly; he has all authority on earth. This is why he can tell the disciples to go! He has the authority!

Jesus gives an order. This is no suggestion for academic study. It is a direct order. This is important, because we often take it as a suggestion. If I have time and the circumstances warrant, I will go. Others go, but I support them. Jesus says to his disciples go. This is not only an order, it is a commission. I spent time as a commissioned officer in the US Navy. What is special about being commissioned? Commissioned officers actually have a commission, a piece of paper signed by the President of the United States. This commission gives that officer the authority that he/she needs to carry out the orders of the Commander in Chief. Jesus shares his authority with us through the promise that he will be with us – forever. This is not only for these first disciples, but it is for us, because it contains the order to teach everything that was taught. Of course, that includes the Great Commission. By extension, this is our commission; our orders.

Well, what is the basic order? The major part of the order is one basic word; Go! Where are we to go? We are to go to all nations although the Greek word is the root of our ethnic. So we are not only to go to all of the nations that carry the name nation, but to all people groups, language groups, religious groups all around the world. Our job is to make disciples of these people. Notice, we are not to make converts. Of course, the start of being a disciple is to be converted – but it must never stop there. We are directed to make disciples of all nations.

Well, how do we make disciples? As mentioned above, we start with conversion. Since the first step of obedience after conversion is baptism, we are to baptize people. It says that they are to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is the first step. Secondly, disciples must be taught. What are they to be taught? Jesus says to teach each of them what I taught you. We need to teach the Gospel; the good news of Jesus. I suppose that to really describe what must be taught, I should list the Bible, all spiritual writings since New Testament times, all theology etc. If this was the case, discipleship would never end – and it never does. But, we can give a short list of things that are basic teachings that we must provide young disciples as they begin their walk with God.

1. The Love of God – God loves us unconditionally
2. Our love for others – We are called to love one another just like God loves us
3. Self sacrifice instead of self promotion – Jesus came to serve not be served and to give his life as a ransom . . . (Mark 10:45 – free translation)
4. The principles of the Sermon on the Mount – The New Covenant says that the law will be written on our hearts – we need a heart change to be faithful to God’s law
5. Healing – we are called to be healers, lovers and those who bless – we stand for life and wholeness, death and despair
6. Deliverance – Jesus came to free us of the power of sin and death – we must work to help people to be free of all of the things that keep them in bondage.

How do we carry out this Great Commission in 21st Century America? We must recognize that all of us are directed to go? The question is where? God will provide the direction. We must be prepared with no preconditions as to when and where we will follow the Lord. Certainly, not all of us are called to go to foreign lands. But some are. These people must be supported by us; spiritually, monetarily and with our resources. The main thing that we must understand today is that the church must become missional. What on earth is missional? In my youth, the church was there. People could see it. New people would come because they already understood the church. They would come when it seemed to suit them. We were “all” the same culture. The world is far different today. Our cities are made up of many cultures, ethnic groups, races, religions, languages; not us “our culture”. People probably aren’t going to just come. Therefore it is imperative that we see the need to go. We are missionaries to our world. This is true right here in Chula Vista, California – or wherever you live.

When we go, it is not with an armload of tracts to pass out. I suppose tracts may be ok, but that is not what is required. We must understand that we work with a certain group of people, go to school with a group, shop at a certain store, and live in a neighborhood. This is our mission field. We make disciples by being authentic people. We develop real relationships. We love and affirm people whether they become converts or not. Our purpose is to be Jesus in the world today. He went to the people – not to condemn them, but to love them. In return they loved him. This is our task.