Matthew 28:16-20 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” Amen.
Last weekend, I was up visiting my father with my son and grandson for a little four-generation vacation at Bass Lake. As always, I get the privilege to attend his church’s Sunday worship service during the visit. Pastor Herk Rolff of the Little Church in the Pines stated the obvious, that the world has gone to Hell in a handbasket lately. It’s time for the Christian church to take the “Great Commission” seriously. Dallas Willard’s book, “the Great Omission “states that the New Testament is about Disciples, by Disciples and for Disciples of Jesus Christ. Now, if the building of the Christian church were a Sport, it’s hard to put any points on the Board from the sidelines. You have to be active. You have to be in the game and involved in the ministry and mission. Serving the Lord is not a spectator sport; you have to get involved. There are multiple opportunities (inside and outside the church) to get involved in Community Outreach projects and bring Christ to others. Haven’t we been thinking about different ways to talk about and present Jesus in our everyday lives?
The point is that we all need to strive to make everything more about the Lord. More about Him and less about us, because it is not about us; it is about Him. The only thing that really matters in this life is What we do for the Lord and His Kingdom. The world is digressing into depravity more and more each day and it is sad to watch and see just how ungodly and immoral things have exponentially gotten, and just in this country, but in the world as a whole.
First, that is the issue of authority. We have all had problems at some time in our life with authority (in school, business or private life or even in church). In the last few months, you see thousands and thousands of people that are having a great deal of problem with authority. Jesus has authority and He is our authority. When the Lord tells us in the Word of God that we need to do or not do certain things and obediently comply with things in the holy Scripture, He does it because He has the authority to do it. The Lord Jesus Christ has the authority to tell us whatever He wants. The problem comes when those who thinks they have a lot more authority then they really have, start to tell us to do things or not to do things, and often it is outside of authority. God has all authority and mankind does not. Natural man, in the flesh, want to think that that they have all authority. Jesus says that He gives us our job to do and our duty because He has all authority. We are working under the Lord’s authority.
The Great Commission from Jesus is our “Mission Statement). Therefore, “Go”. Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus says that now that you are working under my authority, go. He doesn’t suggest that we maybe go, or ask: Would you please go? He doesn’t ask if there is some way that He could convince us and make us feel like going. No, He says, “I have all authority as your Lord, so go.” The literal Greek word here is “going”, so the quote reads, “As you are going, make disciples.” Jesus is not talking about a single “Mission’s trip”. He is talking about every single day of your life. It is a great thing if you want to go on a Mission Trip. That is wonderful! But, that is not what He is saying. The Lord is saying, “Every single day”. We interact with people on a daily basis … we meet people everywhere we go. Sometimes in our daily walk, we have a chance to converse with them.
Let's continue Pastor's Herk's message on "Making a Difference" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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