Matthew 28:16-20 NKJV
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.
We call the command of Jesus to Go in Matthew 29 as the GREAT commission. But what is a commission? It is an instruction, command, or role given to a person or group. Being commissioned means that someone in authority has entrusted you with a task to complete. Sadly, many believers treat these scriptures as though they are the great suggestion.
There are four elements to the great commission namely
• Authority
• A Task
• Resources
• People
Whoever commissions you has to give you the authority to fulfill the commission. Jesus begins by telling us that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him and based on that then, he is commanding us to GO.
But what are we meant to DO when we GO and where are we going? We are to GO into all the world and the task at hand is to MAKE disciples of all nations. This means we are to bring them to a place of belief and public declaration of Jesus as their Lord and Savior and then disciple them by teaching them to be like Jesus.
What then is the resource we have? Jesus promised that he will be with us always even to the end of the age. He is our resource; he is our all in all. Remember when he compared himself to the vine and us to the branches, he said that apart from him we can do nothing.
What about the people? We go back to the start. Whom was he talking to? He was talking to his disciples meaning he is talking to you and me who call him Lord and savior. It takes people to fulfill the commission. The commission is yet to be fulfilled. Jesus said that the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few. We still have a world full of people that need to be reached with the good news of the kingdom. Are you available to go?
Reflections
If you were to be a missionary in a foreign land, which country would you prefer to send to and why?
When was the last time you shared with somebody the good news of the kingdom?
The great commission or the great suggestion/omission? What are you doing about it?
