The Great Commission-Based on Matthew 28:16-20

The Great Commission is probably the most daunting task we have to face in our lives as Christians. We have been given the duty to go to the ends of the earth and make disciples of all people. Wouldn’t it be a little easier to stay at home and try to make disciples of all people? Sure, but where is the challenge in that? Why is it so difficult for us to have a working relationship with Christ, when he is our boss? Why is it so hard to reach out to people who may never know the awesome love and power God has for their lives? So many questions, and yet there so little action on our parts to understand what it is we need to do as Christians.

First of all, please allow me the opportunity to expand on these verses a little bit and show how awesome these verses can be for your life. Understand this about the verses, that this is the first time that the remaining disciples had been gathered in one place after the death and resurrection of Christ. Many still remained skeptical of his power and enduring legacy for their lives, and yet they gathered one last time outside Galilee for his final commandment. These founding fathers of our church were an imperfect bunch who pretty well abandoned their teacher out of fear and doubt, yet something led them back to hear him one last time. In this last meeting in the same area where he gave the Sermon on the Mount and experienced his temptation, Jesus makes three very important statements that have impacted our lives almost 2000 years later.

First, Jesus established the fact that he has been given the authority over the heavens and the earth. Jesus establishes himself as the boss over all of heaven and earth, thus demanding obedience from those who call on his name. Jesus has the power to empower his disciples with missions in life and allow them to change the lives of others in the world who don’t know him all that well. More importantly, Jesus demands that whatever mission is given to his followers be carried out to the fullest. For me, Worship On Wednesday is my calling to disciple others. I am perfectly human and susceptible to failing, but while I have this mission in life, my eyes need to be focused squarely on Christ to deliver this mission. People in the military are the same way, as they focus on a mission until it is complete.

The second major impact on our lives is that we are responsible for making disciples of all nations. For the disciples hearing Jesus at this time, there must have been sheer terror, as the known world was pretty big for them. As it was, the Romans were ruling the world with an iron fist, and worship of the Roman rulers was required. Anything out of the ordinary resulted in death. For these men to go out into the world and make disciples, they were risking their lives for something they weren’t completely convinced of at this point. Remember that doubt was a major influence for some disciples not to see Christ up until this very point. Going into the world, meant going to places that never knew Christ, or even had rejected Christ. We know the disciples spread throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East and even into Africa. Most of the disciples met a tragic fate, but imagine the consequences of not spreading the word of God? We would not exist today, and Jesus Christ would merely be a footnote in history.

Finally, Jesus tells us while making disciples, be good teachers of the things he has taught us and remember that he is with us always. Jesus is more than our boss, he is our best friend when we need one the most. He is with us when we confront hatred and violence. He is with us when we try to answer hard questions or make important life decisions. He is there when we need to love someone just a little bit more, due to their not loving us. Jesus does not allow us to pick and choose what to believe, instead he commands us to obey all of his commandments and instill that same obedience into the people that we are reaching out to. The task of reaching out to people today is probably as dangerous, if not more so than it was during the time of Christ. Each year we hear about martyrs in other countries trying to spread the word of God, yet they are cut down in the process. As our world grows more unstable, it is imperative that the missions of Christ continue.

Just imagine what your life would be like if you had never known Christ, or no one introduced Christ to you. For some folks here, they still don’t know Christ like I do, but they are moving one step closer to knowing. For the believers, I tell you this—Jesus has not abandoned you. Jesus is with you always and at every end of the earth. I think of my sister Erin who has been in Iceland for the past four years or so, which is one of the most remote places on the earth. Even though she has been with her husband and son, she still feels the presence of Christ with those she comes into contact with.

What are you supposed to do with your life as a Christian? First, you are always a student of the teachings of Christ and the apostles. You are a student of life and how to improve your life and the lives of others around you. Second, you are to share the message and teachings of Christ with others, making them disciples of Christ. They will look up to you for guidance and direction. Finally, you are to know that Christ is with you always and forever. There is not one single place you can hide from God, as much as you might try. That is why I encourage everyone in this church to seek those hiding from something in their life and be a spirited force for their lives.

In closing, I was reminded of how powerful the role of discipleship is in the lives of those around us. A friend of mine from college called me this week wanting to know if I was involved in teaching a bible study and I said I was not at this time. He said, “Man, I just feel like there is something inside of me that needs to be fixed and something has to get right.” I told him about our options and he said that he needed the fellowship more than anything else and is willing to come to WOW sometime, time permitting, as he lives in St. Charles County. But then he began telling me about a person whom he worked with who was a confessed atheist, but was interested in understanding the beliefs of a Christian. Here was an opportunity for two people to work on bringing someone out of the dark and into the light.

Now I ask you this…What would you do in this situation? Would you stay at home, or would you go to the mountain for this person? What would you do for my friend who hungers for spiritual food? Would you feed him, or let him die? The mission is clear, go into the world and make disciples. Christ is with you, now and until the end of time.