The Study
Matt 28:18-20
"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.'"
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Haven't you ever wanted to do something extraordinary? To be consumed in a Cause greater than yourself, whose impact extends to eternity!? That's exactly what Christ is calling every Believer to! When you become involved in fulfilling Christ's Great Commission, you become involved in the greatest Cause of all ... calling people throughout the world to an eternal and loving relationship with the Creator God.
It is an opportunity that everyone deserves to have ... an opportunity that everyone must have! For apart from Jesus Christ, there is no other way sinful man can be reconciled to the Holy God. And apart from our telling others about Him, there is no way they will hear. And that is what makes our involvement an imperative, not an option!
Study each principle below to learn more about the Great Commission.
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1. Christ Has Given Us the Authority
"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go..."
Jesus' words, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me", has two meanings for Believers.
First, it describes the weight of Authority behind Christ's Command. In any hierarchy, Authority increases the higher up you go. When you reach Christ, you've reached the pinnacle of Authority. There is none higher, none greater! And that's what makes His command for us to "make disciples" so compelling. The One who has preeminent authority has given us a command. We have no option but to obey!
Second, Christ's Authority is not only the force behind His command, but the might behind our authority to fulfill that command. Jesus has given us the divine right to confront the dark forces in this world with His Light. Even the sovereign borders of nations are to be breached in order to bring the liberating message of God's forgiveness! People in "all nations" are to be brought under the healing influence of God's Kingdom.
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2. Christ Has Given Us the Strategy
"...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."
With approximately 6 billion people in the world today, the question must be asked, "How are they all to be reached?" In His Commission, Christ has provided the Strategy. We are to take the initiative and "Go" to people everywhere, baptize those who believe, then teach them to obey all that Christ has commanded, including going, baptizing and teaching others to do the same! This strategy can be expressed in three words developed by Campus Crusade for Christ. "Win, Build and Send".
We are to Win people to Christ, Build them up in Christ and then Send them out to Win and Build still others for Christ"! Unless we multiply ourselves in the lives of others, we will never reach this world. If you were to tell 100 people every day about Jesus Christ, it would take you over 100,000 years to reach everyone in the world. That's Spiritual Addition.
However, if you discipled one person every six months and taught them to disciple others, then if both of you did the same to another for the next six months, repeating this process again and again each year, you will be able to reach the entire world in 16 years! That is the genius behind Spiritual Multiplication
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3. Christ Has Given Us the Ability
"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"
It is one thing to know what to do and quite another to actually do it! And that's where the last part of the passage comes into play. Jesus didn't just wish us "Good Luck" after telling us what to do, He promised to be with us always as we obey His command!
The presence of Christ is what enables us to do His work. Indeed, it is Christ who is living and working through us! Though we are weak, He is strong. Though we are fearful, He is fearless. Though we are unable, He is more than able to do all that He desires through us! All we need do is Trust Him and Obey His Word. He will open the doors, He will lead us where He wants us to go and He will empower us to do what He wants us to do! Then and only then does He get all the glory!