glennGARLAND 

The Great Commission

Romans 10:13 For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent?

The call of God to everyone who has received the gift of salvation is that they share their freedom with the rest of humanity. 1 Peter 4:10, As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Who is supposed to share the gift? Everyone who has received. When Jesus sent out the twelve in Matthew 10:8 He told them, "Freely you have received, freely give". It is our right to be the standard carrier to our generation. It is a trusted honor to be commissioned by our Heavenly Father to be the carriers of the great message and the releasers of the greatest ministry that any generation will ever be given, that message and ministry of Jesus Christ.

If it is our right and privilege then why is there so much fear and intimidation experienced by so many when it comes to carrying it out? The cross(1 Corinthians 1:18) has not lost its power neither has the gospel(Romans 1:16). There is a Bible truth in Hosea 4:6 that says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children." Several things are brought to light here.

1. A lack of knowledge will not only cripple you ability to be effective but in the end will devastate you completely. 2. The lack of knowledge was not due to supply. The lack was due to no demand for it. There was no knowledge because they rejected what God had offered them. 3. This rejection in turn created rejection. God would not allow them to be His representative to their generation. That generation missed the heavenly blessings that the priest bestowed on account of the priest unwillingness and disobedience.

We cannot allow ourselves to follow in the footstep of this horrible account, so we must pursue a greater knowledge of the commission given us by Jesus Christ. Let's look at three texts that give us a glimpse into the Great Commission and find the keys that will make us effective it in our generation.

The first text is...

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 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, 20 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.

Jesus makes the clear proclamation of emancipation as He lets us know that all authority both in heaven and earth are His. In Luke 4:6, satan tells Jesus "All this authority (on earth) I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish". He was given that authority by Adam through Adams sin. In Matthew 28 Jesus had in His death descended in to hell and led captivity captive (Ephesians 4:8-9). Jesus told John on Patmos that He had the keys of Hades and death (Revelation 1:18). Jesus had through His death, burial and resurrection had "wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it" (Colossians 2:13-15). With this total authority He now instructs us that everywhere we go make disciples of Jesus and to minister to them the baptism and teaching of the way God. There is no force stronger no power greater than the authority we have been commissioned under!

The second text is...

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

Here we see the transfer of authority to the sent agent. Now not only does Jesus have the authority but He releases it to His ambassadors. They now may exercise it over all the darkness in the world and through that establishes light. Jesus has conquered sin and all its rotten fruits. Those who carry out sins bidding are now powerless to us and every symptom of sin is subject to the authority of the message and ministry of Jesus Christ that we carry.

The last text is...

Luke 24:45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

Jesus opens their understanding, what a powerful key, the key of understanding. There is also the comprehension of scripture another great key why because apart from scripture we are powerless because our intimacy with Christ is established through the Word because Jesus is the Word (John 1:14). Then the most neglected yet most important detail of our commission, "that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in His name to all nations". It is impossible to give the Gospel of Jesus Christ without addressing the issue of sin. Jesus came on account of sin (Romans 8:3). Diffusing sins power and authority is the purpose of the gospel. Our commission is to set man free from sins deception and tyranny through the message and ministry of Jesus Christ. In our attempts to be sensitive to the human condition and cross over we have failed to bring the cross over. The message of the cross, the blood and the life of Christ is the love gift of the Father to humanity and its power to free people from bondage is the rewards of receiving it. It is through this release that man can again enjoy fellowship with our Heavenly Father. Repentance and remission of sin is not a message that is legalistic or judgmental, that is a lie from hell! It is only when the message and ministry of Jesus Christ is not given or recieved is there judgment for sin and disobedience.