“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” I John 5:13
In our towns and great cities, more people are lost without Christ than at any other time in the history of mankind. Also, there is less evangelistic activity and personal soul winning than at any other time. What is happening? One might find a singing event, pageant, or some so-called Christian function to attend, but how much of what is going on in God’s name has God truly given us to do?
The Lord Jesus, with nail-pierced hands, gave the Great Commission. May God stir our hearts to a new beginning of obedience to Him in this matter.
The Bible says in Matthew 28:16-20,
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Jesus Christ spoke to His disciples, and He gave them what we now call the Great Commission. This particular account in Matthew is perhaps the most familiar of the records that God gave concerning the Great Commission. The Great Commission is found one time in each of the Gospel records–Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John–and once in the book of Acts. One can take any of these records of the Great Commission, and each of them can stand alone as a call from God to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Why Do We Do anything We Do?
It should not be the burden of a church to build buildings, have a Christian school, or hold special meetings; the burden of the church must be to fulfill the Great Commission by bringing people to Jesus Christ and seeing them obey Christ in baptism and continue to follow the Lord Jesus. The physical things we see that surround us in the church are the by-products of the great work of soul winning. These things should never be the goal, only the by-products. Unfortunately, in so many churches, we have become caretakers of the by-products. Churches are not busy with the work of the gospel.
The emphasis of the New Testament is on every believer becoming a true follower of Jesus Christ. The subject of discipleship is mentioned two hundred and sixty-nine times in the New Testament.
We must stop thinking our task is over when a person has made a profession of faith. We must approach that person with the idea that he is to come to know Christ as Saviour in order to become a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How Can We Be Ready for What God Wants Us to Do?
Please pray for the Temple Baptist Church as we prepare for our World Mission Conference. The meetings begin this Saturday, October 13, 2018 with our World Mission Banquet at 6 pm. We will continue together with special services Sunday through Wednesday, October 14-17 morning and evening. Our God is faithful. The apostle Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Pray for God to be glorified, laborers to be enlisted, and souls to be saved!
If you would like to know more about what God’s Word says about the Great Commission and how we can be part of God’s work in this world, get a copy of Unto the Furtherance of the Gospel. The purpose of this book is to rally people around the truth of God and, as friends, to labor together to evangelize the world. Friends agree on the truth of God and have a passion to obey the Lord Jesus in the work of world evangelism.
Laboring together as loyal friends getting the truth of the gospel to lost people is our calling.
This book sets forth our mission “unto the furtherance of the gospel.” Read it prayerfully. Pass it on to others!