Matthew 28:16-20
After Jesus rose from the dead, He made several post resurrection appearances. The Bible says that Jesus remained on earth for a period of forty days after His resurrection.
Finally, it was time for Jesus to depart from this earth. However, Jesus still had some last words of instruction He wished to impart to His eleven remaining disciples. We find these words in our reading from Matthew's gospel.
As Jesus instructed, the eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee to wait for the appearance of the risen Christ. The first thing they did when Jesus appeared to them was they worshipped Him. These eleven men recognized that Jesus was God and man. They gave Jesus the honor and praise due unto Him for who He was and for what He had done.
What strikes me in this narrative is that some still doubted. They still weren't in full belief that Jesus was really alive. Even thought the risen Lord had appeared to them on numerous occasions, they still had questions lingering in the back of their minds.
It may seem odd, but this gives me encouragement. Sometimes when I see the hurt and the sorrow in the world it makes me wonder about God. I still believe, but sometimes I have questions. Knowing that at least a few of the disciples doubted even with Jesus standing right in front of them makes me feel that my faith isn't as weak as I sometimes think it is.
Even though some of the eleven doubted, they kept on going. All eleven of these men were in the upper room when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost. All eleven stood together and proclaimed the message of Jesus that day. All eleven, except for John, gave their lives for the sake of the gospel. They struggled through their doubt to find belief. That's what all of us must work to do in an age filled with many things which may cause us to doubt.
It was now time for Jesus' final words of instruction. He said, "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." This is known as the Great Commission.
Some theologians believe that this commandment of Jesus was only given to the eleven disciples who originally heard it, and those of us living today are not under its obligation. I believe that nothing could be farther from the truth. I believe that all Christians have the obligation to spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let's look at what this commission tells us to do. Jesus tells us to make disciples, baptize, and teach. The commission contains three parts.
First of all, we are to go and make disciples. We are supposed to share the gospel. What is the gospel? The gospel simply put is that Jesus died for our sins, He is risen, and by placing our faith in His finished work on the cross we can be justified before God and born again.
Every Christian should be involved in spreading the gospel. There are many ways this may be carried out.
An important way that shouldn't be discounted is through giving. Giving to world missions and the mission of the church allows the gospel to be preached across the world in places many of us will never have the opportunity to go to.
I don't think we should leave it there, however. We should personally share our faith with others. If your like me, your circle of contacts contains many people who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Many of these may be family members and close friends. These individuals are our mission field.
When a conversation about religion starts, we can use this opportunity to relate in a casual way what Jesus has done for us and the way a relationship with Him has transformed our lives.
Some may wish to become involved in evangelistic ministry. This may include doing door to door witnessing, or passing out tracts.
One important thing to keep in mind is that when you share your faith, don't be obnoxious. Don't come across with a superior attitude.
Another very important way to be a witness for the gospel is by the way we live. The Bible says that we should live in such a way that people will see our good works and glorify the Father in Heaven.
What you do very often speaks louder than what you say. As believers, when we live a Christ like life, those around us will want to know the difference a relationship with Jesus can make in their life.
The second part of the Great Commission involves baptism. Baptism is the first step of obedience in the Christian life following conversion. It is an outward sign of an inward work. Baptism is our public identification with Christ signifying our death to sin and the beginning of our new life in Christ.
The third component of the Great Commission is the one that is unfortunately often neglected. The new convert needs to be taught those things Jesus wants them to do and what not to do in life. They need to be taught the Bible and what the true doctrines and beliefs of the church are.
Sadly, there is a lot of Biblical and theological illiteracy in the church. This is a direct result of church leaders not teaching the people. Nothing saddens me more than seeing people who have been in church for years who have very little knowledge of what is in the Bible. They don't know what they believe, or why they believe it.
Jesus ended His last words by telling His disciples that He would always be with them. Instead of going into how meaningful I find this statement now, I'd like to talk about this later. Amen
Lord, thank you for the good words you gave us. Help each of us to spread the message of your love to the best of our ability. Amen
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