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The Great Commission

“Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth.  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, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you.  Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.”” 
– Matthew 28:18-20 (CEB)

It has been a common misconception in the church today that evangelism is meant to be left for the “professionals,” i.e., pastors, missionaries, and professional evangelists.  What a sad misconception!  This command recorded at the end of Matthew’s gospel is Jesus’ last command to his disciples.  At that time, those who were present at Jesus' ascension were the church.  Therefore, Christ’s command wasn’t just for those who are in church ministry, but for the entire church! 

Did you notice Jesus saying to, “go and make disciples?”  He isn’t just interested in us going and making converts.  He wants us to not only make converts, but to make disciples!  We are not doing our job as Christians if we simply make converts.  We need to come alongside those who are new in the faith and help them to grow in their relationships with Christ, to disciple them.

Thinking of ourselves as constant evangelists is an important mindset that we need to have on a daily basis.  Everyone who claims Christ as their savior is meant to take part in evangelism.  There  is NO such thing as a part-time Christian, so that means there is no such thing as a part-time evangelist!  Go through this week with a mindset of reaching others with the love of Christ and coming alongside those who are new to our faith and make disciples!

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  1. Mike MoutlonSeptember 5, 2012 at 7:38 AM

    Hey Dan,

    I didn't realize you were blogging. Welcome to the world of cyberspace! Great post and an excellent reminder to all of us, especially me, that we are in this world to make followers of Jesus Christ, not just people who acknowledge him.

    In Christ,

    Mike Moulton

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    Replies
    1. Pastor Dan LandinSeptember 5, 2012 at 7:54 AM

      Thanks Mike,

      As you can see, it's a fairly new blog. I was doing these reflections for our weekly Church Mail emailing while our pastor was away and I enjoyed it, so whether or not I do it for the Church Mail, it is my plan to continue to take the time each week to reflect on a passage of scripture and blog it!

      In Christ,

      Dan

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