Skip to main content

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!
Labels:

Comments

  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

    ReplyDelete
    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

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Make Worship A Priority In Your Life

As we draw near to the end of the Easter season we also draw near to the end of a season filled with joyful praise and worship. It is a season full of joy-filled praise and worship because we’re intentionally celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without Christ’s death and his resurrection, we wouldn’t have the forgiveness of our sins that we have or live with the hope of resurrection that comes to us through him. So what comes next? After Easter comes the season of Pentecost, marking the beginning of the church when the disciples of Jesus Christ received the Holy Spirit and began spreading the good news of the gospel throughout the world. During Pentecost, we see a shift in our focus. We turn from a focused celebration of the resurrection to a focus on joining the first disciples in Christ's mission to spread the news about Jesus to those who have not yet heard and accepted the gospel. We focus on working with the Holy Spirit to grow the kingdo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Placing God First Is A Family Activity

"I always put the LORD in front of me; I will not stumble because he is on my right side."  Psalms 16:8 (CEB) This verse is a recognition of the truth of God's guidance in our lives. A similar verse is one of my childhood favorites, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (KJV). As long as we put God first in our lives, we cannot fail and we will not stumble and fall because he will be right there at our side to keep us on the "straight and narrow." How good is it to know that it is impossible to fail in life when we place God at the front of our lives? I believe that this is great news that cannot be repeated enough!  This truth applies to all aspects of life, especially parenting. As parents, it is our responsibility to model this truth to our children and to teach them to do the same in their own lives. It is important to not be deceived into thinking that this is a promise for an easy life, for easy parenting, or for a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Compassionate Forgiveness

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in  Christ God forgave you.”  - Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) Have you found yourself, from time to time, holding onto some small grudge against someone?  I know that I have!  Whether it is between you and a friend, a family member, or some complete stranger who drives 20 mph under the speed limit or cuts you off, holding onto grudges is exactly the opposite response against an offender that God calls us to have!  Holding onto a grudge is the easy response to some wrong committed against you.  It is also poisonous to our souls! In this verse, Paul is passionately calling the Ephesian church to the ultimate “Christ-like” activity that we can do as Christians.  God is calling us to be compassionate towards others by forgiving them just like God forgave us.  God had every right to not forgive us and still has that right, but he chose to send his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, ...
Post a Comment
Read more