Matthew____28

Scripture

Matthew 28: 18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority on heaven and on earth have been given to me. 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 I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

Observation

After Jesus rose from the grave and made Himself known to Bis disciples and close follower He assigns them a very important mission. Jesus’ last commands to His followers are these verses above, we know them today has the Great Command or the Great Commission. He seems to save His very most command or mission for last, as after this He ascends into heaven.

 

Understanding

I know it has been a while since we’ve been in the actual building of church, but let me put a little throwback in here. When I was first old enough to go to “adult church” (I was like 12 or 13) I remember at the end of each sermon we would have to get up and recite the Great Commission verses. These verses became engrained in my head, and my heart for that matter. Here’s the deal, not only were they important to us (as they are church’s foundational verses, other than Isaiah 43:19), but they obviously are very important to Jesus and His followers! If we break these verses down, here’s what we can glean:

“Therefore go…”: this is a command! Meaning it is not optional or if you feel like it. Being a follower of Christ is not a sideline sport, we are called to go and minister to others. This doesn’t have to be an extravagant mission trip either, we can start in our own family, workplace, grocery store, gym, etc. The main objective is to GO, and not keep the Good News to ourself.

“Make disciples… teaching them to obey…”: Making disciples doesn’t mean you have a bunch of groupies following you around like Jesus did. Making disciples is as sharing the Good News and then keeping that person accountable in their walk with God. Now obviously everyone’s journey is different and discipling someone also requires teaching them the foundation of what Jesus laid out for u sin HIs life. The great part about teaching is that you learn along the way too (I think that part is pretty great)!

“And surely I am with you always…”: Now all of this seems pretty daunting, but Jesus reminds us that we are never forsaken. He is always with us, that’s right always! Even when we don’t see or understand the will of God, He works it together for those who trust Him and obey His commands. And this command in the verses above are pretty important.

 

Life Application

Another throwback from church in a building was P.I.I. cards. The acronym was as follows: Pray, Invest, Invite. The goal was to have a list of about three people that we were continually praying for, and investing in little ways. Then when the opportunity came we would invite them to church. I think the P.I.I. cards and the Great Commission work in tandem together. So take some time to revisit or create your own P.I.I. card if you forgot or haven’t already. Jesus gave us an important mission and I don’t want to let Him down.

-Allison Khan