"The Great Commission"

"All authority in heaven and on earth has 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,

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely i will be with you always, to the very end of the age."

- Matthew 28: 18-20

"Our vision is to help fulfill the Great Commission

by building strong and biblical people

to plant strong and biblical churches

in Brisbane, Australia, and all over the world"

- Hope Brisbane Christian Church

Oh, how blessed I am to be in a church that is right smack in the center of God’s will. And by that, I mean being in a church that has the right focus and vision; for I strongly believe that the mission of the church has been divinely set many, many years ago by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself – that of the Great Commission. And that is precisely the vision of our church (see above); it has the fingerprints of the Great Commission all over it!!! :)

In recent weeks, i had been pondering over the Great Commission and the vision of my local church; and in the process of it all, God has made me all the more convicted and convinced that this was the way to go – that the Great Commission was His very heartbeat; in fact, it is His very heart!!!

The Great Commission is not just for a select few; but rather, for each and every genuine believer of Jesus Christ. There is no shadow of doubt to this (which i will unfold later). The question we’ve got to seriously ask ourselves is this, “What part are we playing in obeying our Lord’s very command to make disciples of all nations (i.e. the Great Commission)?” God has spoken; what will our response be?

Had been utilizing the lunch breaks at work to meditate over the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ … and for record’s sake, I’ll briefly record the meditations of my simple mulling …

“All authority has been given to Me.”

Firstly, this verse seems to convey to me the BASIS of the Lord’s command for us to fulfill the Great Commission.

The basis of us obeying the command seems (to me anyway) to be two-pronged: Firstly, I see Jesus, with all authority, commanding us. And we, especially those who served in the army, know what it means to be commanded by someone with authority; there are no two-ways about it. How much more ought we obey our Lord Jesus Christ, who had absolute authority!!! We are to submit and obey; no questions asked!!!

Secondly, I see Jesus, with all authority, backing us. I mean, what greater assurance can one get than having the full backing of someone bestowed with absolute authority. Just think about it, we are on the winning side!!! Jesus, our Commander-in-Chief, with full authority (i.e. everything under His command and control; everything is subject to Him), has commissioned us!!! Oh, how awesome and assuring that thought; it ought to instill great confidence in our very hearts!!!

“Therefore, go …”

Next, the word “therefore” simply tells us what we are to do as a result of the preceding statement about Jesus’ authority. It simply says, “Go”!!!

If the preceding sentence was the basis / ground of the commission, then the word “go”, quite simply, to me, is the COMMAND. It is an active word; not a passive one. It is an action-oriented word; one that requires us to act. We are commissioned to go!!! But go where … and do what?

“… and make disciples …”

This is what it is all about, eh?! The Great Commission boils down to this single task: the making of disciples. It is all about making disciples for Christ!!!

And if the first sentence is the basis of the commissioning, and the word “go” is the command, then the making of disciples has got to be the GOAL of the command. We are to be in the “disciple-making” business!!! Oh, Lord, let this be my major goal in life … and may I never swerve from it!!! Help me to be faithful to this very end!!!

“… of all nations …”

Hold on a minute … there is a little 'clause' behind the goal of making disciples … and it is this: “of all nations”.

Hmm … if the goal of the Great Commission is to make disciples, then these few words, “of all nations”, has to be the SCOPE of that goal. It has far-reaching implications: It tells us that we are to make disciples of all nations; not just a select few, but all nations!!! God’s heart is evident in this; it is for the world!!! God’s desire is that none should perish, but that all come to Him in faith!!! Is God's desire our desire?

The goal of the Great Commission is that of making disciples of all nations. But what exactly does it entail? What does making disciples involve? It seems to me that Jesus answered this question in the immediate verse that follows; the follwing verse seem to imply the COMPONENTS of making disciples (i.e. what is involved) … and specifically, it seems to consist of 2 major components ...

“… baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit …”

So, here we have it, the first component of making disciples is (and rather implicitly) simply this, the winning of souls (i.e. evangelism); for how can we baptize others without them first coming to saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ? The command to baptize them presumes that we have first won them to Christ; and this calls for the preaching of the gospel to those who do not yet know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As it says in Romans 10: 14-15, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Therefore, I see, in this verse, that the first component of making disciples is that of being a herald - proclaiming the gospel of Christ and winning souls for Christ. It involves us going to the lost, sharing with them the gospel, and winning them for Christ. And now that we have won people to Christ, what next? The next line completes the picture for us …

“… and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Component #2 in the disciple-making process consists of teaching them the things of God in bid to bring them to full maturity in Christ (i.e. discipleship). We are not to leave them as they are; rather, we are to look after them, nurture them, teach them, and disciple them in Christ!!! We are to make disciples out of them!!!

And the GOAL of our teaching, as seen in this verse, is that of obedience; specifically, obedience to everything (i.e. the SCOPE of obedience) Jesus had commanded us.

And as I allowed this thought linger on a little more in my head, it dawned upon me that the word “everything” in the phrase, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”, is all-encompassing. We are to teach them all that Jesus had taught and commanded us - and this includes this very command in Matthew 28: 18-20 - namely, the Great Commission!!! The Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the things that we are to obey ... and not only are we to obey; we are expressedly commanded to teach others to obey it as well!!!

Well, no more excuses!!! Every Christian is commanded to obey the Great Commission. Each of us has a part to play in helping to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ!!! We are all to be involved in this great redemptive work of God!!!

So there we have it: To sum it all up, the Great Commission, or the making of disciples, encompasses us moving people from a state of unbelief (i.e. through evangelism / winning souls / salvation) to full Christian maturity (i.e. through discipleship / Christlikeness). This is what it is all about ... We are to be involved in winning souls and discipling them to full maturity in Christ; and they, in turn, are to win souls, and disciple others to full maturity in Christ ... and so on and so forth – until the Great Commission is accomplished!!! Awesome!!! This is God's mission for His church and people; will we stand up and be counted?

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Oh, what comforting and assuring words from our Savior and Lord!!! Oh, what a fitting finale to His very command!!!

So far, we have seen the basis of the commission (i.e. the authority of Jesus), the command of our Lord (i.e. to “Go”), the goal of the command (i.e. to make disciples) and its scope (i.e. of all nations), and the components of the goal (i.e. evangelism and discipleship).

Now, here, we see the PROMISE of our Lord, namely, that He will be with us – always … and as if that is not enough, He gives it a double-emphasis, adding the words, “to the very end of the age”!!! Furthermore, the CERTAINTY of our Lord’s promise can be seen in the little word “surely”; as if God is man that He should lie!!!

Oh, how reassuring this thought is as we go about seeking to do God's work in fulfilling the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ!!! Oh, what a very fitting way to conclude His command / commissioning of us!!! Let us go fulfill the Great Commission; for He is with us – to the very end of the age!!! Amen!!! :)

**********

And indeed, that's why i say i'm so blessed to be in a church that is in the very center of God's will. For I am fully convinced that one of the key ways to help fulfill the Great Commission is to build strong and biblical people who will, in turn, plant strong and biblical people, in Brisbane, Australia, and all over the world.

It's interesting to note the order - for only with strong and biblical people can we plant strong and biblical churches. And indeed, the church has to be strong and biblical in order to impact the world for Christ. Oh, how very crucial it is that churches be strong and biblical - for the church is the vehicle God has chosen to make known to the world His manifold wisdom (see Ephesians 3: 10-11). Let us seek to be a strong and biblical church, one that impacts the world for Christ the way He would have us!!!

My humble prayer is that God will use me (and each and every one of us) to this very end; that God will continue to deepen my convictions and that faith may arise in my heart to know that in spite of my many inadequacies, God can, and will, still use me for His purposes.

Let us join hands in seeing the Great Commission fulfilled in our life-time by the grace of God!!! Amen!!! :)

"I Love to be with You"

When i recall, it really seems amazing, almost (and perhaps) divine, how a worship song crept into my head while i was busy at work this morning.

The song was an old one entitled, "I Love to be with You". And as i let my heart and mind take over as i worshipped God (in my heart, of course!) with the song, it suddenly dawned upon me that that was indeed the cry of my heart. It indeed expresses my deepest desire. And as i meditated and mulled over the song, each line became precious ... they seem to echo the depths of my heart there and then ...

"I Love to be with You"

Chorus:
I love to be in Your presence Lord
I love to be with You
For when i touch Your glory
Your Spirit restores me
I love to be with You
Lord i love to be with You

Verse 1:
All my fears disappear
Whenever I'm with You
Every care becomes a prayer
That I can be with You

Verse 2:
I exchange all my pain
And You give me perfect peace
Your steadfast love is like a flood
That washes over me

Here, then, are my simple mullings of the song ... line upon line ...

"I love to be in Your presence Lord"
The picture that this line brings to my mind is that of God's tangible and manifest presence ... There i am, in the midst of worshipping God - enveloped by His awesome presence. Oh, how i love that feeling; how i love to be in Your presence Lord!!!

"I love to be with You"
I know this may sound like a play of words; this second line actually (more of less) means the same thing as the first ... pardon me, but the picture it gives me is something different. With this verse, i see myself standing closely beside my Savior and Lord. It was something real, something much more tangible; there Jesus is - right beside me ... enveloping me with His loving embrace. Oh, how i love to be with You!!!

"For when I touch Your glory ... Your Spirit restores me"
In the following two lines, the songwriter exposes the reason why we (or at least me) ought to love to be in His presence; the connective word "for" says it all.

Oh, how i love to be in God's presence ... to be with Him ... for when i touch Your glory. The word "glory" could mean many things ... but two things stood out to me: firstly, that of the shekinah glory of God (the weight of His tangible presence), and secondly, that of seeing and beholding God in all His awesome splendor and infinite worth (seeing God for who He is; beholding the beauty of His holiness).

And indeed, it is because of that intimate and stupendous encounter with our Lord that the next logical thing happens: namely, "Your Spirit restores me". Ooh ... i'm sure many of us can attest to that ... for when we are lost - really lost - in God's sweet and holy presence, there we find serenity, peace, joy, rest, and a whole host of other wonderful things; our spirits are restored in the presence of our King!!! Oh, how i love to be in His glorious presence!!!

"I love to be with You ... Lord, I love to be with You"
These two lines that follow simply reiterates the desire of my heart after mediating over the preceding verses. It is interesting to note the double emphasis. Indeed, i love to be with You, Lord!!! Oh, how i love to be with You!!!

"All my fears disappear whenever I'm with You"
The next line delves even deeper as to what happens to us when we are lost in His presence - all our fears disappear. And indeed, how true this is. I can remember so vividly how in God's presence, all my fears and concerns all disappear ... Indeed, i believe it is because when we are in His presence, God lifts us up to where He is ... and there, we get a bird's eye view of everything; everything (our troubles, etc) all fall into their proper place as we embrace the sovereignty of our Lord. Everything - absolutely everything - is now viewed in their proper perspective - through the very eyes of our Lord. Thus, the songwriter could write - and we can attest - "All my fears disappear, whenever i'm with You." As 1 John 4: 18 says it so aptly - "... perfect love casts out fear ..." Oh, how i love to be with You!!!

"Every care becomes a prayer ... that i can be with You"
The song goes on to tell us how every care of ours that we carry with us into God's presence now becomes a prayer ... for in His presence, we can unload and cast all our anxieties upon Him, for He cares for us (1 Peter 5: 7). And indeed, our only 'concern' now would be that we can be with God!!!

"I exchange all my pain ... and You give me perfect peace"
After going through the chorus once again, this next verse describes vividly what happens when we are deep in God's holy presence; a divine transaction takes place. For there, we find ourselves unloading and trading all our hurts, pains, disappointments, etc with God's perfect peace - a peace that surpasses all understanding; a peace that comes from God alone. How awesome and satisfying the thought!!!

"Your steadfast love is like a flood ... that washes over me"
This next line expands a little more on the divine exchange that was mentioned earlier. It is God's love - His steadfast, eternal, everlasting, and very tangible love - that swamps over our souls like a flood ... it is this agape love of God that releases us from all our human cares and wants. Oh, it's like the balm ... the balm that flows in and heals ... that restores ... that refreshes!!! How true this is ... i'm certain that all of us have experienced the reality of God's love flow in and through us during our times with Him!!! How great that feeling ... Oh, how i love to be in His presence!!!

Concluding Remarks ...

Ponder, my friends, over how wonderful, how rewarding, how satisfying God's presence is to those who would long and pant after Him!!! Oh, how sweet is His very presence!!! Let's keep coming for more of Him; for we can never get enough ... the more we drink, the more we desire and long for more of Him!!! Paradoxical, but true ... and i close with this prayer:

"Lord, how i love to be in Your presence; how i love to be with You, by Your side. Oh, take me deeper, ever deeper in that sweet presence of Your's where unceasing joy abounds!!! Oh, i love to be with You - forever!!!"