As followers of Jesus, we have received a commission.  We refer to this as the Great Commission and read about it in Matthew 28:18-20 

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising 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 am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The word commission means “an instruction, command, or role given to a person or group”. Jesus has commanded us, believers, to share the gospel and make disciples. It’s important to note here that this is not a suggestion but a command.  We need to take this seriously.

THE HEART OF GOD

This mandate encapsulates the very heart of God as revealed through the ministry of Jesus.  God is love and He loves the world (John 3:16).  He demonstrated that love to us by sending Jesus to die for us. Now when we repent we are reconciled to God.  Now, in the same way, that God reached out to us in love, He has commissioned us to reach out to others with the gospel.  In other words, the same love we have freely received, we freely share with the lost.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR US

What this means for us in practical terms is that we need to follow Jesus as not only our saviour but also as Lord.  God demonstrated His love to us by sending Jesus to die for us. As a result, when we repent of our sins we now have the incredible gift of salvation. This must lead to our lives being obedient to Jesus.  Consequently, we must die to ourselves and follow and obey Jesus.  As a result, we look for every opportunity to share the gospel.

Ultimately, we need to remember that salvation is not just a personal blessing we savour for ourselves.  Instead, we must share it as a gift with the world.  The Great Commission empowers us. It enables us to step out in faith. We do this knowing that the gospel, can transform lives. As a result, people can find hope, healing and most of all eternal life in Christ.

Finally, it’s important to remember that the Great Commission commands us to reach “all nations”.  What this tells us is that the message of the gospel is for every single person regardless of their culture, language or background.  The gospel must reach every corner of the earth and every person in need of salvation.

The Great Commission rallies every believer. It compels us to freely share what we have freely received – the love of God and salvation!  It’s not an optional extra for us as Christians, rather it’s an integral part of our walk as Christians.  

Let’s embrace this mandate with passion, zeal, compassion and an unwavering dedication to obeying our Lord and Saviour Jesus.