The Great Commission; Revisted

[B-A-C]

The great commission is of course recorded in two places.

Mark 16:15; And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Mark 16:16; "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Mark 16:17; "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;
Mark 16:18; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Mark 16:19; So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

Matt 28:18; And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Matt 28:19; "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Matt 28:20; teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Somehow in the last generation or so, these have become controversial passages. Some believe this was "only" for the disciples and not the rest of us. However...

Rom 10:13; for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."
Rom 10:14; How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15; How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"
Rom 10:16; However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"
Rom 10:17; So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Long after Jesus ascended back into heaven, Paul wrote this to the Gentile church in Rome. How will people hear without a preacher? How will there be preachers unless they are sent?
There are still many parts of the world without Bible and Preachers. But even in parts of the world where there are Bibles and preachers, people aren't encouraged to read the Bible, and when they do, they don't understand it.

Acts 8:30; Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
Acts 8:31; And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Acts 8:32; Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: "HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.
Acts 8:33; "IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY; WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH."
Acts 8:34; The eunuch answered Philip and said, "Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?"
Acts 8:35; Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

Like the Ethiopian, people usually need someone to explain a lot of the Bible to them.

2Cor 4:3; And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
2Cor 4:4; in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

It does happen that God reveals Himself through scripture sometimes to some people.

Rev 14:6; And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;

But most of the time he uses us... people to do it.

 

[complete]

'For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel:
not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world?
hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.'
(1 Cor. 1:17)

 

[Jonathan_Gale]

Somehow in the last generation or so, these have become controversial passages. Some believe this was "only" for the disciples and not the rest of us. However...

Yes, this was only for the DISCIPLES. Those "some" are FANS who are not worthy to be His disciples. As fans, they are cheering on the sidelines instead of playing and engaging in the game. And this is not new. During Jesus's ministry, there were often a large crowd of fans hanging around wherever he went, but when the message got tough, they left (John 6:66)! If you're interested in this, go read Not a Fan by pastor Kyle Idleman.

 

[complete]

But most of the time he uses us... people to do it.

'For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through Him might be saved.'
(Joh 3:17)

Hello @B-A-C,

Yes, I agree God does use believers as the means of witnessing to the truth of the gospel. There are those whom He equips to be Pastors, Teachers and Evangelists still. Also we in our daily lives are living witnesses, as He gives opportunity, and equips us.

'And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets;
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature
of the fulness of Christ:'
(Eph 4:11-13)

'Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that heareth My word,
and believeth on Him that sent Me,
hath everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life.'
(Joh 5:24)

* I came to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour, through the ministry of an American missionary outreach called, 'Youth For Christ', way back in 1960, aged 12yrs. at a meeting in the local town hall, and the local churches cooperated by providing meetings for young people, and teaching within their locality. Today there are other schemes like, 'The Alpha Course', directed towards people of all ages, within local church groups, so believers are proactive in reaching out to others.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Brother Paul]

The great commission is of course recorded in two places.

Mark 16:15; And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Mark 16:16; "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Mark 16:17; "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;
Mark 16:18; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Mark 16:19; So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

Matt 28:18; And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Matt 28:19; "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Matt 28:20; teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Somehow in the last generation or so, these have become controversial passages. Some believe this was "only" for the disciples and not the rest of us. However...

Rom 10:13; for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."
Rom 10:14; How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15; How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"
Rom 10:16; However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"
Rom 10:17; So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Long after Jesus ascended back into heaven, Paul wrote this to the Gentile church in Rome. How will people hear without a preacher? How will there be preachers unless they are sent?
There are still many parts of the world without Bible and Preachers. But even in parts of the world where there are Bibles and preachers, people aren't encouraged to read the Bible, and when they do, they don't understand it.

Acts 8:30; Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
Acts 8:31; And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Acts 8:32; Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: "HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.
Acts 8:33; "IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY; WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH."
Acts 8:34; The eunuch answered Philip and said, "Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?"
Acts 8:35; Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

Like the Ethiopian, people usually need someone to explain a lot of the Bible to them.

2Cor 4:3; And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
2Cor 4:4; in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

It does happen that God reveals Himself through scripture sometimes to some people.

Rev 14:6; And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;

But most of the time he uses us... people to do it.

And teach them all He has commanded

Love God with all your heart soul mind and strength
Love your neighbor as you yourself would want to be loved
Love one another as I have loved you
Love your enemies

This love He speaks of and taught us to live by is not an emotion but a way of behaving toward others.

Now look at Jesus! He went about doing good, He fed the hungry, cared for the outcasts, healed all who came for healing (free of charge), He set the oppressed free, He loved the widows and the fatherless....and so on. Do the same. Emulate Him. This is the Spirit of Christ if it be in you. Not everyone who calls themselves Christian are His (Matthew 25:1-13). Not all who profess belief and get baptized are saved (Acts 8, see Simon Magi). There are tares among the wheat. Be His sheep not a goat.