The Great Commission

Most of us have probably heard of the Great Commission, but do we really understand its meaning?  What is the Great Commission and what does the Bible say about it?

A commission is “an instruction, command, or duty given to a person or group of people.”  Christians use the term to refer to Jesus’ final command to His disciples after his death, burial and resurrection.  Matthew 28:18-20 contains the command:

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

The Bible never actually uses the term the “Great Commission”  The term was coined by missionaries in the late 1800’s and is now widely associated with a missionary’s call to go make disciples of all nations.

In order to understand the biblical meaning of the Great Commission, we must study Jesus’ words carefully.  Jesus began by saying that all authority in heaven on earth had been given to Him.  If authority had been given to Him, it must not have always belonged to Him.  If it didn’t always belong to Him, who held this authority before Jesus?  The answer is found in Luke 4: 5-7 which describes Satan’s temptation of Christ in the wilderness:  “The devil led him [Jesus] up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.  And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”  Clearly, Satan held authority over earth prior to Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.  However, Jesus, through His work on the cross, defeated Satan and won back this authority that He is now using here to instruct the disciples.

After establishing His authority with the disciples, Jesus then instructs them to “go and make disciples of all nations”. But what is a disciple? The Greek term for “disciple” in the New Testament is mathetes.  Mathetes means a “follower”  or someone who adheres completely to the teachings of another, making them his rule of life and conduct.  A disciple is more than just someone who identifies themselves as a Christian.  A disciple’s main goal is to be like Jesus.

“All nations”.  What did Jesus mean when He said all nations? It’s simple.  He meant all nations.  And all nations includes the United States of America.  We do not have to leave our country to obey the Great Commission.  Yes, we must GO and yes we must make disciples of all nations, but we can do it where we stand, right here and right now.

So how does one go and make disciples of all nations?  Jesus did not leave us guessing.  If you keep reading Matthew 28, Jesus gives us two ways to make disciples of all nations:  first baptize [the nations] in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and second teach them to obey everything He has commanded us.  

Baptism is a public confession of faith which identifies the person being baptized with Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. Baptism can only come after hearing the Gospel.  A disciple, obeying Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations, must first tell others about the Gospel. Once the Gospel is heard and then believed, the believer can make a public confession of faith.

After the public confession of faith, we are commanded to teach the believer to obey all Jesus’ commandments.  Before a person can obey the commandments, they must first know the commandments.  The commandments must be taught and then continuously demonstrated by other disciples.

This seems like a lot – a big command, making disciples of all nations.  But the last thing Jesus’ said is “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Jesus is with us.  Jesus has not left us as we take up our cross and encourage others to do the same.  Jesus is right here with us until the end.

As you can see, the Great Commission is more than the command to simply GO to other nations.  The Great Commission  is to GO AND MAKE disciples in your home, your local church, your City, your state, and your nation.  The Great Commission is  publicly confessing your faith to others through your words and your actions so that they can see Christ’s love working through you and maybe just maybe when they see Christ’s love in you, they will also  accept the Great Commission and they too will GO MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS.

Woman Interrupted

I’m busy.  I have things to do.  I like to get things done and get them done quickly.  I don’t like to waste time.  I know what I need to accomplish in a day and I plan my time accordingly.  So when things don’t go as “planned” or when there is an interruption, I can get testy.  Just ask my kids.  Ask my husband.

On my lunch break yesterday, I was interrupted.  Yes, things didn’t go as planned.  I had several errands to do including getting gas.  I usually avoid getting gas at lunch time because it seems that everyone has the same idea and I end up circling the pumps waiting for one to open up.  Yesterday was no exception, but I had no choice but to wait, my tank was empty.

I pulled into the station and every pump was full.  I circled the pumps until I finally found one that was open.  As I was pulling into the open space, a woman in a big truck began to pull into it too. When she saw me, she threw her hands up in the air in frustration.  I immediately thought:  “I was here first.  I have been waiting.  I’m in a hurry.  How rude, throwing your hands up like that and all.”

But then, a gentle nudge from inside me interrupted my thoughts and said, “Stephanie, back out and give her that spot.  You can wait. Just do it.”  I obeyed, but not without complaining.  I thought, fine, “but this is my good deed for the day (like there is a limit on good deeds…) ”  So I backed my car out out and circled the station again.  After finally getting a spot, I began pumping my gas and went inside to get a drink while still grumbling to myself about how now I would be late…

As I was leaving the store, a woman with a baby in her arms, stopped me and said, “Thank you for giving up that spot at the pump.  My baby was hollering at me from the back seat and I was so frustrated.  So, I just wanted to say thank you.”

I was stunned.  Looking back on it, I don’t know why I was stunned.  My morning prayers usually include asking God to show me others as He sees them; to show me who I need to talk to or who needs to see His love today.  Although I pray that prayer, I often become too busy and forget to slow down and actually listen for His answer.

Tears come to my eyes still when I think about this – how God works through us, how He answers prayers.  He knew that woman needed a break and He used me to show His love.  As soon as I realized this, I felt shame that I would complain about being interrupted by God, about obeying His voice.

I know this may be a small thing, but I thank God for His gentle reminder that He is constantly at work and if we only stop and listen and obey, He will use us.

“Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live …”

Isaiah 55:3

 

 

 

Pride: It’s Hard to Say I’m Sorry

Growing up I was told to hold my head up high and be proud.  Pride to me meant I was strong.  It meant I was capable.  Pride meant that I would never need anyone or have to depend on anyone.  On the surface, those things  sound good, don’t they? But if that is true, why does Proverbs 16:5 say that God despises pride?  Thankfully, God doesn’t keep us in the dark, He lets us know exactly why He despises pride.

Open your Bible and you will find stories of pride and the pain it caused.  Pride is mentioned 62 times in the New Living Translation of the Bible and eight verses in Proverbs focus on the dangers of pride.  Pride is the reason Lucifer fell and Adam and Eve disobeyed God.  Because of Pride, Cain killed Abel and the Israelites wandered around the desert for 40 years.

So what is pride and why is it so bad?  One definition of pride is a “feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people; and a feeling that you are more important or better than other people.”  But practically speaking, what does pride look like in our everyday life?

PRIDE LEADS TO ARGUMENTS

 “Pride leads to arguments” Proverbs 13:10a

Can I say ouch?!   I don’t know about you, but I like to argue and I don’t like to lose.  In fact, I used to argue just for the sake of winning even when I knew I was wrong.  Have you ever been in an argument with someone, maybe your spouse and as the argument continues, you realize that what the other person is saying is true? But you know if you admit that it is true, you will lose the argument.  Still you just can’t seem to admit you’re wrong.  You can’t lose.  You have to be strong.  So you try another approach.  You focus on another point, trying to confuse the enemy.  Did I just say enemy?  Yes, at this point your spouse is the enemy and the enemy must lose.  That is PRIDE.

Pride is nasty isn’t it? Maybe it isn’t your spouse, but it is your parents or a friend.  It doesn’t matter, the end result is the same.  Pride chokes relationships like weeds choke a garden until those things we planted no longer have room to grow.   Pride kills relationships.

PRIDE KEEPS YOU FROM SAYING YOUR SORRY

 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23

 

Anyone else have trouble apologizing?  Or apologizing first?  Remember the argument that you had to win?  Once its over, you start feeling bad.  You know you were wrong.  But you don’t want to apologize because apologizing means that you have to ADMIT you were wrong.  PRIDE keeps you from apologizing and not apologizing damages, if not destroys relationships.

PRIDE MAKES YOU STUBBORN

“Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.”  Jeremiah 7:24

Others used to say I was stubborn as if that was a good thing.  But you see, stubborn people don’t listen to other’s counsel because they don’t value other people’s opinions.  Stubborn people think they are better than others, that they know best and don’t need anyone’s advice. They ignore wise counsel.  That is PRIDE.

Refusing to listen to others because you think you know best  can cause you to go backward and not forward.  How would the Israelite’s destiny have changed if they would have listened to the wise counsel sent to them by God? What about you?  Has there ever been a time when you have ignored wise counsel and wished you hadn’t?  Have you ever said, I wished I would have listened?  I don’t know about you, but I want to go forward and not backward.  I want all that God has for me.  I don’t want to miss my promised land.

PRIDE KEEPS YOU FROM SEEKING GOD

 In his pride the wicked does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. – Psalm 10:4 NIV

Yes, that is the big one.  Pride keeps us from seeking God.  I know that was the case for me.  I was strong.  I was capable.  I didn’t need anyone and I certainly didn’t need God.  I thought that those who sought after God were weak.  I thought that they were incapable.  I thought God was for those with problems, not for people like me.  That is PRIDE.

Pride keeps us from seeking God and fulfilling our God-given destinies.

GOD DESPISES PRIDE

Can you see why God despises pride?   Pride destroys not only our earthly relationships, but our relationship with the one and only God, our Father.  Every day people’s hearts are hardened to God because of pride.  People think they do not need God, therefore they do not seek Him.  When people do not seek God, they do not know God and when they do not know God they miss out on all God has to offer. God despises pride!

 

Living Water

How many times do we cry out to God for answers to our problems only to wonder if God hears our cries at all?  Often God’s answer is right in front of us, but we fail to see it because we are too busy focusing on the problem instead of focusing on God.  That was the case for the woman at the well in John 4.

Jesus was resting near a well when a woman approached to draw water.  Upon seeing the woman, Jesus offered the woman living water; water that if she partook of, she would never thirst again.  The woman in response to Jesus said:

“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?” 

Instead of focusing on Jesus’ promise of living water, the woman focused on the problem that she saw standing between her and the living water:  Jesus’ lack of a rope or bucket to draw the water.  Her focus on what was not there kept her from seeing Jesus, the living water standing right in front of her.  Jesus was patient with the woman and did not give up until she understood that the living water was Him!  Her understanding came when she finally took her eyes off the problem and focused her attention on the promise:  the living water.

 

It is easy to focus on the problem instead of focusing on our God who is bigger than any problem we can face.  My 17 year old daughter serves on the board of her high school’s chapter of the National Honor Society.  As a board member, she was chosen to emcee the induction ceremony.  Upon finding this out, fear plagued her.  She didn’t want to speak at the event.  She wanted to pass on this opportunity. Thoughts ran through her head like “I am fearful to speak in front of my class, so how can I speak in front of hundreds of people?”  “What if I forget what I’m saying?”  “What if my voice shakes?” What if I mess the whole thing up?” “What if people know that I am afraid?”  She spent time focusing on her fears and not God’s promises.  The more she focused on her fears, the less real God’s promises felt to her and the more afraid she became.

However, she decided to focus on God’s promise in 2 Timothy 1:7 instead of her fear.

“God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 

Instead of focusing on her problem (her fear), she began to pray God’s promises.  She prayed, I prayed, friends prayed this same promise over her.  By praying this promise, she began focusing on the truth before her instead of her fear.  She set her eyes on Jesus, not on her fear.

On the evening of the ceremony, I approached her to give her my best wishes.  She looked at me and said, “Mom, I’m not afraid” and she wasn’t.  She went on stage in front of hundreds of people and spoke.  There was no fear in her.  She did an amazing job!  She and I both give all the glory to God because we know that only He could eliminate this deep rooted fear in her.  He is the living water.

The next time you have a problem, instead of focusing on the problem, focus on the promise.   I assure you, any problem you have, you will find a promise in the Bible that will cause that problem to flee.  Pray that promise.  Speak it out loud.  Memorize it.  Declare it.  Here are a few that I have used:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “
Matthew 11:28

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:1

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
1 John 4:4

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute , if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

What promises have you prayed or declared?  I would love to hear from you.

No Condemnation in Christ

I wrote this some time ago but have it on my heart to repost because we ALL need to be reminded that no matter what we have done in the past, no matter what we are doing now, there is no condemnation in Christ. We don’t have to have it all together before we come to Christ – He will meet us right where we are at. No matter what our circumstances are, we can bring it to Him with confidence that He will not condemn us but He will love us!

Redeemed Life

Photo Credit – Restore Ministries

John 3:17 tells us that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. This is demonstrated very clearly in John 8:10-11. The Pharisees brought a woman caught in the sin of adultery to Jesus and said to Him “In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” Jesus answered “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Knowing that they were not without sin, one by one each of the accusers walked away, leaving only Jesus and the woman. Jesus asked her “Woman where are these accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

The woman, at…

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The Word

In my last post,  I focused on the beginning of creation as described in Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1.  John 1:1 makes it clear that Jesus, the Word existed at the beginning of time.  It shows that Jesus was with God at creation and that He is God.   “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” John 1:1

Both John 1.1 and John 1:14  use the Greek Word logos to refer to Jesus.   Logos refers to the total inspired word of God, a complete message.  Jesus is God’s complete message to us. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15a NLT).     

The same God who created all that we can see and all that we can’t see and the same God that from nothing created all that exists entered the very world He made as a man.   He was God incarnate.  He took upon himself our humanness and all its frailties.  He walked as a man, but He was also God; two natures in one person.  He lived among us and we observed Him both as man and God:  as a man He was born, He experienced emotions, He hungered and He died; as God He is all knowing, He is everywhere and He is all-powerful.

 

We can see his humanness, but also His glory as the Son of God.  His glory was shown not only through His resurrection, but through his doctrines, miracles, transfiguration, and ascension.

Jesus is God among us.  “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” John 1:18  Jesus, on earth as a man, but still God allowed us to observe the glory, compassion, kindness, grace and mercy of God!  Anyone who as seen Him has seen the Father (John 14:9)

 

John 3:16 is the crux of it all.  It demonstrates love in its highest form.   God loves us so much that despite our sins, despite us turning our backs on Him, He offered His only Son as a living sacrifice.  He allowed His Son to die a painful death on the cross as a gift to us without which we were doomed to everlasting death.  In order to receive the gift of everlasting life, all we have to do is believe in Jesus:  believe that He is the Son of God and believe in His work on the cross.

Genesis 1:1, John 1:1, John 1:14 and John 3:16 demonstrate the foundation of the Christian faith.  These four short verses are packed with so much meaning and from them fundamental truths permeate.

God existed before the beginning of time.

God is creator of all things seen and unseen.

God is all-powerful.

The Holy Spirit was involved in creation.

Jesus was with God at the beginning.

Jesus is God.

Jesus, the Son of God came to earth and became a man, yet He is still God.

We see the very image of God through Jesus.

God loves us so much that He sacrificed His only Son so that we could live forever.

In the Beginning

The Bible is God-breathed.   It is a treasure chest that when opened overflows with the riches of God’s infinite knowledge and wisdom.  No circumstance or problem in life, no matter how big or small can stand when confronted with God’s Word.

When I find myself face to face with a circumstance or challenge, whether it be my own or someone else’s, I need ready access to God’s Word.   I need the Word to be on my lips.  I need the Word to be on my heart.  I need to be able speak the Word over the circumstance or challenge.   I need to know the word like the back of my hand.

Memorization is good, but I’ve found that to really engrave the verse on my heart, I need to do more than just recall the words, I also need to understand and apply the scripture.  I do this through meditating and studying the scripture, but also through writing about what I’ve learned.

That’s where this blog comes in.  Every other week or so, I will be choosing scriptures, studying them, writing on them and sharing my thoughts here on my blog.  This exercise helps to bring the scripture alive and engrave it on my heart.

The verses I have chosen for the first week are foundational verses.  Understanding these verses is key to understanding God and explaining our beliefs to others.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the waters. 

Genesis 1:1-2

This verse is central to the Christian faith.   It shows that God existed before the beginning of time.  He was here before creation.  He is eternal; He has no beginning and end.

God is the Creator of all that we can see and all that we can’t see.   God, by creating all from nothing, shows He is all-powerful and is able to do anything and everything. Without believing God is Creator, we limit God and His power.  If God and His power are limited, then the rest of the Bible and all of its miracles become just a story.  “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” (Hebrews 11:3)

At the time God created earth, the earth was not as it is now.  It was chaotic and empty.  The Holy Spirit was present at the time of creation as shown by Spirit of God  moving over the waters. This is important to show that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity had a role in creation.

Genesis 1:1 shows that God the Father and the Holy Spirit were active in the creation and John 1:1 shows that Jesus was also present.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  

John 1:1

Jesus is the Word.  He existed when there was nothing else; therefore, He was not created.  Jesus was with God in the beginning. He was with God and He is God.  This is important because this shows that God and Jesus are distinct, but the same.  The understanding and belief that Jesus is God, yet still a distinct person is fundamental to Christianity.

There is so much to glean from these verses.  Just two short verses!

God existed before the beginning of time.

God is creator of all things seen and unseen.

God is all-powerful.

The Holy Spirit was involved in creation.

Jesus was with God at the beginning.

Jesus is God.

Knowing, understanding and being able to explain these verses is paramount in explaining Christianity.

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15