Focus: The Great Commission!

Text: Mt.28:18-20

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ALL power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach ALL nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe ALL things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you ALWAY, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

In these three verses we find four things, namely:

*"All power"

*"All nations"

*"All things"

*"Always"

Let's take one by one.

*All power to wield

The believer is absolutely assured by this Great Commission that Christ possesses and wields supreme authority. Christ possesses the highest authority in the universe. The Father has given Him all authority to run things around here. He is the Commander-in-Chief of all the forces in God's universe. His decree is final. His word is law. The authority of Christ is universal.

The divine commission is backed with the supreme authority of Christ. The believer has nothing to fear in caring out his divine assignment. He is fully authorized. The Sender is the possessor of ultimate power. The Sent operates with delegated authority while the Sender reserves in Himself and to Himself absolute authority. The believer is divinely appointed, consecrated, commissioned, certified, licensed, authorized, anointed, mobilized and galvanized to enter every space where humans dwell, declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ with sacred boldness and liberating souls from the shackles of sin and Satan with the authority of Christ. 

Our call to preach is legitimate and authentic because of the authority backing our mandate or mission.

*All nations to reach

This is a global commission. Every ethnic group has to be reached. No soul must be left out. The believer's assignment is both local and global. In fact, New Testament scholars have noted that the "go ye" should be translated as, "As you go." The stress of the text is on teaching and baptizing. That is the divine imperative. The implication being that we must be fully engaged in the work teaching and baptizing wherever we go. We must be intentional, passionate and committed. We should be everywhere spreading the gospel of Christ. 

Social media is added advantage for the spreading of the gospel. Where we can't go, we can support others with our resources to go there. We can also pray for those who go. Going takes different forms than just the use of our legs or feet. Wherever we are, we must ensure that we are always going for Christ. We must keep moving an inch away from our doorsteps to reach out to the unsaved and unreached. We must go global with the gospel. The world is our parish and mission field and every believer is a missionary.

*All things to observe

Our task in the Great Commission is making disciples of all nations and teaching them to observe or obey every command of Christ exactly as He has given them to us.

We are called to teach the Word, and to disciple the nations with the Scripture as our textbook. We are the people of the book and we adhere to the authority of the Bible.

Our role is to impart and impact those coming into the Christian faith with the teachings of Christ. We help them to imbibe the culture of Christ and to cultivate His character. We inculcate into them the principles of Christ. We teach truth and set men free by it. It is said that information is ammunition. Martin Luther said that a layman armed with the Scripture is mightier than the pope. It is important to know that people get formed as they are being informed.

*Always with us

The final point of the Great Commission is the promise and assurance of Christ's empowering presence. He says, "I am with you always." He goes with us everywhere. His presence is our biggest asset. We are not left on our own. The one who is the highest position of power is with us. All authority in heaven and on earth is in His possession. He originates, owns and wields absolute power. His presence is our motivation and inspiration. In His presence we are assured, insured and inspired.

In Mark, we read, "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen" (Mk.16:20). 

The Lord of all power and authority goes with us and works with us. We are not only authorized by Him to go; we are also empowered by His powerful presence.

We are constantly and steadily emboldened by the ever-abiding presence of Christ.

We have the authority of Christ. We have a global audience ready to receive our message. We have the Words of Christ to proclaim and instruct, and we are assured of the power of His presence. That is the Great Commission! People of God, let us do what we have been called to do - preach the gospel and save souls. The urgency is now, and it's a compelling urgency. Souls are dire need of being saved, and the time is now.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter