“The Great Commission and Me”


BIBLE READING: Matthew 28, Mark 16
DISCUSSION                                
                As Matthew closes his account of the Gospel of Jesus, he leaves us with what has been called the Great Commission.  A Commission is an instruction, command, or duty given to a person or group of people.  In this case, the instruction is given by Jesus and the group of people who are commissioned are His disciples. It is referred to as “Great” in the sense of how important this command is to the culmination of God’s plan. Jesus, as the risen Savior, has the authority of all heaven and all earth and now commissions His Disciples to open the doors to His Kingdom. Specifically, Jesus is directing this towards His eleven disciples. So, does this passage have any value or authority to me today?  Several years ago Ivan Stewart authored the book “Go Ye, Means Go Me” which dealt with that exact issue.  Within that book lies the idea that as long as the church is in existence and as long as Jesus has all authority, then the commission is expressive to all of the New Testament disciples of Jesus.  The idea that each one of us is responsible for sharing the message of the Gospel is not limited to this one passage.  In fact, Matthew 5.16 encourages us to “Let our light shine among men…”.  Other passages such as I Peter 3.15, I Corinthians 9.22 and 2 Timothy 4.5 all encourage us in some capacity to share the message of the Gospel or the “good news” about Jesus.   It may be in the form of preaching, mission work or simply just inviting your friends to worship, but we all play a role in making sure we fulfill this Great Commission. When was the last time you shared the Gospel?

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