Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Oct 16th The Great Commission

Today’s Passage – Matthew 27 – 28 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 76 – 80; Proverbs 16)

Read the “1016 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 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.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

The Great Commission Involves Three Primary Duties

• Preaching the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1 – 8)

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations …”

It is through faith in the gospel that people are saved from going to Hell. We are all lost sinners and without Christ we were doomed to an eternity of separation from God in a horrible place the Bible refers to as Hell. But the Gospel (or good news) teaches us that Jesus Christ died on the Cross 2000 years ago and was buried and rose again on the third day, and by doing so satisfied the payment that God demanded for our sin. God says that if we will repent and place our faith (our dependence) on the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the Cross, we could not only escape the penalty of Hell, but also enjoy the pleasures of Heaven for all eternity.

But in order for people to hear the Gospel, the Gospel must be preached:

“14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:14-15)

• Baptizing the Saved

“… baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

What is Biblical Baptism?

Baptism is the complete immersion of a believer in water. Baptism is not sprinkling. The Bible is clear in every case that the people being baptized went down into the water and came up out of the water. John the Baptist baptized in Aenon (John 3:23) because there was “much water” there. You do not need a lot of water to sprinkle someone.

Baptism is not for babies, for the Scripture tells us in Acts 8:37 that the requirement for baptism is first a belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Baptism is a public profession of your faith in Christ. It publically identifies you with Christ’s message, and it paints a picture of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Baptism also pictures the cleansing from sin.

Baptism also is a requirement for membership in the local church. You cannot be a member of the church unless you have been Scripturally baptized.

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41)

Jesus commanded baptism.

Jesus identified with His own message through baptism. He was baptized Himself. That is why we sometimes say that we are following the Lord in baptism.

• Training Disciples

“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:”

“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:1-2)

After a person has a been saved, and after they have been baptized, they should begin what is really a lifelong process of Christian growth, which we commonly call discipleship.

Once we are saved, we become ambassadors for the Lord, and we must be trained to represent the Lord well:

“17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

We have an organized program of discipleship which we recommend to all new believers. It is a one-on-one program where one of our disciples sits down with a new convert and teaches him (or her) the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. We also recommend this program to all who are new to the church, even if they have been saved for a long time.

We are also discipled through the instruction that we receive in our church services. The best counselling and instruction that you can receive will come through what you learn in the church services and Adult Bible classes. We use a lot of Scripture here in our preaching, and you will learn the Bible, and, more importantly, learn how to better glorify and represent the Lord through faithful attendance to the church services.

You can also go even further in your discipleship by attending a Bible Institute level class, or Bible College.

The point is that after we are saved God wants us to grow in the Lord.

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18)

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Discipleship and Christian growth will better equip you to fulfill the Great Commission yourself.

More Great Commission Verses:

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

“46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:46-48)

“21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23)

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

“1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)