CHRISTIANS, DO YOUR PART


I encourage you brothers and sisters in Christ to fulfill your role in the Great Commission - "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." (Matthew 28:18-20)

For me this verse is loaded with encouraging, juicy tidbits. So, I would like to pass them on to you. For instance, right out of the gate Jesus took the time to actually come to them and love, encourage, teach, and instruct the disciples - "Then Jesus came to them and said,..."

Then it gets even better, the Lord started off His highly encouraging Commission with the Why for the rest of His instruction - "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." This statement was and is very comforting and reassuring no matter what follows and I feel sure that was the intention.

After this there was a "Therefore" and anytime there is a "Therefore" you must ask what is it there for? In this case, because of the victory believers have in Christ's authority through Calvary and The Resurrection, followers of Christ are to go into all the nations of the world and make disciples of Christ, "baptizing them [as an outward and inward sign] in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,". Plus, we must have some teachers in the Church teaching these new disciples because Christ continues - "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you". Teaching what? Things that the body of Christ should already know and practice - "everything I have command you"

The last juicy tidbit of this passage from Jesus ends with Him encouraging believers that we will never be without His presence in our lives - And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

I want you to also notice that Jesus did not commission any well-learned Pharisees or Sadducees or teacher of the law. Jesus did not wait for His disciples to earn a degree in theology from King Solomon's Temple University. To common men and women, with common life issues, and a need for the Messiah in their life - Christ came, they believed, and were then sent out to spread the Good News.

If you are common like I am and the disciples were, then in your witnessing to others, whether it is using your testimony, the prophetic events of the day, or the salvation message straight from the hip - remember - If they choose not to [accept Christ as their Savior], that is their decision. And they are not really silencing Christians or silencing God in their lives, they are silencing themselves at the Judgment....If they don’t listen, it is their decision and it is not your fault. Don’t think of them as though they are going to die in the future. Think of them as though they are already dead and God is really giving them a chance to live. When they stand before Him there will be no acceptable excuses for ignoring His will. [http://www.raptureready.com/featured/duck/dd127.html]

I would add to this comment by Dr. Daymond Duck a perspective I have mentioned before. All the souls of the world were lost, but through Christ they have been found, saved, and/or redeemed. The world is saved, they are just walking in blindness to it. You have got to see something in order to reject it. So, I encourage you expose people so that they at least see Jesus. Tell or at least show your family, friends, co-workers, and divine appointments The Good News and as Christians, you will have kept up your end of your Godly relationship to Do Your Part.

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