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Go, Make Disciples
As Christians we hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 a lot. I often think about the task Jesus gives to us and it is a bit overwhelming. These are the words Jesus said to his disciples:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. -ESV
These words spurred on Jesus’ frightened, cowardly, and unimpressive disciples to reach a world that never heard of Jesus’ greatness. Today, I am grateful for the work of these disciples because we see their great impact throughout the world. Without God’s amazing work through them I would not be a believer, but they did not start by reaching every nation, they started small and we should follow suit. I learned this principle during my time in college.
Every year Crown College has a theme for chapels and events. During my last semester the theme was “Going Global”. It’s focus was on supporting missionaries and preaching Christ to the world. This is a great goal but this theme along with Jesus’ command in Matt. 28 is daunting. I asked myself, “How could I reach the entire world?” The answer was obvious…I couldn’t. When I came to that realization I had to take another look at Jesus’ words.
Reaching the nations doesn’t mean that I need to become a world traveller. It simply means that within my sphere of influence I need to do my best to preach Christ through my words and deeds. That is the Great Commission. The Gospel is not only for the Jews but it is for the Gentiles also. The Gospel isn’t just for the religious but it is for the atheist. The Gospel isn’t just for the people who have their lives in order but it is also for the broken. The Gospel is for everyone.
That is the command and the task at hand. Whether it is at the local coffee shop, golf course, school, or work it is our job to make disciples.
Go, make disciples.
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Related Articles
- Thanks, Prayer, and Evangelism (AnotherChristianBlog.org)
- In the Face of Death (AnotherChristianBlog.org)
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What a Geico Commercial Can Teach Us
For a long time I wondered why Geico used spokesmen like a talking lizard with an Australian accent or a caveman to advertise their product? I just never saw the connection between insurance and these characters. Well, they have completely confused me with their new advertising campaign. I was watching some baseball yesterday and this Geico insurance commercial came on:
After watching that I am sure that you are just as confused as I am by this commercial. How can you taste test insurance? Unfortunately, Geico runs these types of ads for one reason…they work! It is sad that they feel the need to entertain the viewer with an ad that has nothing to do with their product. As Christians there is a very important message that comes from this commercial. When it comes to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus we can’t be like Geico.
There are many people who preach some of the Gospel. They will tell people the joy that comes from being united to Christ but they do not mention that there is a cost to following him. There are many liberals who deny the truths of Scripture and refuse to preach about things like hell. There are others who do not teach the lordship of Jesus but instead preach cheap grace. The Geico commercials give the impression that they are ashamed of their product because they are not upfront about it. However we, as Christians, should not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. I think the words of Paul to Timothy says it all:
But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. -2 Timothy 4:17a, ESV
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The Gospel Centered Life
There are many fads within Christianity. We get caught up with Linsanity and Tim Tebow. We often focus on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, and other hot button issues. Of course, these issues are important but when we solely focus on these things we miss out on Christ and his Gospel.
What good is speaking out about abortion if we cannot offer the abortion doctor a better way? What good is telling a woman that aborting her unwanted baby is wrong if we do not tell her about life in Christ? What good is standing for the Biblical definition of marriage if we do not offer the homosexual a better way to live? What good is standing against these things without the Gospel? This is why having a Gospel centered life is so important. Paul’s words in Acts 20:24 speaks about this clearly when Paul said:
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. -ESV
Paul was given a ministry by God. He was called to spread the Gospel of God’s grace. That was his role. Paul lived a life that was Gospel centered. His life represented the Gospel and without the Gospel Paul’s life would have been worthless. Even though Paul dealt with issues in his time he always remained Gospel centered.
When Paul opposed Peter’s hypocrisy in Galatians 2 he was concerned with the Gospel ramifications of Peter’s hypocrisy. The circumcision party was teaching that Gentiles had to get circumcised to be Christians. Though Paul was a Jew among Jews he knew that the Gospel was cross cultural. The Gospel is why Paul opposed Peter. The Gospel should be our motivations when we oppose cultural issues.
Living a Gospel centered life is essential for every Christian. No matter what field you work in you are called to be light. You are called to represent Christ. You are called to live a Gospel centered life. I pray that all of us wont get caught up with the new fads or hot button issues but rather be in awe of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that everything we do will represent the Gospel. I fail at this a lot but through the power of the Holy Spirit we can live Gospel centered lives.
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