In my last post, we began a new mini-series on the character traits that Yeshua expects us to possess concerning His calling for us and examined His command to seek His Kingdom first. In this post, we will explore His calling us to fulfill the Great Commission.
Calling ~ Part B
“Therefore, brothers, try even harder to make your being called and chosen a certainty. For if you keep doing this, you will never stumble.” (2 Kefa 1:10)
2. Go … Baptize … Teach
“Yeshua came and talked with them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age.’” (Mathew 28:18-20)
Matthew 28:18-20 is often called the “Great Commission.” A commission is an assignment, a task, or an office given by a higher authority. When a commission is accepted, it becomes one’s purpose in life and their priorities are reoriented to fulfill the obligation of the commission until it is completed.
This command was one of the last Yeshua gave before ascending to heaven following His resurrection. Its purpose was to let His followers know without question what their life priorities should be until His return. If you follow this command, you should never have to worry about how to spend your time or how to use your spiritual gifts or where to invest your money and resources. In whatever we do, there should always be an awareness that we have been commanded to help the lost become found, bring hope to the hopeless, and do whatever we can to snatch people from the kingdom of darkness and bring them with us into the kingdom of light. This command (coupled with the one below) continues Yeshua’s work on earth through His people as they obey Him.
As we go and make disciples for Yeshua, we are to baptize them and teach them and help them understand that they also have been given a commission by Yeshua. The job is not done after we have made disciples; we must complete the task by helping them come to maturity in Yeshua, which means they are also to replicate the commission in their own lives.
Many of Yeshua’s commands are for our own personal growth and development as Believers, but this one moves beyond ourselves to our family members, our colleagues at work, our acquaintances at the ball field, and our neighbors who surround our homes. This command is an expansion of the second Great Commandment: “You are to love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) As we worship God, our neighbors need to worship God as well. As we serve the Lord, our neighbors also need to serve the Lord. As we are assured that we will be taken up to heaven when Yeshua returns, they, too, need such assurance for their lives.
Application: Who have you shared the Besorah with lately? Who have you shared your testimony with? Do several people come to mind? What reason could you possibly give Yeshua for not sharing the Besorah if He came to visit you today? Sharing the Besorah and making disciples is something that should come naturally to every believer in Yeshua. Telling others about Yeshua should overflow from the joy you have within you. Pray now for those around you that you know are lost and ask God to give you opportunities each day to be a faithful witness to the transforming power of Yeshua in your life.
3. Go into All the World
“As you go throughout the world, proclaim the Good News to all creation. Whoever trusts and is immersed will be saved; whoever does not trust will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16)
This can be one of the most challenging commands to understand and implement, for it can require a great deal of determined focus and personal sacrifice. It was given to all of Yeshua’s followers, not just those with valid passports. Most Believers prefer to send others “throughout the world” and stay home to pray for them and perhaps support them financially rather than go themselves.
For a host of reasons people are unable to go to a foreign country and share the Besorah with those who have not heard it. The list is endless as to why people feel they are unable to obey this command. To compensate, people give a few dollars to missionaries to assuage their guilt. Still Yeshua says, “Go”; make every effort to do everything possible to share the Besorah with anyone anywhere who needs to hear it.
Yes, our mission field is our family, our neighborhood, our city, our state/province, our nation, but look again at this command. We are to do our utmost to give every single person on the earth the opportunity to accept Yeshua as Savior and Lord. Web sites and bloggers have seen millions of people around the world saved. Many businessmen who travel to numerous countries go as much as Yeshua’s ambassadors as they do representing their companies. Prayer gatherings are lifting up missionaries, praying for people groups, studying new cultures, and equipping people to go with their blessing and support. Not everyone can go physically throughout the world, but everyone can do something to help spread the Besorah to those who have not heard it.
We can dig water wells, teach people how to plant crops, construct housing, send medical mission teams and equipment, and start orphanages; but every effort should be accompanied by preaching/teaching the Besorah message in some form. The goal is greater than improving people’s living conditions; the goal is giving them a chance to become born again and enter into the kingdom of God. If we can do both, wonderful. If we can’t, choose to bring them into a relationship with Yeshua, and then He can begin to address the rest. “Seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mathew 6:33) The biblical principle tells us what our priorities need to be.
Application: We have come to know that Yeshua’s commands are not optional for us. We are commanded to speak the Besorah to those around us. We are commanded to share our faith in Yeshua, to affirm His lordship in our life, to bear witness to His resurrection in us as we are born again by His Spirit, and then to do all that is in our power to encourage others to do the same. Have you been faithfully sharing the good news with those yet in darkness? Your Lord expects it, He commands it, and He will be with you as you obey Him each step of the way. Consider now what your part is in taking the Besorah “throughout the world.” Every person has a part to play, and your Lord is ready to reveal it to those who take His commands seriously. It is an absolute joy to see lives transformed by the Besorah message!
Remember always the words of Yeshua: “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” (Yochanan 14:15)
In my next post, we will this mini-series on the character traits that Yeshua expects us to possess concerning our calling by examining the Great Commission.
My Heart is for Israel 