"Teaching them to obey all I have commanded." Matt 28:20
The heart of the Great Commission is a mandate to teach, to be educators. But it's not in the usual classroom sense. Jesus didn't just say "teach all I have commanded." That would have been easy. He said teach for obedience. He isn't interested in students who are trying to get by in his class, only to forget everything a semester later. Nor is he interested in geniuses who can win every Bible trivia contest. He wants life-long commitment, and as King of Kings and Lords, he has every right to it. The Great Commission is about mentorship in the Christian walk. The implications of this are significant. It means we teach through demonstrating. The adage "do as I say, not as I do" doesn't work here. Christianity is about living it out. It's about my life impacting your life for the glory of God. Sometimes when we ask the question "Am I obeying the Great Commission?" we think about involvement in work half way around the world. That's certainly part of it, but the Great Commission is for the whole church wherever it exists because it encompasses the entirety of what Jesus taught us. Every Christian should be asking themselves, Am I obeying all that Christ commanded and teaching others to do the same? That's the Great Commission! Our assignment is to follow Jesus wherever he leads us. It wont be easy. Some of those commands are tough. But once you settle in your mind that it's all for God, nothing else matters. We live for an audience of one. What if we read every command of Jesus like he really meant it? Like he actually intended it for you and me, in the here and now, this very day? We would soon be changed and the world with us. The reason the Church exploded in the first century is because a few believers did exactly that and never looked back.
Heavenly Father, fill me with a passion to follow your commands and a desire to help others along the way.
#noturningback
The heart of the Great Commission is a mandate to teach, to be educators. But it's not in the usual classroom sense. Jesus didn't just say "teach all I have commanded." That would have been easy. He said teach for obedience. He isn't interested in students who are trying to get by in his class, only to forget everything a semester later. Nor is he interested in geniuses who can win every Bible trivia contest. He wants life-long commitment, and as King of Kings and Lords, he has every right to it. The Great Commission is about mentorship in the Christian walk. The implications of this are significant. It means we teach through demonstrating. The adage "do as I say, not as I do" doesn't work here. Christianity is about living it out. It's about my life impacting your life for the glory of God. Sometimes when we ask the question "Am I obeying the Great Commission?" we think about involvement in work half way around the world. That's certainly part of it, but the Great Commission is for the whole church wherever it exists because it encompasses the entirety of what Jesus taught us. Every Christian should be asking themselves, Am I obeying all that Christ commanded and teaching others to do the same? That's the Great Commission! Our assignment is to follow Jesus wherever he leads us. It wont be easy. Some of those commands are tough. But once you settle in your mind that it's all for God, nothing else matters. We live for an audience of one. What if we read every command of Jesus like he really meant it? Like he actually intended it for you and me, in the here and now, this very day? We would soon be changed and the world with us. The reason the Church exploded in the first century is because a few believers did exactly that and never looked back.
Heavenly Father, fill me with a passion to follow your commands and a desire to help others along the way.
#noturningback