THE BIBLE AND THE GREAT COMMISSION

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

THE BIBLE AND THE GREAT COMMISSION

Devotional Text: Matt. 28:19-20

Introduction:

By way of definition, the Great Commission is that solemn directive of Jesus Christ to His church, to evangelize the world, (Matt. 28:19-20). And, “evangelism”, which is the preaching of the Good news of the Salvation of Jesus Christ to the whole world, is the supreme task of the church, which the New Testament church pursued vigorously in the three methods, namely, the personal method, (Act. 20:20), the Mass method, (Acts 2:38-42), and the Epistolary Media Method, which indicates that the Electronic Media, that is an advantage in today’s evangelism, was absent in that era.

The message of the Great Commission is strictly the message of the kingdom of God, that calls for repentance, which John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1-2), Jesus (Matt. 4:17), Peter (Acts 2:38) and other apostles preached. But, today, the message has grossly been compromised by the modern preacher who seek their own, and not the things of the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, the need to return to basis.

GENERAL REMARKS

(1)     The Great Commission is a task designed by the Lord to reach the whole world

 with the gospel of salvation, (Matt. 28:19).        

(2)     The Great commission strictly carries the message of the kingdom of God

that calls people to repentance, (Matt. 10:7).

(3)     The Great commission is the assignment of every member

of the church, and not just the clergy or the professional preacher, (Acts 20:20)

(4)     The Great commission in the early church was carried out in three methods; namely; the personal

(Acts 20:20), Mass Luke 9:11-14; Acts 2:38-420 and the (epistolary) media methods, (see 2 Cor. 2:9; 7:12; I John 1:5).

THE GREAT COMMISSION AND THE SALVATION OF THE PEOPLE

The Great Commission is primarily designed to save people from sins and trespasses, which are the damning tools of Satan and his dark kingdom against humanity, and this implies that any gospel preaching that is devoid of the power of salvation is not a gospel at all (Rom. 1:16); and so, cannot be associated with the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. For, every message of the Great Commission, which is the message of the kingdom, takes cognizance of the fact that, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. (Rom 3:23), and therefore, need(s) to repent (Acts 3:19), as it stresses the solemn truth that, Jesus alone can save, (Acts 4:12). Based on the foregoing, this lesson restates that the message of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ

(i)                   holds that all is affected by sin (Rom 3:23), and need(s) to repent (Acts 3:19);

(ii)                 calls on the people to believe on the Lord Jesus christ in order to be saved (Acts 16:31)

(iii)                affirms that salvation cannot be found in no other person, but Jesus Christ, (Acts 4:12. 

THE GREAT COMMISSION AND THE REVIVAL OF THE CHURCH

The Great Commission is a commission to preach (Matt. 28:19) and teach (vs. 20). And, preaching, by this commission, aims at bringing people to Christ and church, while teaching focuses on establishing them in the faith, as well as keeping them alive in the spirit or reawakening (or reviving) them when there is need. This requires the collaboration of the Holy Spirit, since He is the only one that makes for effective evangelism and revival, (Acts 1:8). Therefore, let it be noted that evangelism, which is the propagation of the Goodnews of Jesus Christ, and revival, which focusers on renewing interest in faith or religion, are two dimensions of the Great Commission, and so, the Gospel Preacher should not play down on any of them, if the church must grow and remain alive in the Spirit. In line with the aforestated, this lesson posits that the Great Commission is revival messages seeks to:

(i)                   restore the church to her first love, (Rev. 2:1-5);

(ii)                 strengthen those things that are ready to die, (Rev. 3:1-3)’

(iii)                draw attention to eternal values, instead of earthly ones, (vs. 14-19).

THE GREAT COMMISSION AND CHURCH PLANTING

The teaching ministry in the Great Commission readily put forth the concept of church planting (Matt. 28:20), and Jesus had earlier noted that He would build His church, and that the gates if hell would not prevail against it, (Matt. 16:18). To this end, also, He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, (Eph. 4:11-12), which is the church and the church, by way of simple definition, are those called out from the world to be saints, (I Cor. 1:2). This makes the church the gathering of the saints and not that of sinners. Therefore, in church planting, the Great Commission requires ;

(i)                   the conversion of souls (Matt. 18:3), instead of calling the self righteous (Rom. 10:1-4), to church;

(ii)                 that the church goes for the sinners who need repentance, instead of going

for those already converted, to steal them out of their denomination,(Luke 15:7);

(iii)                teaching the converted the precepts of the kingdom of God; instead of leaving them

 without the principles of eternal life, (Matt. 28:20; Col. 3:1-6).

In conclusion, this lesson portrays the Great Commission as a means of real conversion for the kingdom of Heaven, as it rules out all forms of materialistic preaching that occupy the minds and hearts of the people with earthly values, instead of giving them the opportunity for the salvation of their souls. The lesson, also, indicates that in church planting, the body of saints be raised, instead of building up the congregation of miserable sinners, whose hope is only in this life, (I Cor. 15:19).  PLEASE, DO THE RIGHT THING!