Sojourner #060: Jesus And The Great Commission

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” (Matthew 28:18, ESV)

Jesus and The Great Commission, by Brian Haskins

God’s redemptive plan for His people expands from before the foundation of the world and will go on for eternity. His plan to send His Son into the world to seek and save the lost has always been the way that He would save His people. Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith, He endured the cross, and He is now seated on the throne of God ruling in the hearts of His people.

This is God’s Gospel. He planned it, created it, initiated it, and will finish it under His own power and divine decree. He needs nothing from us and there is nothing that we can offer Him that would make us righteous before Him. 

And yet, He desires to be with His people and to use His people in the unfolding of His redemptive purposes. God could, under His own power and authority, evangelize the Gospel, go to all the nations, make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to observe His commandments. He could do all of that all by Himself without any contribution or effort from us. And yet, within His divine will and purpose, He has chosen to use His people as the means of telling others the good news of Jesus Christ. He has commanded us to go and do these things under the authority of Christ. 

“And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?  So, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10: 14,17)

When we step back and realize the significance of the Great Commission and how God has chosen us as a means of expanding the Gospel, it is a common response for us to doubt and to wonder how God could use us in our wretchedness to handle such a perfect message. We might even think that the commands of the Great Commission only apply to a select group of people and not to all believers. The Great Commission challenges the nature of our humanity, and that’s the beauty of it all. 

The reminder of the Scriptures is that God beckons all of us to depend on His grace that is at work to save us, sustain us, sanctify us, and empower us to carry out His good works among the nations. And this all for His glory. If the expansion of the Gospel depended on our efforts alone then there would be no expansion at all. But praise God, He has not left us to ourselves. He has given us all that we need to do all that he commands of us. He has given us our great treasure in Jesus Christ. And so, the Great Commission, this command to go, make disciples, baptize, and teach, all must be done under the authority of Christ alone.  

How does this challenge our individual commitment to evangelize the Gospel and to make disciples? How do we train and renew our thinking into something that I must do rather than this is something that I might do?

When we read and study Matthew 28: 16-20, it is important to observe the disciples and all who were there when Jesus gave the commands of the Great Commission. What did they do? The first thing they did was that they “went to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.” In other words, they did what they were told to do. They were available to Jesus. They were willing, by faith, to make themselves go, to be in the presence of their Lord. And so, we must also do this.

If we are to be faithful and effective ambassadors for the kingdom of God then we must be willing to meet with Christ. We must abide in Him in prayer and in His Word, in order that we might become more like Him and walk according to His commands. 

The Scriptures also say that they worshiped Jesus when they saw Him. If we are to be encouraged, empowered, and intentional in evangelizing the Gospel, then we must realize again and again the sovereignty and authority of Christ that has been given to Him. He is God, the exact imprint of His nature, and all things were created through Him and for Him. He is also our Lord and our Savior who has defeated sin and death, has caused us to be born again, has enlightened our hearts with the light of His glory, and now commands us to go, make disciples, and teach others these things. And so, why wouldn’t we be willing to go and do whatever he commands of us? God has been so gracious to give us life and to make us a new creation that we would seek Him, love Him, and submit to Him.

There were some who gathered at the mountain that doubted. Even in the presence of Jesus, they doubted. It is common for all of us to doubt as we still battle the fallenness of our flesh daily for God’s glory. What helps us not to doubt? When God calls us to go, what moves us in that calling? Jesus encouraged them by reminding them that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him and that He would be with them always, to the end of the age. 

And so, our encouragement and empowerment, to go and to do as God has commanded, comes from the authority of Christ in our lives. His presence at work in our hearts and His grace that is at work in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure. We must abide in Him, be available to Him, and worship Him so that we can be the beautiful feet that bring good news to our homes, our communities, and to all of the world. 

Wherever God has us at this moment, we are there for the purpose of evangelizing the Gospel. Praise and thanks be to God that He would consider us, command us, and empower us for such glorious things. May our hearts be fanned into flame so that we are willing to go wherever God leads us, to make His Gospel known.    

About the Author

Brian Haskins is an elder at Harvestfield Church in Rainbow City, Alabama. He is passionate about missions within the context of the local church, home group discipleship, and equipping believers to live under the authority of Christ. Brian has served on short-term mission teams, including to Zambia, and longs to see the Church boldly proclaim the gospel both at home and among the nations.

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