The Great Huh?

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Now there are certain things that as Christians, we should know. These are things that should be taught to us from the beginning. What we’re going to be looking at is something that, sadly, many Christians DON’T know. We’re going to be looking at the Great Commission. Now, before we dive into Scripture and see what it is, I’m going to share some information with you. This combined with our Bible study today will paint a good picture of why it’s so alarming that so many professing Christians don’t know what it is. A study was done by Barna, and Seed Company specifically to find out how well Christians know about the Great Commission. In their report they say, “When asked if they had previously “heard of the Great Commission,” half of U.S. churchgoers (51%) say they do not know this term. It would be reassuring to assume that the other half who know the term are also actually familiar with the passage known by this name, but that proportion is low (17%). Meanwhile, “the Great Commission” does ring a bell for one in four (25%), though they can’t remember what it is. Six percent of churchgoers are simply not sure whether they have heard this term “the Great Commission” before.” These numbers are a clear sign of a failure in the church, by church leaders, and by older Christians who assume that younger Christians know what they know. This is proven further in the study, as the younger the Christian is, the less likely they are to know about the Great Commission! It’s not being passed on! We’re going to remedy that, right now. 

So we already know, and if not you better take some notes, that the prerequisite to being a Christian is to be a follower of Jesus Christ. In John 14:6, the Bible tells us, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He is the only entry point to the Father. By being a follower and believer of Jesus, we are united with God. And by being our way to Him, we know we need to do as He tells us. And the Great Commission is one of the things we’ve been told we need to carry out! 

So what is the Great Commision? Well, to answer that, let’s open your Bible to Matthew 28:16-20. 

In Matthew 28:16-20, the Bible says, “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””

So to be clear, the great commission is a command, instruction, assignment, or duty to see to this mission. Yes, you heard right! We’ve been given a mission by Jesus! To really drive it home, these were His last words! You ever wonder why a person's dying words, or wish, was so important? Here you go! This wasn’t the theatrical, “tell my wife and kids I love them.” This was the very real, “Hey, you have work to do.” The disciples were told to go make more disciples. To baptize them. To teach them! To spread the Word of God, and continue to save people from the darkness! This is a mission given to ALL disciples, aka Christians! 

Now this was no small task. If you look back to Matthew 10:5-6 we see that previously His disciples were only sent to the Jews. In Matthew 10:5-6, the Bible says, “These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.” So we see clearly that Jesus was doing things in pieces. Not all at once, but in bite sized pieces. The ground had to be laid out first. So the mission started with only going to the Jews. It wasn’t until Matthew 28:16-20, that NOW, the mission of disciples became WORLD WIDE. The mission needed a starting point. 

Why did Jesus want them to go to the Jews first? Well, let’s look at Romans 1:16-17. The Bible says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed– a righteousness that is by faith from the first to the last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”” You see the Jews were God’s special people for over 2000 years. Not because they were special, but because he wanted to show His love and mercy to them so that the Jewish people would be an example of that love and mercy toward others. He wasn’t playing favorites, He was empowering them so they could go tell the world about His plan for salvation. Then, after He had risen, the gentiles were the next phase of that mission. The disciples were trained at home, then sent to the world. That’s why the Jews were the first people they were sent too. It’s just like the military. First you’re trained at home. Then you’re sent into the world! 

And the Bible and the Great Commission are for everyone! All races, sex, nationality, ages, rich, poor, everyone! We see this in: Genesis 12, Isaiah 25, 56, Malachi 1, Acts 10, Romans, 3, Galatians 3. The Bible makes it clear that the Word is for ALL! Everyone! Even that jerk at work. Even that down and out asking for money. Even that corrupt politician. Turn to Mark 16:15-16, the Bible says, “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Works won’t get you into Heaven, but Jesus made it clear that just like in the book of Haggai, Christians are to work! And we’re to spread the gospel to everyone!

Again this second mission of going into the world is a mission they were charged to carry out, and we inherited the moment we became Christians. A command given by Jesus so that others may be saved! Now ask yourself… What are you doing to ensure this task is carried out to see to the salvation of others? 

Now let’s turn to James 1:22-25. In James 1:22-25, the Bible says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it– not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it– they will be blessed in what they do.”  

Understand this is a call to action. It’s not sitting in a house of worship once or twice a week, just listening to the preacher. That’s just where we go to get our manna. We’re called to get up and go to everyone! To teach them. To give them the chance to decide if they want a relationship with God. There’s more to being a Christian than just believing in Christ. This is where you look in the mirror and ask yourself, “If you were tried for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s look at the second part of today's message: choice. Basically, carrying out the mission and how we, as the church, often mess this up as well. So we’re answering the call.

Have you ever had someone ask if you’ve seen a movie? You tell them NO, so they proceed to tell you the names of the various actors in it like it will make a difference. They’re like “Yeah, you know the one with that guy from that other movie! And Kevin Bacon, and Tom Hanks.” My younger brother is really bad about this. Even if I tell him that it doesn’t tell me anything about the movie, he gets upset and continues in a futile effort and starts naming other movies that aforementioned actors have been in like it’ll change my mind about if I’ve seen it or not. And it really is futility.  

Sometimes as Christians we do the same sort of thing. Much like just assuming a young Christian automatically knows about the Great Commission and everything in the Bible, we go out and shove Bible verses, events, biblical people, and commandments at people and expect them to just suddenly be saved and know the Word from cover to cover. Basically we force a hard sell on them. And do you know who likes a hard sell? Nobody. We’re our own worst enemy when we do this. 

We turn people away from the Church because we don’t give them a chance to choose and decide “IF” they want to walk in the light of the Lord. If they want to pursue that relationship. We use force to get them to come around to the choice we’ve already made for ourselves. It’s like when someone tells you that you want to do something instead of asking you. For example, my mother-in-law will not ask anyone for anything. Instead, she’ll say, “You want to get me some water.” “You want to take me to the commissary.” The intent is for it to be a choice, but the delivery is far from it. In my mother-in-laws case you have to remember that English isn’t her native tongue, but the point is the same. Parents do the same thing. Basketball runs deep in my family, and it was crammed down my throat growing up. I resented it then, and to this day cannot stand basketball. Those who have had to participate in a mandatory fun day know what I’m talking about. There’s volunteering and being voluntold. People need to be able to volunteer.

Now let’s turn to John 15:16, the Bible says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”

There’s 2 decisions here.

Jesus made the FIRST choice.
	The choice to love and die for us! To invite us to live with Him forever.
We make the SECOND choice.
To either accept or reject His invitation. 

The Key in both is CHOICE.
He chose
We chose INDIVIDUALLY
We must allow others to choose for themselves.

You see God didn’t force us to choose, and we shouldn’t force others to choose either. Do we want them to? Yes. But that’s not our choice to make. 

The Great Commision calls charges us with uniting, baptizing, and teaching. There’s nothing wrong with being passionate. You can be passionate. But don’t get aggressive. Don’t get arrogant. When people are backed into a corner what happens? Fight or Flight. 

Don’t risk them going into flight, and staying lost. Don’t push them to anger. Your actions can cause just as much damage, if not more, to losing a soul for His kingdom, as inaction! Instead plant the seed, and leave it to grow. 

Turn to Matthew 13:31-32. In Matthew 13:31-32, the Bible says, “He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.””

Jesus used this parable to explain that His kingdom is the seed. While small and seemingly insignificant, each seed that grows turns into something awesome. We need to stop expecting people to have great faith right out the gate, and remember that most of us started with just a mustard seed of faith that has now grown to where we are today. And through His word, we continue to grow. We’re all at different points in our walks. We can’t force others to grow any more than we can force a seed to grow. 

Keep these things in mind as you move forward in your daily walk and interact with people.