The Great Commission
May 26, 2009
Isn’t it true that if you’re not careful you end up doing things you were never commissioned to do? How many times have you found yourself at work, not working on the work you were commissioned to do? Urgent things, conversations, Twitter, Facebook, and other things get in the way.
We receive commissions in life. Commissions in marriage, spousehood, parenthood.
Jesus also left us with a commission. And like other commissions, it can get pushed aside if we are not careful. So you and I have been commissioned to, “…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.”
Now here is the question I ask myself. How am I doing in my commission?
What I find most interesting about the Great Commission is that most people read it as: “go and make disciples of all OTHER nations”. So we can never really live up to it unless we go live in mud huts in Africa, right?
Wrong. We are in a nation, a huge nation full of some of the most self-centered, materialistic people in the world. What better place to go and make disciples?
So, Jake’s question is “How am I doing in my commission?” Not well, really. I’m afraid to be persecuted for my beliefs and really scared of being labeled a hypocrite because I’m human and saved, not perfect. I won’t step out of my comfort zone and find it hard to give praise where it is due in certain situations. Even among my Christian friends, I don’t want to be labeled as fake or over-doing it, so I keep the Praise Gods to a minimum. Why? Wouldn’t that be teaching them to obey everything, including giving credit where credit is due? to the major changer of my life?
This is a tough question, one I think needs to be in the forefront of our minds all the time. It’s His biggest concern. Is it mine?