Matthew 28:19-20 is called the Great Commission, not because it is better than all the other Commissions in the Bible, but because it includes all the other Commissions. “Go and make disciples of all nations” includes the whole of our duty once we understand what making a disciple means. It means 1) bringing people to Christ through faith and baptism and 2) teaching them to do all that Jesus commanded.
The Great Commission is all-inclusive because it demands that we do all that Jesus commanded; therefore, we are engaged in fulfilling the Great Commission whenever we help others obey Christ. The problem with Christians is that we bend the law or stretch the truth when it comes to our own comfort. No one likes to be called a liar, yet there are Christians who have made it a policy of bending God’s word or stretching the truth to gain convenience for self and that’s wrong. When one claims to be a follower of Christ, the word and truth of God becomes rubber when it pertains to self, but it is strict and rigid when it applies to others.
We do not realize that this is a very consistent effort to manipulate God for the sake of one’s self-centeredness, or self-esteem. As Christians we will do our duty and visit those who are physically sick. But those who belong to Christ and love God won’t miss an opportunity to seek and help those who are spiritually sick. There is a subtle and relentless inclination in our flesh to do what will make life as comfortable as possible and to avoid what will inconvenience us or agitate our routine or add the least bit of tension to our life.
A self-centered person can’t be a part of the Great Commission because it takes a Christ like character. “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live,” Mark 8:35. Follow love by giving of yourself.
My weekly prayer is that the reader of this commentary becomes spiritually inspired of God. Be an intercessory Prayer Partner with Expressions of Faith. and learn how to walk in the Spirit.
Contact Expressions of Faith at: P.O. Box 330127, Nashville, Tenn. 37203; or e-mail <w310watson @aol.com>. Happy Father’s Day!
