Living Out The Great Commission

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.” – Matthew 28:18-20 
 
Over the next couple of days, we are going to be focusing on the words of the Great Commission. These verses are the walking orders of the church. In the last several decades, the church has embraced the community of business leaders who have bought into the need for a vision statement. We need to have a mission statement. We need to have a purpose and a direction.  
 
While I understand the value of that, we already have a mission and a purpose, and that is the Great Commission. It was the very thing that set the first generation of believers on course, therefore it should also place the last generation on course. 
 
Today, we’re going to look at two things we need to make sure of if we want to live out the great commission. Then tomorrow we’ll talk about four more.  
 
First, to live out the Great Commission, you must make sure you know who is in charge. As followers of Jesus, we need to come to terms with the fact that He is God and we are not. We need to learn how to wrestle with that, especially when we don't understand His timing or his purpose. We need to remember that He is in charge. After all, that is the first thing that Jesus told His disciples. He knew what they would go through.  
 
Some of them would lose their lives if they stood for Christ. Some would be stoned, and some of them would be fileted alive. Some of them would be persecuted. One of them was crucified upside down. One of them was boiled in oil. Jesus was in charge, and He used even their sufferings to accomplish His purposes in and through their lives for His Kingdom. We have the privilege and honor of resting in His total authority. 
 
Second, you must make sure of your salvation. The most important decision that you will ever make is to get saved, turn from sin, and place your faith in Christ. It’s sad that many people don’t understand this crucial reality. They equate church membership with being saved. They join a church because they want to do life with other saved people. However, having your name on the church role does not guarantee that you will go to heaven. Only surrendering your life to Jesus and putting your full trust in Him as your Savior will get you into heaven. 
 
I pray you’ll come back tomorrow as we continue this important conversation around living out the Great Commission.