Faithful Witnesses: The Great Commission
by Ilcias Vargas, Jr. and Joshua Penaranda
The disciples of Jesus were in an upper room, sad, discouraged, and rather confused. The events of the past week had seemed to occur at blinding speed. By the end of the week, Jesus - their beloved Lord - was dead, and in addition to that, there were rumors going around now that He had risen from the dead, and some said that they were to blame. On top of all their sadness, discouragement, and confusion, was added fear and worry that the religious leaders would find them in the upper room and lead them to their execution.
Just then, the disciples felt as if someone was watching them. They took a quick glance around the room, and they noticed a figure standing, and that figure had the resemblance of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ Himself! At first, they were fearful that this might be a ghost or apparition, but then the figure spoke, saying, “Peace be with you!” It was then that they recognized who it was - it was Jesus! The Bible tells us that Jesus then showed the disciples the marks in His side, and the scars in His hands. Then He said something extremely important to all who profess the name of Christ.
In John 20:21, Jesus says something not only to the eleven disciples present, but to all His disciples down through the ages. “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” So here God tells us that He sends us to do an important work: The work of spreading the gospel to the entire world.
Forty days after Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room, Jesus stood with them on the Mount of Olives, just before He ascended to heaven. He told them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). This Great Commission is repeated all throughout the Bible. And from these different passages of Scripture, we find different details concerning the great gospel work to which God has commissioned us. We will share three of them with you today.
1. In the Proclamation of the Gospel, ALL CHRISTIANS ARE TO BE INCLUDED!
In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul encouraged Timothy, “Let no man despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (NKJV). You see, there are no age limits in the work of God!
Samuel was called when he was just a boy; David was a mere lad when anointed to be the next king of Israel; Naaman’s maid was just a girl, but she was used by God to be a witness to the pagan general of the Syrian army.
Jesus did not say “Go, but just to the old and experienced,” or “Go, but just to those with PhDs.” He said, “Go!” and that means ALL who take upon themselves the name Christian, young AND old! The only qualification for the work of God is a willingness to follow His leading and be used by His Spirit. And if we are truly willing to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, God will give us that gift. In Luke 11:13, Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” God is more than willing to pour out His Spirit, but are we willing to receive it - willing enough to pray and ask earnestly for the gift of God’s Spirit?
2. In the Proclamation of the Gospel, WE MUST BE FAITHFUL TO GOD’S WORD!
2 Timothy 4:1-5 contains some very important instructions for Christians whom God has commissioned to proclaim His Word. Paul is in prison, about to be executed, and he is giving advice to a young pastor in Ephesus.
“I charge you, therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Paul tells Timothy, “Preach the word!” But he also tells Timothy that a time will come when the message that he preaches won’t be very popular. In fact, it will get so bad that people will actually pick and choose the type of gospel they like and follow the preacher who preaches it. But Paul says nothing about changing the message to make it popular!
Rather, he says to be faithful, to do the work of an evangelist, stick to the message! We are not to change our message - we are to PREACH THE WORD!
3. In the Proclamation of the Gospel, WE HASTEN THE RETURN OF JESUS
In Matthew 24:14, Jesus told His disciples, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
The parallel to this is found in Revelation 14, where we find the everlasting gospel message that God's last-day people are to be proclaiming to the world. In verse 6, John describes a movement of people who are preaching the everlasting gospel to those who dwell on the earth - to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. Then, just eight verses later, John beholds “one like the Son of man” sitting on a white cloud, ready to reap the harvest of the earth.
So we have an even greater incentive to obey God’s great gospel commission, for we know that once the work is done, we will receive our eternal reward! We will realize the fulfillment of our dreams, the consummation of our hope! Christ will come, descending from heaven with thousands of angels. The dead in Christ will rise, and we will be caught up in the air to meet our Savior! This is the blessed hope! This is the reason why we are called Adventists, for we look forward to the Second Advent, the return of Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven!
SUMMARY
So, according to what we have just studied in the Bible, we find that in the gospel work, all Christians are to be included, we must be faithful to the message God has given us,and when the work is completed, our Savior will return.
So as we live our daily lives, let us remember the work God has called us to do, why we are to do it, and let us look forward to the day when Christ shall return.
And if we are faithful, one day soon, we will hear those blessed words coming from our Savior, “Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21).
The disciples of Jesus were in an upper room, sad, discouraged, and rather confused. The events of the past week had seemed to occur at blinding speed. By the end of the week, Jesus - their beloved Lord - was dead, and in addition to that, there were rumors going around now that He had risen from the dead, and some said that they were to blame. On top of all their sadness, discouragement, and confusion, was added fear and worry that the religious leaders would find them in the upper room and lead them to their execution.
Just then, the disciples felt as if someone was watching them. They took a quick glance around the room, and they noticed a figure standing, and that figure had the resemblance of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ Himself! At first, they were fearful that this might be a ghost or apparition, but then the figure spoke, saying, “Peace be with you!” It was then that they recognized who it was - it was Jesus! The Bible tells us that Jesus then showed the disciples the marks in His side, and the scars in His hands. Then He said something extremely important to all who profess the name of Christ.
In John 20:21, Jesus says something not only to the eleven disciples present, but to all His disciples down through the ages. “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” So here God tells us that He sends us to do an important work: The work of spreading the gospel to the entire world.
Forty days after Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room, Jesus stood with them on the Mount of Olives, just before He ascended to heaven. He told them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). This Great Commission is repeated all throughout the Bible. And from these different passages of Scripture, we find different details concerning the great gospel work to which God has commissioned us. We will share three of them with you today.
1. In the Proclamation of the Gospel, ALL CHRISTIANS ARE TO BE INCLUDED!
In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul encouraged Timothy, “Let no man despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (NKJV). You see, there are no age limits in the work of God!
Samuel was called when he was just a boy; David was a mere lad when anointed to be the next king of Israel; Naaman’s maid was just a girl, but she was used by God to be a witness to the pagan general of the Syrian army.
Jesus did not say “Go, but just to the old and experienced,” or “Go, but just to those with PhDs.” He said, “Go!” and that means ALL who take upon themselves the name Christian, young AND old! The only qualification for the work of God is a willingness to follow His leading and be used by His Spirit. And if we are truly willing to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, God will give us that gift. In Luke 11:13, Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” God is more than willing to pour out His Spirit, but are we willing to receive it - willing enough to pray and ask earnestly for the gift of God’s Spirit?
2. In the Proclamation of the Gospel, WE MUST BE FAITHFUL TO GOD’S WORD!
2 Timothy 4:1-5 contains some very important instructions for Christians whom God has commissioned to proclaim His Word. Paul is in prison, about to be executed, and he is giving advice to a young pastor in Ephesus.
“I charge you, therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Paul tells Timothy, “Preach the word!” But he also tells Timothy that a time will come when the message that he preaches won’t be very popular. In fact, it will get so bad that people will actually pick and choose the type of gospel they like and follow the preacher who preaches it. But Paul says nothing about changing the message to make it popular!
Rather, he says to be faithful, to do the work of an evangelist, stick to the message! We are not to change our message - we are to PREACH THE WORD!
3. In the Proclamation of the Gospel, WE HASTEN THE RETURN OF JESUS
In Matthew 24:14, Jesus told His disciples, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
The parallel to this is found in Revelation 14, where we find the everlasting gospel message that God's last-day people are to be proclaiming to the world. In verse 6, John describes a movement of people who are preaching the everlasting gospel to those who dwell on the earth - to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. Then, just eight verses later, John beholds “one like the Son of man” sitting on a white cloud, ready to reap the harvest of the earth.
So we have an even greater incentive to obey God’s great gospel commission, for we know that once the work is done, we will receive our eternal reward! We will realize the fulfillment of our dreams, the consummation of our hope! Christ will come, descending from heaven with thousands of angels. The dead in Christ will rise, and we will be caught up in the air to meet our Savior! This is the blessed hope! This is the reason why we are called Adventists, for we look forward to the Second Advent, the return of Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven!
SUMMARY
So, according to what we have just studied in the Bible, we find that in the gospel work, all Christians are to be included, we must be faithful to the message God has given us,and when the work is completed, our Savior will return.
So as we live our daily lives, let us remember the work God has called us to do, why we are to do it, and let us look forward to the day when Christ shall return.
And if we are faithful, one day soon, we will hear those blessed words coming from our Savior, “Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21).
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