The Great Commision - Discussion

Crush Fear #2

The Great Commission

Mt.28:18-20: 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."

GO! Action.

The Great Commission is the greatest challenge, given by the greatest person for the greatest good. Russ Akins

Also the greatest expression of love towards God & other human beings!

The 3rd Greatest Commandment and the fulfillment of the 1st two.

Mk.12:29-31 – "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ’Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."

1 Cor.3:9 – “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

Fellowship increases with shared ambitions, purposes and actions.

1Jn.3:18 – “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

Rom12:1 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”

Worship: a life of submission to God, living for His purposes.

Jn.4:23 – “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

Rom.8:17 – “Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Co-Heirs with Christ.

But we will share in his sufferings.

As you obey Christ you will be opposed!

By the world, other Christians, circumstances and even your own flesh.

Mt.24:9 – “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.”

2 Tim.3:12 – “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

The example of the early Church – the book of Acts (opposition in all but 2 chapters – 1 and 10).

Chapter 2 – Peter and the Apostles made fun of by the gentiles, chapter 4 – Peter and John arrested and imprisoned, chapter 5 – Apostles arrested, imprisoned and flogged, chapter 6 – Stephen arrested, falsely accused, chapter 7 – Stephen stoned to death, chapter 8 – The Church persecuted, chapter 9 – The Church continued to be persecuted by Saul and after his conversion Grecian Jews tried to kill him also, chapter 11 – Opposed by legalistic Christians, chapter 12 – Christians persecuted by Herod, Peter imprisoned, chapter 13 – Paul and Barnabus opposed by Elymas the sorcerer, talked bad about and persecuted by the Jews, chapter 14 – Paul stoned and left for dead, chapter 15 – Opposed by legalistic Christians, disagreement between Paul and Barnabus, chapter 16 – Paul and Silas imprisoned and beaten in Phillipi, chapter 17 – A rioting mob ran them out of Thesalonika, the Bereans were initially receptive towards them but became agitated and stirred up against them – they escaped to Athens, where they were better received but were also scorned, chapter 18 – Opposed, abused and arrested by the Jews in Corinth, chapter 19 – Opposed by a rioting mob in Ephesus, chapter 20 – Plotted against by the Jews in Greece, chapter 21 – Paul was arrested and the Jews attempted to kill him in Jerusalem, chapter 22 – The Jews chanted, “Rid the earth of him. He’s not fit to live!” about Paul while he was imprisoned, chapter 23 – Paul put on trial, struck, and the Jews again plotted to kill him vowing, “not to eat anything until we have killed Paul,” chapters 24 though 26 – Paul put on trial before Felix, Festus and Agrippa, chapter 27 – Paul shipwrecked and chapter 28 – Paul bitten by a snake and imprisoned in Rome.

Paul described it this way – “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.” (2 Cor.11:23-27)