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 NIV
I have a confession to make. My husband and I love to watch “Spy” flics. The intrigue! The suspense! The adventure! Almost always after the movie is over, we have this overwhelming awareness that we could NEVER be spies! We aren’t quick thinkers, neither of us have a good memory and we won’t even get into our physical limitations. I, myself, can NEVER find Waldo and I don’t know where in the world is Carmen San Diego!
The whole “Your mission should you choose to accept it”, “As always, should you fail, we will disavow any knowledge of this mission”, and “This tape will self-destruct in five seconds” thing was eliminated very early on as a career choice for the both of us. We joke that if we WERE spies, my husband would be saying after the tape destructed, “What was my mission again?” and I would be like “Is it the lipstick or the mascara that turns into a plastic explosive?”
Well, that got us thinking. As Christians, we are all on a Mission–to take as many people with us to Heaven! Every interaction we have with someone will either push them away from God or draw them towards Him. (This can be an overwhelming concept when that includes every conversation with a customer service representative!) Theologians and Bible commentators have titled this The Great Commission! Just so you know, “commission” was intentionally spelled “Co-Mission” in the post title to remind us this Mission is a partnership! As Believers, our mission doesn’t come to us by way of self-destructing messages or some high-tech gadget. Jesus clearly spelled out our mission after He completed His mission here on earth and just before ascending to heaven. We love how Eugene Peterson paraphrases Matthew 28:18-20 in The Message.
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”
Unfortunately, sometimes we have blundered that mission. There have been times we were solely focused on ourselves and oblivious to the needs of others, times when we were so “undercover” that NOBODY even knew we were Christians, and times when we went “rogue” and did things our own way. But gratefully our “Handler” is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness! (Exodus 34:6) He will never disavow us nor leave us on our own. (Hebrews 13:5)He promises to be with us day after day until the mission is accomplished. LH
(Below is a short video clip of your mission–should you choose to accept it! Also, there is a link to a short 15 day devotional on this topic designed to take no more than 5 minutes a day.)
BIBLE STUDY
(Last year our church asked my husband and I to write a three week devotional booklet to prepare our congregation for an event our church does periodically called, “The Great Witness Weekend”. The weekend focused on learning how to share one’s testimony and hearing the testimonies of many of the attendees. It was uplifting to hear how God was working in lives before conversion, how people came to conversion and about their walk of Faith since conversion.
The booklet is a three week devotional designed to be read Monday through Friday each week. CLICK HERE for a printable copy of this devotional booklet in which we explore with you how you can co-operate with God in touching the world with His love and forgiveness. Each week will focus on one of these areas; The Mission, The Message, and the Method of our Great Co-mission. Special kudos go to Sherry Nelson, Central Church Graphic Designer for her wonderful contribution in putting this Devotional booklet together.)
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