The Great Commission
EVANGELISM ARTICLE | Wayne Goff | Kansas City, Missouri
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘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. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Contextually speaking, the great commission of Matthew 28 was given to the eleven apostles (v. 16) shortly before Jesus ascended into heaven. It was not given to every Christian, but every Christian should feel the obligation to share the gospel with friends, family, acquaintances, and even foes, if they will listen. We say this because after the apostles began preaching the great commission in Acts 2, those three thousand plus who were converted “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42). Think about their situation for a minute. They were the first “church of Christ” on earth. None of them had ever been a member of a local congregation. None of them knew about the organization of the church, or its work, or its worship, or its importance. But the apostles taught them all of these things and much more. By the time we come to a period of severe persecution in Jerusalem, the well-taught disciples scattered and “went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Might we conclude that this was part of their teaching? Paul told young Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
Other than the apostles’ own work of evangelism, let me suggest to you that this is the most effective program for evangelism. If every converted brother and sister would simply share the “Good News” with their family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances, then sufficient evangelism would take place. We don’t know how many people were converted by those in Acts 8, but we do know that they did their job and left the results up to God, and so should we today! As Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.” Sometimes we forget this truth and put too much emphasis on the “church program,” or the “preacher’s charisma,” or the method by which the gospel is spread. In my lifetime, I have spoken on radio, television, and YouTube, and I have written numerous articles for local newspapers, and I have written many articles for the brotherhood papers. Perhaps all of these did some good, only God knows. But personally, I have seen more people converted by the loving interest of other Christians who either taught them or at least introduced them to the gospel themselves. Dear reader, ask yourself if you look for opportunities to share the gospel with others. We all should be doing this, and though the present days may be difficult, there are still people starving for the powerful gospel to save their souls! We just need to find them, one person at a time.
Gospel preachers looking for a new congregation with which to work are often asked: “How many people have you baptized recently?” This is the wrong question. The correct question is: “How many people have you tried to reach with the gospel?” A good preacher should be able to reach more than he will ever convert or baptize. Let us keep in mind the Scripture of 1 Corinthians 3 when discussing the local work, and realize that the power is in God’s Word, not in the man who is appointed to present it. Preachers are nothing more than “messenger boys.” God is the Author of the message, and a faithful “messenger” will speak the truth in love, without fear or favor of man, and will add nothing to it, nor take anything from it (see Revelation 22:18-19). If we lose faith in the power of God’s Word (Romans 1:16), then we will lose confidence in sharing it with others. But Jesus said His Word would stand forever (Matthew 24:35). God’s Word will not return to Him void, but it will accomplish His intended purpose (Isaiah 55:11). It is the dynamite that will explode an eternal soul’s being unto salvation or condemnation. The hearer is the one who decides on that result. The same sun that melts the butter hardens the clay. The “sun” of God’s Word reaches the souls of men for their salvation or their loss.
If we are failing to spread the Gospel as well as we should, then I feel the real problem is our own lack of conviction. How deeply do you and I believe in God’s Word? How sincerely do we view our “neighbors” as eternally-lost souls who need saving? How urgently do we look up and see “fields white unto harvest” (John 4:35)? I must say, to my own shame, that I have missed many opportunities to share the gospel with others because I was not thinking about their lost condition as clearly as I should have. Often, I have looked back on brief encounters and “saw” an opportunity after the fact that I should have seen at the time. So let us put on the “evangelistic mentality” that looks for prospects on a daily basis. Perhaps we can carry a small business card with us pointing others to the truth, or to our own e-mail or text message. It takes little courage to share that card with others as we go about our daily activities, and only God knows how much good your interest might do.
If you need a little incentive, then let me recommend the book, Muscle & a Shovel, by Michael Shank. This book shows how one Christian at work, slowly but surely converted Mr. Shank, by teaching him the truth, and helping him to work his way out of denominational error. So many people are “turned off” by denominational divisions, hierarchies, and so-called “pastors” who do not humbly speak the truth in love. But you and I can begin by speaking to one or more people who might show an interest. One suggestion from that book said to put 2 Thessalonians 1:8 on a card or a piece of paper with the question: “Have you obeyed the gospel?” The Scripture states that Jesus will one day return “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So many people have been taught that the “gospel” is nothing more than the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. So how does one “obey” that? The answer to this question certainly opens the door for those who have been misled by false teaching.
Finally, a good, careful study of the Lord’s “Parable of the Sower” (Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8) will convince you and me of the power of God’s Word to convert, while helping us to see that our efforts will be rejected by those whose hearts are not the proper “soil.” While this truth is sad, it is also realistic. So let us go forth and sow the Seed, believing in what we are doing, and humbly encouraging those who are the “good soil” to hear, believe, repent, confess, and be baptized to their own eternal salvation. We are to spread the “seed,” not count the “results.” As the apostle Paul said, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them,” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
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October 2023 | GROW magazine
