“In other words, the great commission is a personal commission for each individual, not just church staff.”
Growing up in church, I heard of “The Great Commission” (Matthew 28:16-20) but never gave it much thought. As I was growing up, my church background wasn’t overly evangelical, so I skimmed over this passage when I read it in the Bible. Honestly, I didn’t think it was extremely important. I equated evangelism with foreign missions or someone else’s calling. Sure, I tried to live my life as a Christ-like example so people might see I was a Christian. But open my mouth to talk with someone about Jesus? That was way too awkward.
As an adult, I began to realize how serious Jesus is about reaching the lost. If you are a Christ follower, then “The Great Commission” isn’t a suggestion, it’s a command. Jesus tells us as His disciples to go and make more disciples of all nations, to baptize them and teach them everything we have been taught. In other words, the great commission is a personal commission for each individual, not just church staff.
I went back to the original Greek text and two words caught my attention. The first word was “Go,” and the second was “Disciple.”.
The Greek word for go is the same word (“poreuomai,”) used “for the march of an army.” Jesus is commissioning us as a general sends out troops. We are his followers and he is the authority, it’s our job to obey orders.
The other word that stood out to me was the Greek word for disciple (“mathetes,”) which not only means “pupil or student” but “an imitator of their teacher.” We are commanded be imitators of Jesus and make imitators of Jesus.
It should weigh heavy on our hearts to find those spiritually dead in this world. One of the purest joys we will ever experience is the opportunity to make an eternal impact on someone’s life by leading them to Christ.
