“Bishop Cummins Reformed Episcopal Church wants to live out a Great Commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.”
This month I will focus on our Lord Jesus’ Great Commission to His Church.
Matthew 28:16-20 says this,
16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
There is much substantial teaching in these verses. In this passage the Lord makes an announcement, then issues a command, and lastly gives us a promise.
- The Lord made an announcement to His apostles.
He said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Christ’s authority extends beyond where He lived and traveled during His time on earth, and His Church is meant to be a worldwide church covering every nation, tribe, language, and culture. Any command He gave here or anywhere else in Scripture would not have any foundation unless He was truly the Lord over all the earth. Some of the disciples in this passage worshiped Him, while others doubted. Those who worshiped Him did so rightly for He is God the Son, and He is Sovereign Lord over all the earth. John Stott said this about Christ’s authority,
“Not until we are convinced of the full authority of Jesus Christ are we in a position to hear and obey His commission to go.”
His authority is over all the earth but also extends to all of heaven. But what does Christ’s authority over all of heaven mean? Certainly, this means that the authority which our Lord claimed on earth was recognized in heaven, and that those people who heard and continue to hear and receive the apostles’ message would be acknowledged and accepted in heaven.
Furthermore, Christ has supreme authority over the “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12). This authority was granted to Christ by God the Father in virtue of the Cross and in anticipation of His Ascension. It was at the Cross that Christ conquered sin and death. “He disarmed the principalities and powers, and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15). And it was at Christ’s Ascension that God highly exalted Him, bestowing on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).
- The Command He issued
As the Lord tells us to go, He uses three verbs to describe what we are doing in this Great Commission: “making disciples”, “baptizing”, and “teaching.” These verbs are descriptions of three distinct stages of the one Great Commission of Christ.
We are commanded to make disciples of all nations. To make disciples of all nations means to win followers for Jesus Christ out of all the nations on earth. We make disciples by preaching the Gospel of Christ with the intent that men and women be converted to Him, calling them to allegiance to the person of Christ who is truly both God and man. Discipleship to Jesus Christ comes first; the church membership, the theology, and the ethical behavior flow from our allegiance to Jesus Christ as Lord.
We are to baptize disciples of Christ in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Following Jesus Christ also involves a close relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Our baptism into the name of the Triune God means that while the persons of the Trinity are distinct, they possess but One Name into which Christian disciples are baptized. Our baptism into the name of the Trinity signifies our union with God Who has revealed Himself. Thus, we serve and worship the one true God who eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We teach them to observe all that Christ commanded us.
John Stott makes this comment about this Christian teaching,
“The purpose of Christ in the Great Commission is not fully met, however, when people are discipled and baptized; they must also be taught. A lifetime of learning and obeying follows conversion, until disciples are conformed to the image of their Lord.”
We are told to keep, to observe all that Christ commanded which shows the comprehensive nature of what we to believe, follow, and obey. Properly understood, the teaching of Jesus Christ includes both the Old and New Testaments. As we read the Old Testament, it with an eye on how Christ is predicted, revealed, and foreshadowed in the writings of Moses, the historical books, the wisdom books, and the prophets. In the New Testament our Lord Jesus Christ comes in fulfillment of the prophecies of Moses and the Prophets. The Promises of the Messiah were given in the Old Testament but fulfilled in the New Testament. It is important that from the beginning Christian converts understand that the Bible’s teaching is Christ’s teaching. The disciples of Christ may not pick from His teaching what they like and reject what they dislike. We must grow in union with all of Christ’s teaching and follow Him as our Lord and Teacher.
- The Promise He gave
Jesus promises us at the end of this passage, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Because Jesus is God and man, His promise to be with us to the end of the age is certain and true just as every other promise that Christ made to us in the Scriptures. When Christ is speaking here in Matthew, He has just died and was raised from the dead. He then looks forward to His return in glory at the 2nd coming of Christ. From Christ’s 1st Advent to His 2nd Advent, He is with us. Looking back over Christ’s statement about His Authority, the Command He issued, and the Promise He made, let us be full of faith, hope, and love for Him as we seek to serve and worship Him. Let us live out a Great Commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
