From Limited Church: Unlimited
Kingdom by Rob Rienow:
At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, we find
Jesus’ Great Commission to His disciples.
“And
Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the
end of the age’” - Matthew 28:18-20
God’s desire from the creation of the
world is unchanged. He wants this earth, and the New Earth, filled with
worshippers. With this in mind, we can see the first commandment from Genesis
1:28 echoed here in the Great Commission. Jesus parallels, reiterates, and
expands His first commandment to Adam and Eve.
FIRST
COMMANDMENT
|
GREAT
COMMISSION
|
Genesis 1:28
|
Matthew 28:19-20
|
Be fruitful and multiply
|
Make disciples
|
Fill the Earth
|
Of all nations
|
Subdue it
|
Teach them to observe all I have
commanded
|
In the first commandment, God calls us to
multiply physically and spiritually through having and raising godly children.
Jesus calls His followers to “make disciples” and thereby multiply! Jesus
called His disciples to be disciple-makers. In the beginning, God established
His plan to “fill the earth.” Jesus repeats His own words from Genesis 1 when
He calls His disciples to “all nations.” In the beginning, God called Adam and
Eve to subdue the world, and take dominion over it. This meant far more than
taking care of the garden and the animals. Adam and Eve, and their descendants
were called to establish the righteous and holy reign of God in every sphere of
life. Jesus reiterates this call by saying “teach them (all nations) to observe
all I have commanded you.”
Am I arguing that the Great Commission is
all about marriage, the family, and raising godly children? No, the Great
Commission is much greater and broader. But as we have seen throughout God’s
word, marriage, the family, and raising godly children are all connected to the
Great Commission.
Like you, I have heard many sermons on
the Great Commission. The typical pattern in these sermons is to preach through
the text and then challenge the congregation to think about (1) our
non-Christian neighbours, and (2) unreached people groups (global missions).
Are you praying for and reaching out to your non-Christian neighbours, and are
you involved in global missions? These are certainly proper challenges, and
appropriate application points from Matthew 28.
But our adult friends and those on the
other side of the world are not the first ones we are called to evangelise and
disciple. If we are married, encouraging faithfulness and godliness in our
spouse is where our ministry begins. If we are parents or grandparents, God has
chosen to entrust immortal souls into our care. God has given us spiritual
responsibilities with our children who are a higher priority than our spiritual
opportunities with our neighbours.
As a pastor and preacher, God has
graciously given me many opportunities to share about the gospel and see people
repent and trust Christ. None of these conversions came about because of my
flowery words or persuasive presentation. The Holy Spirit simply uses His Word
and brings people to repentance. I have had the thought, “What if God used my
sharing the gospel to lead 1,000 people to repent and trust Christ…but I lost
one of my six children?” I am thankful for any fruit God brings about in my
public ministry, but my greatest desire is to spend eternity with my wife and
children. For many years, I was passionate about making disciples of those in
my community and around the world, while I neglected my most important calling,
leading my wife and children to know and love God.
Other excerpts from the book:
Overwhelmed, Burned-Out, and Discouraged
God's Call To Fathers
Transforming Youth and Children's Ministry
God's Call To Fathers
Transforming Youth and Children's Ministry
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