The Great Commission - Introduction

Missions have been on my mind a lot lately, from things that have been going on at church to PM going to Nepal, to things that I have been reading. As a result, I have been spending some time studying the Great Commission and personal evangelism in general. I have been trying to tie the passages that deal with the Commission, or are the final commands of Jesus in the Gospels, together to make it clear what we are to be doing. We have been reading What Jesus Demands of the World, by John Piper, in our men's group at church and on the cover it quotes the beginning of the Great Commission as found in Matthew 28:19, "All authority in heaven and on earth are given to me." Since the point of the book are demands that Jesus makes on the world, starting with salvation and going into obedient Christian living, it has made me want to take an even closer look at the Great Commission itself.

There are four specific instances in Scripture where the Great Commission is given, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark16:15, Luke 24:46-48, and Acts 1:8. I am also going to include a passage from John, but only because of how it pertains on a personal level to us. To summarize all of them, we are to go into all of the world, sharing the gospel, telling of the things that we have seen and heard, baptizing them in the name of God, teaching everyone the things that we have been commanded by the Lord. I want to look at each passage individually, briefly, while focusing mainly on Matthew's version. I'll try to get it done over the next couple of weeks, as I need to get it of my head and on to paper, or at least into cyberspace!! I hope to make it as clear as possible and that it will be an encouragement to all who read it!

MP