Daily Devotional

-February 16, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-The Great Commissioner Gives The Great Commission-

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and 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).

When the Lord Jesus came to earth, He came to die on the cross for our sins and then ascend back to heaven. He preached, taught, healed, and helped so many. He also did many awesome miracles. When He left this world the mission was not complete, we as His people must complete it. Acts 1:1-2 says, “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all Jesus began both to do and teach, until He was taken up after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen.”

The Lord Jesus is the Great Commissioner. He says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and earth.” When we go forth in bringing the gospel to the world, we are doing so by His word and authority. The Father gave Him this authority. Jesus prepared the apostles to spread the gospel to the whole world, we now must carry it that mission.

The Great Commission is found here in Matthew, and also in Mark 16:14-18; Luke 24:46-49; and Acts 1:8. Matthew’s account gives us the most detail. It represents the last commandment of Jesus to His followers before His ascension to heaven. The hymn writer James McGranahan wrote, “All pow’r is given unto Me, all pow’r is given unto Me, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel, and lo, I am with you alway.”

Our Savior gives three things for us to do: go and make disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them. It is a simple mission but there will be much will much opposition, resistance, and rejection; we must continue to be faithful to the mission of the great commission. It is of eternal significance.

• Go and make disciples of all nations – This entails more than preaching the gospel and sharing our faith. It takes in prayer, follow up, and discipleship. When we win a soul to Christ, that is just the beginning of making that person a disciple who can disciple others. It is called spiritual reproduction. It takes hard work and effort.

• Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit – Baptism is the first step in obedience to Christ. The new believer identifies himself with Christ publicly in His death, burial, and resurrection. The Scriptures teach baptism by full immersion to properly symbolize the identification of the believer to Christ.

• Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you – This is vital to the growth of the new teach Christian the Word of God. They must be grounded in doctrine and how to read, study, and apply the Word to their lives. Everyone needs a spiritual mentor.

It may seem a daunting and difficult task, but the Lord Jesus has promised us, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” He is with us and will through the power of the Holy Spirit use us to win souls, make disciples, baptize them and teach them.

Have a blessed day in the work of the Lord in spreading the gospel. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean