Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..."
Before Jesus' ascension He commanded His followers to make disciples of all the nations. Where are we today?
I'm always amazed at how we interpret the Bible from our own mindset. I cannot tell you how many times I have quoted Matthew 28:18-20. I should know it by now. However, I was caught by surprise today when I was forced to consider them in a different light. I didn't place all the other verses on here for a reason. I wanted to make sure that you got the full blunt of verse 19.
Jesus told His followers to make disciples of all nations. How in the world can we be satisfied with anything less? It seems that the church has been content to make disciples in all nations rather than considering that God wants to disciple all of them. When we consider the weight of this commission, it's understandable why we needed the Holy Spirit to come upon us. The call of God upon the lives of His followers is SO GREAT that we must fully rely upon His ability at work in us.
Over the past few years, we have been heavily involved in missions. In particular we have sent teams to Ukraine, Alaska, & South Africa. Since we tend to view things from a management perspective (the church that is), it's easy to be satisfied with seeing a few converts. You know...we tend to take things in bite size proportions. We have been content with a slice while God wants the whole thing! How is this possible?
If you back up and read verse 18 of Matthew 28 you hear Jesus say, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Because of Christ's obedience to the Cross and His resurrection from the dead, the Bible teaches us that He has disarmed the enemy. All that had been lost through the fall of Adam has been restored through Jesus. Now the original commission that was given to Adam & Eve ("Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion..." ~ Genesis 1:28) has been passed on to us. When Adam & Eve fell, they gave authority to the enemy. Jesus got it back. It's time for the church to come to a full understanding of all that was restored through the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord. We walk in His authority and carry out His plan. And God wants it all!!!
This is why our identity in Christ is so important. This is why I have talked about defining ourselves the way God defines us. When we view ourselves through the Word of God, realize that God has seated us in heavenly places with Christ, and that we transfer that authority into this world...WATCH OUT!!! It's no wonder that Jesus told Peter that "the gates of hell will not prevail." How can they?
We have to grasp this:
Darkness cannot prevail against light!
Love is always stronger than hate!
And a defeated foe is a defeated foe!
The only way the enemy can prevail is when we fail to attack the strongholds. The children of Israel were given a "Promised Land" but they had to root-out the enemy. As long as they were willing to dispose of the enemies that they were able to expand the borders. It was when Israel stopped fighting that the enemy began to work its way back in. The kingdom of God works by advancement. We cannot get into a maintain attitude. We have to go out and claim what has already been purchased.
Anybody with me?
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