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On this page we have provided several written articles. Feel free to use any of the articles on this page in personal study, lesson preparation, or church bulletins. If you have any questions about the content on this page, click on the "About Us" link above for our contact information. Textual Articles Topical Articles
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 Matt. 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on 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” (Matt. 28:18-20) The text found in Matt. 28:18-20 (also in Mark 16:15-16) is commonly referred to as “The Great Commission”. After Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection He met with the apostles in Galilee (as He promised He would in Matt. 26:32) in order to give them a mission to carry out after His ascension into heaven. The mission was a simply stated one: To “make disciples of all the nations” (19). What did “making disciples” involve as stated by Jesus? “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” (19-20). We read in the book of Acts several accounts of the apostles carrying out the mission given to them by Christ. On the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2:1-41, Peter preached to the Jews in Jerusalem that they needed to “repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (38). Those who received Peter’s message (about 3,000!) were baptized and “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (41-42). In Acts 3:1-4:4, on “Solomon’s porch” Peter preached to a crowd who had gathered in the temple court that they needed to “repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (3:19). Many of those who listened to Peter that day believed and at least 2,000 were converted (4:4)! You may read these and the other conversions in the book of Acts… 1. Acts 8:4-25 – The Samaritans 2. Acts 8:26-40 – The Ethiopian Eunuch 3. Acts 9:1-19 – Saul of Tarsus 4. Acts 10:1-11:18 – Cornelius and his household 5. Acts 16:6-34 – Two households at Philippi 6. Acts 17:16-34 – The Athenians 7. Acts 18:1-11 – The Corinthians 8. Acts 19:1-10 – The Twelve Disciples of John Has there ever been a more straightforward command than Jesus’ Great Commission in Matt. 28? I received assignments in elementary school that were less clearly stated! From what we read in the book of Acts it is plain to see that the apostles understood Jesus’ command and proceeded to fulfill the mission He set before them in Galilee. Yet, somehow Jesus’ timeless words have so often been distorted beyond recognition by the religious world! Whether it be those who claim that baptism is not necessary to be saved, or some who claim that Jesus does not hold all authority in heaven and on earth, or even others who claim that observing all things Jesus commanded is not as much a command as it is a suggestion! How have Jesus’ words become so misunderstood over the last 2,000 years? I sometimes wonder at what point it was that followers of Christ began to doubt the very words He spoke in Matt. 28; they sure seemed to have understood them well in the first century! But, then again, Paul made mention of his fear that the minds of those in the Corinthian church would be “corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3). Christ’s message has always been a simple one; it just hasn’t always been simple for us to accept it, teach it, confide in it, and live by it! At this point we may ask a very valid question: “How can we possibly apply the command in Matt. 28 to Christianity today? Wasn’t the command only intended for the apostles, as they were the ones present when Jesus gave it?” This is a good question. Notice again that Jesus says the apostles were to teach those they converted “to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). What had Jesus just commanded the apostles to do? “Go therefore and make disciples” (28:19)! Therefore we can safely understand that the command to make disciples of all the nations and teach them Jesus’ commands applies to us as well! Now, let me ask you an important question: Have you ever "made a disciple"? In other words, have you ever brought someone to Christ? In my experience asking this question to Christians, the “no-to-yes” answer ratio is usually around 10 to 1. Why are our numbers so low? If bringing others to Christ is truly our mission here on earth, then why have most of us never done it?! I suppose any number of answers could be given, and the majority of them might say it has to do with a lack of interest on the part of those whom we try to teach. There is certainly some truth to this, but I doubt very seriously that every Christian can honestly say he or she is doing everything they possibly can to spread the gospel to sinners! The fact of the matter is that Christ has clearly explained to us… 1. Who we are to listen to – “All authority has been given to Me” 2. What we are to do – “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” 3. How we are to do it – “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” 4. How we continue doing it – “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” 5. Where He will be during our work – “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” We understand our assignment and how to carry it out. So, what is holding us back? Perhaps it is the fear of rejection, or of ridicule, or maybe of failure. Many Christians fear that they will be turned away when they try to teach, some fear that the commands of Christ will not be popular and others fear that they will be made fun of or left out because of their attempts to spread the gospel. I would love to tell you these things will not happen, but the simple truth is that in many cases they will. A poster in the nurse’s office of my junior high school read, “What’s right is not always popular and what’s popular is not always right.” There’s a lot of truth to that. Whatever your fear may be, there are many Bible verses to look to for comfort. Here are just a few… 1. Never forget that Jesus said in His Great Commission, “I am with you always”. These words should comfort you on many levels as you teach, knowing that you are not standing for an empty cause and that Christ is with you wherever you go. 2. Also remember Jesus’ words in John 15:18-19 - “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” 3. And finally, remember that God blesses our work as He chooses to! Paul reminds us in 1 Cor. 3:6-7, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.” All we are commanded to do is carry out Jesus’ commands…the rest is up to God! I pray that truth, confidence, and Christ Himself be with you in your efforts to bring others to Him! Phil. 2:19-24 “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.” (Phil. 2:19-24) Have you ever had to ask someone to write a letter of recommendation for you? Sometimes it's a bit unnerving to know that your fate at a new job, school, or other endeavor rests in the ink of someone else's pen! I haven't read many of the letters of recommendation others have written for me, but I hope that they told the truth – and that the truth was always good! In Phil. 2:19-24 Paul wrote to the church in Philippi letting them know that he planned to send Timothy to bring back a report of their condition so that Paul could “know your (Philippi's) state”. In a way, this might be considered a letter of recommendation for Timothy – I don't mean to say that Timothy would have been hired, fired, or promoted because of these words, but Paul was simply informing the church of the qualities present in Timothy which merited Paul's decision to choose him for this errand. What follows is a testament to the character of Timothy, as Paul speaks very highly of him in comparison to others he could have sent! What was it that Paul saw in Timothy that others were lacking? Let me suggest a few things based on what Paul says in these verses, and let's consider the lessons to be learned... First, Timothy sincerely cared about other Christians – “For I have no one like-minded who will sincerely care for your state” (20). Paul thought about the other options – whom could he send who would have an honest place in his heart for the brethren? Who would care enough about their welfare to bring a truthful report of their condition? Paul considered other options and concluded that Timothy was the man for the job! When you hear about other Christians who are struggling with temptation, sin, or some physical burdens, does it weigh on you emotionally? When you know that brethren elsewhere are prospering, do you rejoice for them? Do you take sincere interest in other Christians enough to pray for their well-being, perhaps even to check up on them and keep interest in their condition? In another of his letters Paul encouraged the Galatians to “bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). Are your heart, attitude, and actions where they need to be concerning other brethren? Second, Timothy did not seek his own, but the things of Jesus Christ – “For all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ” (21). Paul recognized that most people are out for personal gain or other selfish goals. Timothy wasn't counted in that number – he loved the Lord and made his work and focus that of Christ. Where do you fit into this picture? When you think about your life and your goals and desires, are more of them pointing toward Christ or toward yourself? When Jesus' disciples asked him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, he brought a little child to himself and answered them “whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:4). Are you humble? Are you selfless? Above all, do you seek the things of Christ above your own things? Thirdly, Timothy was devoted to the gospel – “As a son with his father he served with me in the gospel” (22). Paul recalled the bond between he and Timothy as they taught others the gospel – it was like that of a father and son. We can tell from what Paul writes about Timothy, both here and in other letters, that he was no doubt a faithful student and preacher of Christ. Do you have this kind of devotion to the gospel message? Do you enjoy sharing Christ with others and reading the Scriptures in your own time? The Psalmist said “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure” (Psalm 119:162). Do you have that kind of attitude toward God's word? Because of these attributes (and no doubt others), Paul could commend Timothy to the believers in Philippi, and he even noted that these qualities contributed to Timothy's already “proven character” (22). Let's strive to make our lives deserving of this kind of reputation!
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