The Mandate of the Gospel | Alexander Kurian

EVANGELISM & MISSIONS

The Mandate of the Gospel

Dr. Alexander Kurian

The Great Commission Revisited

The Great Commission Verses

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 (Matthew 28:18-20).
And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15-16).
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things (Luke 24:47-48).
So Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you (John 20:21).
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Putting the Great Commission Process in Perspective

Mark 16:15: Go and Preach the Gospel. The first step obviously is to go out and preach the Gospel. The whole body of Christ must be involved in the preaching of the Gospel. This is a Herculean task and it is humanly impossible for few individuals or just some local churches to take the Gospel everywhere and to every human being. But each one of us can have a small part in this mission through Proclamation, Prayer, Witness, and Service. But that part, however small it may be, must be fulfilled. We must be ready, willing, available, and committed to this task.
Acts 1:8: All of us are called to be Witnesses. An evangelist or missionary has a wider field of work than a witness. But a witness has a significant role in the proclamation of the Gospel where the Lord has placed him/her. A witness has to proclaim Christ in the circle in which he moves and works. But if we have to be effective witnesses of Christ, we must be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 24:47: When we articulate the Gospel, we must be sure of its content â€“ Repentance and Remission of sins in the name of Jesus Christ. The gospel is not a program, but it is a relationship with a Person.
Matthew 28:19: Go and Make Disciples. Not simply bringing people to Christ or winning souls but building them into the body of Christ. The believer/convert must be made into a disciple. Here is where the biggest failure of much of today’s evangelism lies. The apostles placed their converts into local churches to be made into responsible believers (disciples) and built them up spiritually by teaching them the whole counsel of God. The purpose of evangelism is to make disciples. Evangelism that does not lead on to discipleship is making The Great Commission into a Great Omission. Though the first part of the Great Commission is on evangelism, the total emphasis is on discipleship. Why are we hesitant to proclaim the message of discipleship? The purpose of evangelism can be understood fully only when seen in the light of the second part of the Great Commission - to make disciples.
John 20:21: Our mission in the world is to be patterned after Christ’s. Here we find the connection between our commissioning and the commissioning of the Lord Jesus Christ by His Father. He is our model, pattern and example. This is the principle of incarnation in evangelism. Our labors are to be conducted like His.

Observations & Applications from the Primary Great Commission Passage (Matthew.28:16-20)

The Context (28:16-17): The disciples arrived in Galilee in obedience to the Lord’s command (28:10) and these are Jesus’ final moments with His disciples. The Great Commission was given to an imperfect number (eleven disciples) in the context of obedience, worship and doubt (but some doubted). Adoring, trusting, and doubting at the same time is a paradox of our fallen nature. We are doubting worshippers. Be obedient to His guidance and direction. Be in a place where God wants you to be, so that you can hear His voice and know His will. We win our war with doubt by obedience to His mission.
The Commission (28:18-20): Jesus did not step away from His doubting disciples, but rather came close to them (28:18a). His power and His grace would soon dispel their doubts.
The resurrected victorious Lord is the one giving this commission. The Great Commission is couched in kingly language with royal authority. The weight of His deity is behind this command. He is not only the King of the Jews, but the king of the universe.
The ALL in the Great Commission:

- ALL AUTHORITY (v.18)
- ALL THE NATIONS (v.19)
- ALL THINGS (v.20)
- ALWAYS or ALL THE DAYS (v.20)
The Great Commission is ALL OF GOD (the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit).

5. The international, universal and global scope of the commission: Matt.28:19: Make disciples of all the nations Mark 16:15: Go into all the world Luke 24:47: Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations Acts 1:8: You shall be witnesses to me and to the end of the earth John 20:21: The world is not directly mentioned, but it is implied - I also send you (into the world). See John 17:18: As you sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. The Great Commission challenges us to be World Christians. Our evangelism and missions should reflect God’s heart for the world. Lord, give me a heart for the world.

6. The Great Commission is spelled out in verses 19-20a and backed up with the promise of His presence (20b). The command is to make disciples. But the command is given to His disciples. In order to make disciples, we have to be disciples ourselves. A disciple is a learner and a follower.

Evangelism is assumed in the Great Commission (in your going or having gone We go on the basis of His authority and because he has sent us. Baptizing and teaching explain what it means to make a disciple.

Going - Proclamation
Baptizing - Identification with Christ, and publicly as the disciples of Christ.
Teaching - Indoctrination with the truth of God’s Word. All things that I commanded you sets the apostolic Word above all other words, visions, experiences and traditions.

Make them My disciples
Mark them by way of identification (baptizing)
Mould them through the Word of God (teaching)

8. I am with you the eternal I AM is our Immanuel always as we move out, evangelize, disciple, baptize and teach.

Personalizing the Great Commission

Are you a Great Commission Christian/missionary/world Christian?
What does the Lord ask of you as a believer?
What is the implication of this study of the Great commission for you personally and also for your assembly?
Lord, if you give me a heart for the world, then what shall I do? Where shall I go? How can I best serve you? Are there things in my thinking or in my life which keep me from obeying this command?

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