Our Great Commission :: By Dennis Huebshman
Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and said to them, all authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)
Our Savior did not set limits on how many people to pass His “Commission” to. Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am among them.
In John 20:21-23 we read, “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.’”
Acts 1:4-5, 8; “And while staying with them, He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father which He said you heard from Me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Right after this statement, Jesus was “Raptured” back to Heaven.
John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3; “A voice cries in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” John himself acknowledged that he was the one preparing the way in Matthew 3:11, saying, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” It should be noted that John was a cousin of Jesus.
God has given each of us talents, though not the same ones to everyone. Romans 12: 3-5, “For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function; so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
Continuing with Romans 12:6-8, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them; if prophecy, in proportion to your faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with clearer fulness.”
The purpose behind all of this is not only to bring us closer to the Lord but to literally “Rescue” those who do not have Jesus as their Savior. Anyone who takes their last breath on this earth without Jesus as their Savior fwill go into the lake of fire forever. This is why we have God’s love letter to us (Bible) so that we may be saved, and to be able to try and Rescue the Perishing around us.
If this sounds familiar, In 1869, Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) wrote a hymn titled “Rescue The Perishing”. It is a call for all believers to honor the Savior’s call for a “Great Commission.”
1.) Rescue the perishing; care for the dying; snatch them in pity from sin and the grave. Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen; tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.
Ref.) Rescue the perishing, care for the dying; Jesus is merciful; Jesus will save.
2.) Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting, waiting, the penitent child to receive. Plead with them earnestly; plead with them gently; He will forgive if only they believe. (ref)
3.) Down for the human heart, crushed by the tempter; feelings lie buried that grace can restore. Touched by a loving heart, weakened by kindness; chords that were broken will vibrate once more. (ref)
4.) Rescue the perishing, duty demands it; strength for thy labor the Lord will provide. Back to the narrow way, patiently win them; tell the poor wanderer a Savior has died. (ref)
When we understand what the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15 is all about, our concern should be for all our loved ones, that they should not be in attendance there. Sometimes, all we can do is pray that the Holy Spirit would touch their souls to make them aware they need Jesus as their Savior. Some of our loved ones won’t let us talk to them about Jesus. We ask daily that the Holy Spirit will touch their souls.
God will force no one to accept His Son, but He has given resources for those who truly want eternal life in Heaven. He also understands that the word of the cross is foolishness to those who have chosen this world over eternal Salvation. (1 Corinthians 1:18) The Savior Himself said there would be more on the road to destruction than on the narrow path to eternal life. (Matthew 7:13-14)
The only time it is too late to call on Jesus for forgiveness and be saved is after passing from life to death without ever having received and accepted Him as your Savior. Keep in mind Jesus was on that cruel cross being crucified between two criminals. One ridiculed Jesus and would not accept Him as Messiah. The other asked Jesus to “remember” him from that time on. One of those criminals is already in torment as the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus described. The one who called out for Jesus to save him was with Jesus before that day was over and will be with Him forever, just as Jesus promised.
No one has to do numerous works or perform any special deeds or pay any specific fee for their Salvation. None of this will work anyway. Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (9) not a result of works so that no one may boast.”
Romans 3:10; 3:23 6:23 and 10:9-13 state that we must admit we are sinners and confess that we believe in Jesus as our Lord, who the Father raised from the dead to conquer sin and death for us. Also, this applies to every single soul on this earth, as God will accept all who truly call on His Son to save them.
Likewise, all who refuse the free gift will spend eternity in the lake of fire with satan and all his demons.
There are no other options, no matter what any false preacher may tell you. It’s totally your decision, and now would be a great time to make your call for Salvation. No one is guaranteed another day on this earth.
God’s word is absolute truth, and His promises are pure. Titus 1:2 states He cannot lie. Just know that all who truly call out to be saved will have the Holy Spirit come to live within them. This is being “baptized” by the Holy Spirit, as John and Jesus said would happen.
Our greatest wish is that we will see you at the Rapture. That is right after we are able to stand after seeing our Savior in all His splendor and glory for the first time. It just may take the full 7 years of the tribulation for me personally to stand again.
Come, Lord Jesus – We are waiting for You!
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