Good day
In the previous message we looked at Luke 15:1-24 and saw how important the lost are to God, meaning that preaching the gospel and leading people to salvation is important. I also mentioned how God set salvation in motion, clearly indicating the value He places on having an eternal relationship with us and that given how important people are to Him, they need to be important to us as well .... Not only is it God's priority but it should become ours as well.
Today's message is quite simple - Not only has God Himself prioritised the salvation of mankind, He also delegates that assignment to those who believe in Him.
As Jesus Christ is about to leave the Earth, He gives the below instruction to His disciples (often referred to as the great commission)
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Mark 16:15-19
Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 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. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
This instruction Jesus gave to the disciples didn't stop with them, it was given to all believers (which I'll discuss in a separate message). We can therefore conclude that we are "under orders" by Christ to go into all the world and preach the gospel so that those who believe and are baptized will be saved, to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that He commands us.
Therefore if anyone considers themselves to be a follower, believer or disciple of Jesus Christ then this instruction is applicable to them ... there's an expectation that this be carried out ... that they obey and participate in this commandment.
Today's message is quite simple - Not only has God Himself prioritised the salvation of mankind, He also delegates that assignment to those who believe in Him.
Amen