The Christian And World Evangelism
Matthew 28: 18-20 – “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Every single believer has a responsibility and a role to play as it regards the gospel being taken to the four corners of the world. In the text as given in Matthew 28, the Lord makes it very plain as to what His wishes and His command to us is to be. So let’s look at what the text says.
JESUS CAME AND SPOKE UNTO THEM
The words of Christ as given in Verses 18-20 would constitute some of the last words He would speak before His ascension. Therefore what He said should not be dismissed or ignored. That which the Lord spoke in these verses is known as the Great Commission (Mk. 16:15-18 would also apply). This commission or command was to the church, to take the gospel message to the world. It is God’s desire that all men everywhere have an opportunity to hear the gospel. We understand that not all will accept it, but it is still the responsibility of the church to do what it can to propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ.
SAYING ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH
Regarding this statement, Williams said: “This power is not given to Him as Son of God; for as God, nothing can be added to Him or taken from Him; it is rather a power which He has merited by His incarnation and death at Calvary on the Cross, which was foretold in the Old Testament by psalmists and prophets, and with which He was endued on the day that He rose victorious from the grave: Therefore when He said, ‘all power,’ He meant ‘all power.’”
In Philippians 2:8-14, the Apostle Paul would say: “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
That name is Lord which means “master of all.” The Lord Jesus Christ has all power, in heaven, in earth, and under the earth. He has the power, and He alone.
GO YOU THEREFORE
This statement applies to any and all who follow the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, you are the “you” He is speaking of. You have been given a commission by our Lord to help proclaim His gospel around the world.
It is a privilege and an honor to know that the Lord has made a place for us in His work. Now, most of you reading this are not called into the five-fold ministry callings, so you may wonder, What is my part? What am I supposed to do?
Here are things that everyone can do:
- Pray. James 5:16 says “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Pray for those whom God has called to proclaim His Word. Pray for a greater anointing. Pray for wisdom and guidance. Pray for a great harvest.
- Have faith. Matthew 18:19 says: “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”
- Give. Every Christian should set aside something over and above their tithe, to be given for world evangelism. This biblical principle can be found in Romans 10:13-15. Let me state it this way: All should set aside “a handful on purpose” in order to send those whom God has called.
PREACH TO ALL NATIONS
In Matthew 28:19 it says, “teach all nations.” However a better translation would be “preach to all nations.” In the Greek, the word teach is matheteus and means to “make disciples.”
Preaching proclaims truth which makes disciples while teaching explains truth which is what the word teaching in Matthew 28:20 says. The Greek word is didasko and means “to give instruction.”
In Verses 19 and 20, we see the divine order of the Holy Spirit as it regards world evangelism:
- The gospel is to be preached to the lost in order to call attention to the truth of Jesus Christ and His saving grace.
- After conversion, they are to be taught which means “to explain truth.” That which is to be taught is the truth of the sacred text both Old and New Testaments.
The SonLife Broadcasting Network (SBN) has been raised up by the Lord to be a church for the nations. SBN has been raised up to preach the gospel and to explain the gospel. SBN has been raised up to teach proper worship and praise, and you have been called to help fulfill this command of our Lord— called to pray, to join your faith with other believers, and to give so that others may know.
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