The Great Commission

 Just before His ascension into Heaven, Jesus shared with His disciples what would proved to be final words of His earthly ministry. Because of this, it is right to assign great significance to those words. After three years of instruction and example, His final admonition would serve as a commencement of the prophesied day of Grace in which we live today. Peter conveyed the prophets preoccupation with this age where the Grace of God would bring salvation writing "Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing (1 Pe, 1:10-11). These words that Jesus assigned such a place of prominence to are recognized today as "The Great Commission".

"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mk 16:15-18)

The age of Grace in which we live has been and will continue to be embodied by faithful souls who, like the original disciples, take to heart this essential commission. Like the abundance of other instruction Jesus gave to the disciples, these words were directed towards all who would by faith believe in His salvation.

"The Great Commission" can essentially be broken down into two commands. The first is to go and preach the Gospel. Every believer is called to share the good news of Jesus Christ, the good news that their own proclamation of being a follower of Christ should testify to their knowing. Cain fell into sin while declaring "am I my brothers keeper". The answer to that question, according to the Lord of creation, is YES. We are our brothers keeper. We do bear responsibility for the welfare of the souls around us. Matthew's record of "The Great Commission" calls this "making disciples" (Mt.28:19). The preaching to and discipling of others belongs to all who call Christ Lord. Peter writes "be ready to give every man an answer for the hope that is in you" (1 Pe.3:15). God will hold each of us accountable for what we do with our testimony.

The admonition that makes up the second part of "The Great Commission" is that there should be evidence of a life that has been transformed by faith in Jesus Christ. That evidence is here described as "signs". The Greek word for "sign" is 'semeion". 'Semeion' is often translated in our Bible 'miracle or wonder'. Jesus Himself was known as a miracle worker and a healer. In his first sermon, Peter described Jesus as one who was "attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs" (Acts 2:22). The evidence Peter offered that Jesus was truly from God was the "signs" that accompanied His ministry. Jesus was "the firstborn of many brethren" (Ro.8:29). Those who believe in Him are called to follow His example (Jn.13:15). "The Great Commission" here declares "these signs will accompany those who believe". Therefore, signs such as those listed here are evidence of a sincere and effective faith.

The essentialness of these commands cannot be overstated. Every believer is called to go out into the word to share the message of salvation. In doing this, we must carry with us the evidence that testifies that our faith is sincere and our message is truly from God. Upon these commands "the kingdom of God (will) forcably advances" (Mt.11:12)