A Different View of Christian Evangelism Part 3 of 3
The special 'Great Commission' given by Jesus to the eleven apostles
image from firebreathingchristian.com
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done. Psalm 105:1
It’s clear from the 105th Psalm quoted above that as Christians we all should be praising the Lord and telling all people about Him. But the New Testament calls for a balanced outreach that is not pushy. In fact, as covered in Part 1 on witnessing, the actual verses that give us some specifics on how to share our faith are telling us to be ready to respond to statements and questions, waiting for the right opportunities.
There is a lot of emphasis on the great commission in the modern church. I’ve heard many sermons on it, and they usually are a bit unsettling, leaving me feeling pressured to “witness” more, and feeling a little guilty for not immediately witnessing to everyone I meet. I especially have felt sorry for Christians who are naturally shy and introverted, and it seemed to me that there was something wrong about applying too much pressure to do something that they may not be gifted to do in the ways that are pushed.
After a lot of thought and study, I realize now that the great commission was given specifically as a command only to the eleven chosen apostles, not directly to us. Look at the context:
“6 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Here are a few questions that I’ve asked church leaders and never gotten an answer. They have always changed the subject:
If the great commission was meant for all Christians, why is the command never repeated by the inspired apostles and other writers in the rest of the New Testament? Why was it never given to the crowds that Jesus preached to? Why is it never even mentioned by any of the apostles after the church began?
Also, I couldn’t find a single verse in the N.T. that ever commanded us to be witnesses in the strict sense of the word. (again, see Part 1 on witnessing) Every mention of being witnesses is connected to apostles and prophets. Perhaps because they were eye witnesses, and we are not.
Just recently I heard a sermon on a closely related subject. It was from 2Corinthians 5:20:
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
The preacher told us that this teaches that we (Christians) are to be ambassadors for Christ.
But I thought about it, and that doesn’t make sense in either the grammar or the context. Take a good look at the grammar in that verse. Who is “we” or “us”, and who is “you”? (See Part 2, on discipling for a more complete study on this)
The context also helps. This is a letter written by Paul and Timothy. They have to be the “we”. The “you” they are addressing is the church in Corinth. So the “ambassadors” are Paul and Timothy; not the whole church.
We will take a closer look at the great commission, but first, let’s consider some commands that are definitely for us, in regards to how we should interact with non-believers.
There are three commands that are about defending our Christian faith in response to outsiders. (again, Part 1 goes into detail on this)
1. Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, as seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
2. 1Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”
3. Jude 3 “… that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” (see v.4 for context.)
And there are two verses that tell us, like Psalm 105, to reach out to unbelievers.
1. Jude 23 “save others, snatching them out of the fire;…”
2. Revelation 22:17 “The Spirit and the bride say “Come”. And let the one who hears say “Come”…”
Now take another close look at the great commission.
Matthew 28:19-20
16 “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
In the book of Acts, which is the history of the early church, the apostles were told to wait to be empowered by the Holy Spirit before going out and being witnesses for Christ. It’s also good to remember that they were actual eye witnesses, unlike us.
Acts 1:1-5 Luke is writing to a man named Theophilus
“ The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
verse 8 - “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses…”
In the gospel of John, they were even given the power to forgive sins.
John 20:22-23
“ 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
Notice these things from the above verses:
1. The great commission was given to the eleven apostles; not to a crowd.
2. They were given miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit.
3. These commands to make disciples, to preach the gospel and to be witnesses of the resurrected Christ were not passed on to all Christians. I can’t find the great commission repeated in the rest of the New Testament, as if it were a command for us.
a) On the contrary, even when miraculous gifts were common in the early church, no one except the apostles had all the gifts. It’s clear that the Christians all had different gifts and different functions. Not everyone was to be an evangelist, for example. (See 1Corinthians 12:4-11)
b) 1 Thessalonians 4:11 says “and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you”.
Similarly, 1Timothy 2:2 says “...so that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life…”
c) We are all commanded to be ready to respond to people who have questions about our faith or about the gospel, (see 1 Pet.3:15, Col.4:5-6, and Jude 3-4) but that isn’t the same as being commanded like the apostles, to go out to the whole world or everyone we meet and make disciples.
d) We are given different gifts by the Holy Spirit, but not in the miraculous sense like the apostles were gifted. I see very little evidence today that the miraculous gifts, like healing the sick and raising the dead, are prevalent in the church. So we aren’t equipped in the same way as the apostles.
4. The New Testament commands that do apply to all of us today are about living the Christian life and learning to love one another. Here is a sampling of the type of commands that we’re given:
*Audio only (in the written version, you’ll see a list of about 60 references - I’ll just quote a couple to give you the idea…………………
Commands in the N.T.
Romans 6:11-13 dead to sin
12:2 don’t conform to the world
12:9-21 Hate evil; love, honor, serve the Lord with fervor, joyful, hope, patient in affliction, share, hospitality, bless, don’t curse, rejoice or mourn with others, harmony, not proud, not conceited, don’t repay evil, do what is right, peace, don’t take revenge
13:7-8 owe nothing but love
13:14 clothe yourself with Christ
14:1 accept the weak in faith
14:13-17 don’t be a stumbling block
14:20-23 don’t destroy
15:7 accept one another
16:3-16 greet the saints (fellow Christians)
1Corinthians 3:18 don’t be deceived
4:6 don’t go beyond what is written
5:10-11 associations
6:9 don’t be deceived
6:18 flee immorality
6:20b honor God
7:10-11 don’t seek divorce
10:14 flee idolatry
10:31-32 do all for God
11:1 follow Paul’s example
14:39 don’t forbid speaking in tongues
15:33 don’t be misled
15:58 stand firm in your faith
16:1 give to help other saints
16:13-14 be on guard, stand firm, be courageous, be strong, do everything in love
Ephesians 4:2-3 be humble, gentle, patient, in love, keep unity, peace
4:25-32 speak truth, don’t let the sun go down on your anger, (marriage advice), don’t give the devil a foothold, don’t steal, work, share, no unwholesome talk, but built others up, don’t grieve the H.S., no bitterness, rage, anger, slander, malice; be kind, compassionate, forgiving,
5:1 walk in love
5:3 not even a hint of immorality, or impurity, or greed. (Proverbs 31.1)
5:4 no obscenity, foolish talk, coarse joking – rather thanksgiving
5:6 Let no one deceive you
5:7 Don’t partner with evil-doers
5:8 live as children of light
5:10 find out what pleases the Lord!
5:11 nothing to do with deeds of darkness – expose them!
5:15 be careful how you ‘walk’
5:16 make the most of opportunity
5:17 don’t be foolish – find out what the Lord’s will is
5:18 be filled with the H.S. – not wine
5:19 sing from heart
5:20 thanks always
5:21-22 submit to one another
5:25 husbands, love your wives
6:1-2 children obey, honor parents
6:4 fathers, don’t exasperate your children
6:5-8 slaves obey as to the Lord
6:9 masters to treat slaves right
6:10 be strong in the Lord
6:11-18 put on the armor of God, stand firm,…pray in the Spirit, be alert, keep praying for all Lord’s people
Philippians 1:25 conduct yourselves in a worthy manner
2:2-5 be like-minded, not selfish ambition, in humility
2:12 work out your salvation
2:14 don’t grumble or argue
3:2 watch out for ‘dogs’
4:1 stand firm in the Lord
4:4 rejoice in the Lord always!
4:6 don’t be anxious, petition God
4:-9 whatever is true,…think about such things
Colossians 2:8 don’t be fooled by philosophy or empty deceptions
2:18-19 …taking his stand on visions
3:1-2 seek things above
3:5 consider your body dead to immorality
4:2 devoted to prayer
5-6 know how to respond to outsiders
16 read this letter in churches
the meaning of Matthew 28:20
What did Jesus mean when He said “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you..”?
A little thought makes it clear that this was meant spiritually; not literally. The meaning is for the apostles to teach the spiritual truths that they heard from Jesus, not every command that Jesus had given specifically to them.
The idea, for example, would be for them to teach the great commands to love God and to love one another, and all that follows from that.
Here are some examples of specific commands that Jesus gave the apostles, which obviously are not meant for us:
In Matthew 10:5, Jesus commanded “Do not go among the Gentiles…Heal the sick, raise the dead…drive out demons” etc.
Most of the actual commands that Jesus gave his apostles were for very specific one-time events, like “Go into the city to a certain man…”, and “Sit here while I go over there and pray”, and “Stay in the city until you have been clothed on high…” and “…reach here your hand and put it into My side” and “Throw your net on the right side..” and “Bring some of the fish..”
Obviously, “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” is referring to the commands that pertain to living life in a way that is obedient and pleasing to God.
Then how is the great commission being fulfilled, if not completely by every individual?
It’s being fulfilled by the church as a whole. It’s a group effort. The body of Christ is made up of many different members, and they all have different gifts. It is the combination of all these working parts, together with the power of the Holy Spirit that accomplishes the will of God. The growth of the church and Kingdom of God is natural and spontaneous, out of love, not forced by command.
Conclusion
The basic rules of interpretation include looking at context, and especially taking note of who is speaking and who is being spoken to.
The great commission was a special mission for the chosen apostles.
Jesus was speaking privately to the 11 apostles. The time was just after Jesus’ raised from the dead. The follow-up command was given a few days later (see Acts 1:1-8) just before Jesus went up to heaven. They were told to wait until they received the power of the Holy Spirit. That miraculous event is described in Acts 2, and a careful study of the grammar and context of the chapter requires us to understand that it was the apostles, and only the apostles, that were immersed in the Holy Spirit at that time. (That’s another study in itself.)
God gave them the special power needed to equip them to carry out the great commission.
Many other Christians through the ages have followed the example of the apostles. They’ve preached the word, and made disciples, and taught them what Jesus taught, and baptized them – but because of their calling and their gifts and their love for Christ – not because of obedience to a direct, personal command.
All Christians are to be concerned about the lost and to prayerfully reach out to them in love to the best of their gifts and ability, and all Christians are to study the Word so they’ll be ready and able to defend the Faith whenever the need arises.
Thank you for this great and complete study of our duties and God’s expectations for us, as His followers.
If taken to heart, it relieves so much pressure. We are blessed to walk in His ways and to use the spiritual gifts given to us for His glory!