Friends in Christ Message for May 25, 2002

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Friends in Christ Weekly Message
May 25, 2002

Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20 (Message*)

This is one version of The Great Commission Jesus gave his disciples at the end of the time they saw him physically. In different phraseology, it is in all four Gospels and in Acts.

Some people have the impression that The Great Commission is about getting people to make a one-time commitment to Christ. It is about far more than that. And studies have shown that a large proportion of those who make such a "decision" soon go right back to living and acting like they did before.

Jesus was (and is) looking for more than something that happens in one moment. He is also looking for more than just lip service, even if that lip service continues on for a lifetime. He seeks to have people live in a whole new "way of life" as this translation aptly puts it. He is looking for disciples, a word most translations use in this text.

So we are to be showing people how they should live their lives in order to be true followers of Jesus. That's a challenging assignment, but we're not asked to do it in our own will and power. Jesus promises to be with us, day after day, as we do this. He is asking us to work with Him. If we appreciate how much He loves us, and if we truly love Him, this is something we should be eager to do.

Bill Samuel

* The Message version © by Eugene H. Peterson.