The Great Commission
Matt 28:18-20
"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."
In the Great Commission, we are told to go and make disciples. This is perfectly illustrated in the story of Philip and the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-40), where Philip was told by the Holy Spirit to go and "be near" the Ethiopian who was trying to understand what he was reading. Once Philip helped the Ethiopian understand the Scriptures and what they meant to him, the Ethiopian wanted to be baptized immediately into the Christian faith. Then, we can assume, the Ethiopian's faith was grown as he joined a local community of believers in worship, fellowship, and education.
Today in many of our churches, we strive to attract Pre-Christians to come to us. We create "seeker-services", special events, and new facilities in the hope of increasing our visitor counts. We call more dynamic and charismatic pastors and church workers to help fill the church. We surround ourselves with church friends who dress like us, live like us, and look like us. Then, we wonder why all these efforts result in little or no increased attendance at church. We look at our year-end statistics to find very few baptisms. What are we doing wrong?
The Great Commission is very clear. We must GO!
We must simply leave the church campus and make friends out in the community who are Pre-Christians. They will not look like us, act like us, or be like us in any way. They may not speak the same language or be of the same ethnic background as us. They may be of different social status and have a different level of education than us. We may of forgotten the skills required to make new friends. But, there are no acceptable excuses. We are commanded to GO.
We must astonish them with simple acts of kindness. We must help them make their lives work - from their point of view. We must gain their trust by showing the unconditional love that Jesus first showed us. Then, after we have the credibility required and as guided by the Holy Spirit, we can share our faith and make disciples by baptizing and teaching in order for their faith to begin and grow. This is the responsibility of every Christian and every congregation, and the only plan God has in place to spread His gospel. There is no "Plan B". It is up to each one of us.
May you respond to this Great Commission as did Philip. Go and be near. Then, watch God at work in and through you, making disciples to His glory!