The purpose of Jesus’ world mission command
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…
Matthew 28:19-20
The purpose of the world mission command is for God to share his power with his children.
This is not just to let the disciples know that it is through his power and authority that the world mission command can be fulfilled. This is too narrow of an interpretation. It is narrow in that it is against the general flow of the way in which the word was spoken, that is, the purpose first then the mission statement second.
In addition, this is consistent with the character of God the Father, the character of Jesus Christ, and the character of the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore this purpose is consistent with not only what Jesus came to accomplish, but also what he came to practically show appealing to the full senses of the disciples. Remember what Jesus envisioned and showed to his disciples thus far, that is, his vision of resurrection saying, “After I have risen, I will go ahead of you and meet with you in Galilee.” He also said to those who filled the bench sitting to adjudicate the case they had that is the trial of Jesus, “From now on you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of God and coming on the clouds with his angels.” The ultimate example then is the Risen Jesus himself. He showed them and they worshiped. He ascended into heaven as they watched. He revealed to John the scenes of Jesus opening the scroll sealed with seven seals. And Jesus’ world mission command came with the visions of Jesus in power – the power to save the righteous into his house and the power to judge wicked into the eternal hell fire.
The means to participate in his power is to go by all Jesus has taught us.
At the summer Bible conference we were taught the way of a disciple, that is, deny oneself, take up the cross, and then follow Jesus. Self denial has its own right purpose, at least as Jesus taught us, that is, to arrive at the place where Jesus wants us to go, that is, the resurrected life. Taking up the cross also has its purpose, that is, to look up to our Lord Jesus who died on a tree and rose again, so by faith in the Lord the ransom sacrifice, we can have sinful nature crucified, and rise above the world so we could participate in His glory. Following Jesus has its own purpose as well that is to arrive at the destination where Jesus wants us to be, that is, becoming a Christ-like person, worthy for the live in His kingdom, living the life that is with Him from eternity to eternity. Before suffering on a tree Jesus envisioned this vision, so he said to his disciples, “You will be where I am” or “I will go there to prepare a place for you.” Jesus also said in his Olivetti discourse that when he comes he will gather his elect from the four winds and from one end of the heavens to the other. Let us not forget that after giving the disciples the command to wait for the Holy Spirit coming, Jesus was taken up before their very eyes until the cloud hid him from their sight.
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. This passage describes the means for Jesus to be able to share His power (wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and praise) with his children, that is, His disciples. Disciples are learners. It is the disciples that come to have access to His power, not some of the powers but all powers. Simon Peter had access to this power. We too have access to the same power – the power to heal, the power to give life to the dying, the power that insulates a believer from the gates of Hades, the power to either open or shut the doors to God’s kingdom. This concept (that is it is the disciples alone who can have access to this power) can easily be understood when we think about the meaning of a disciple, that is, a learner. We learn of Jesus, learning everything from the Lord. Have you ever seen anyone who does not have a learning mind? That person cannot attain to any level on any venture of any degree of any nobility. Sooner than later I would like to sit for the license as a certified electrician. But in order to become an electrician I must learn. I must study for the exam. Without learning, how can I be certified? The California State Government is not going to issue a certificate to anyone who does not know a thing about electricity. The same goes true with Jesus. Folks! There are so many things to learn. But of all the things or persons from whom to learn, we must first learn of the Lord Jesus Christ. From a master electrician you can learn electricity. From a physics professor you can learn physics. From a mathematician you can learn math. But from our Lord Jesus the King of kings, the Lord of lords, you can learn the way to become as ‘powerful’ as our Lord Jesus is. Listen to this: our Lord Jesus is the greatest person of all that are great. He is the author of all that are great. He is the ruler of all rulers. He is the one who holds all rulers in his palm. So by all means we must learn of Jesus Christ. Practically then how can we be the best student in the class where the subject of study is our Lord Jesus? We find the answer to this question in the little word “baptizing”. Yes! Baptism! That is the way to go. What is baptism? Baptism is simply this: full commitment, that is, the commitment to let go of the world and you, and learn of Jesus and do His will, following His example, with the desire to be like him and do like him. This commitment is not however based on one’s will power, wits, or wisdom, but on God’s power, so Jesus added the phrase, “in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” You cannot fly as in an airplane without the airplane riding on the air. Just like an airplane cannot go up in the air and fly to the destination without working with the physics of the air, such as aerodynamics, so also on his own he cannot get into the perfected power of our Lord Jesus. It is only through the name (which represents the person represented by the name) of the Father God Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit that one can excel in handling the power that has been all accorded to Jesus Christ. The Father is the origin, Jesus the facilitator, and the Holy Spirit is the enabler. God is the giver. Jesus opened the way to build the bridge between God and a believer, and the Holy Spirit causes things to happen. Remember: the Holy Spirit takes an order from Jesus and makes things happen. He is the worker. He is the one who makes things happen. In day to day life then it is very important to live by faith in God the Father, walk in the Lord, and live in steps with the Spirit of God. Then God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit empower us to learn of Jesus, bearing the kind of fruit he has in mind.
By the same token, the reason people lose power and go powerless is because they do not go by what Jesus commanded all to go by. This point can better be understood by considering what will happen when we do not go by what Jesus says. Suppose for example you want to follow Jesus by not denying yourself but still holding onto your old self. What will happen? You are full of yourself. You insist on your own wits and wisdom. You go by your own old habits and ideas. What will happen to you? Very naturally and for sure, as the Apostle Paul says, “You will go from bad to worse.” Then, as Jesus said, “You will die in your sins.” Suppose you denied yourself and yet you did not have your sinful nature crucified to the cross. You want to follow Jesus according to your old passions and worldly desires still dictating you. What will happen to you? You will never be able to experience God’s power. You will never taste the joy of salvation. In the same way, when you try to follow Jesus and learn of him with your will power, rather than God’s power, sooner than later you will burn out. You will be like a battery which has run out. When the battery goes out, what will happen to a car? It won’t start, period. Likewise, as you have no power, or even no motive to get up and follow Jesus, you will end up not showing up at the place where Jesus wants you to be.
Read the key verse again. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Like the King James Version, the New Defenders Study Bible by Dr. Henry Morris reads, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” What does ‘all’ mean? All means all. The power Jesus speaks of embraces all powers. Examples include: The power to cause man to come back to life; the power to empower man to function in full force; the power to love, to show mercy, to make all ventures such as marriage, business, money management, raising children, academic pursuit, and so forth; the power to heal the sick, the power to change circumstances etc. [Of course the power includes the power to judge, the power to harm, the power to destroy, and the power to punish, as is seen in the book of Revelation.]
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. Most of the people in the whole world remain powerless. So all who do not know Jesus in person or more precisely all who do not learn of Jesus will sooner than later go from bad to worse, and then collapse. They will be subjected to the power of sin and Satan. They will go down to a bottomless pit. But the opposite is true of those who learn of Jesus. God does not want his children to go powerless. He wants them to be powerful as powerful as He is. Do not ignore the significance of power. It has been said, “God is love”, and the only motive God created the world is love, and love wants to give the highest good to the one whom he chooses to love. God loves the world so much that he gave His one and only Son Jesus. And as of now, Jesus is risen: he is the Resurrected Lord. And God gave all power to Jesus Christ. Therefore He wants us to teach everyone all Jesus taught us, that through learning of Jesus, all that are rendered powerless would become fully equipped with the power of God – the power that overcomes the world, the power that overcomes the power of sin and death. One word: therefore go!
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