The Great Commission by Russell A. Jones

Excerpt from Central Thoughts on the Church in the 21st Century: Essays from the Faculty of Central Baptist Theological Seminary
by Thomas E. Clifton, editor

The Greatest Promise

“I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus has promised in the person of the Holy Spirit to be with us, sustain us, guide us, and direct us, come what may--until the task is finished--even to the end of the age. We are to go into all the world with all the gospel, all the times, in all the power of God, and God will be with us all the way.

Every person who knows Jesus Christ as Savior and acknowledges him as Lord should be a soul winner. It is this promise of Jesus, to be with us, that makes winning souls a reality. Every believer should bear witness to the saving power of Jesus Christ and urge men and women to trust him for their salvation.

No believer should selfishly rest in the spiritual light of the son of righteousness, oblivious to the spiritual needs of others. All believers should put forth some concerted and prayerful effort to reach out to the unreached. Those who name the name of Jesus Christ and claim him as Lord have been given a possession too wonderful and valuable to keep to themselves. Through this precious promise from the Lord to always be with them, they have the power to be what they never thought they could be, do what they never thought they could do, and say what they never thought they could say. The only way this precious promise can ever be fully realized is by the repeated efforts to bring others into the joy of the same salvation.

I think Posterski was right on target when he referred to the followers of Christ as privileged people. He put it this way:

The followers of Jesus are privileged people. Our life in Christ not only launches us on a journey toward wholeness, our experiences in life fit with God’s original design for His creation. Engaging the modern world around us with a credible gospel offers us another privilege. We have the delight of working with God to invite the people who, through our lives, join the journey too.

This engagement is what Barna calls the “bridge” we are to build between our love for God and our love for God’s people. As the Holy Spirit works in and through our lives and we share the good news of Christ, God can complete the transformation of a person for God’s purposes and glory. This is evangelism in the fullest sense of the word. There is no way around the Great Commission for the Christian--it is imperative.

Thomas Clifton is the editor of "Central Thoughts", published by Smyth & Helwys Publishing. To order, go to the online bookpage or call 1-800-747-3016.