Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach

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COMMENTS

When most people think of “Mission Field (s),” the likely first thought is someone struggling to share the Gospel in a faraway third-world country. While this can be true, it is also true that, for most of us, our ministry, our mission field is right outside the door of our church and home. When we look at the words of Jesus:

18 Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
19 Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).

The Amplified Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987), Mt 28:18–20.

we can see three clear things from this text.

• Go make disciples (v.19). This is the command to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth. There are no pew potatoes here. Those physically and mentally capable are commanded to share the gospel.
• Teaching them to observe…(v.20). What is the Gospel we are to share? Only that which Christ Himself shared. Not something made by man (think of how Jesus chastened the Pharisees), but only the Word of God, uncompromised.
• All authority (v.18). This is how we will accomplish this. If we think we can do anything on our own, forget about it. Remember how well we did without Christ? Truly, only Christ can make disciples; he just uses us as His instrument.

COMMENTARY

28:18 All power. Fullness of authority, which Christ had already demonstrated in His teaching, miracles, forgiveness of sin, and casting out of demons (7:29; 8:8–9; 9:6–8; 10:1). given unto me. As the Son of God, Christ has always shared the same divine omnipotence as the Father to rule over creation (8:26–27; 11:27; John 1:1–3). However as Mediator, having faithfully obeyed the Father to the death, Christ entered into a new state of exaltation upon His resurrection from the dead (Phil. 2:8–9). The glorified God-man received authority over all earthly and heavenly beings (Ps. 110:1–4; Dan. 7:13–14, 27) in order to apply salvation to the elect from every nation (Ps. 2:7–12; John 17:1–2).

28:19 Go ye therefore. The disciples’ mission in the world rests on Jesus’ authority as Lord of all (v. 18). teach. Or make disciples. all nations. The era in which God focuses His work upon physical Israel has ended (10:5–6; 15:24; 21:43), and the promise to Abraham is now being fulfilled through the Son of Abraham (1:1; Gen. 12:3; 22:18). baptizing. A sign and seal of the cleansing power of Christ’s blood and Spirit for those who repent of sin and trust in Him (3:1–11; Acts 2:38). Ghost. Spirit. Like Jesus’ own baptism (3:16–17), the trinitarian baptism of Christians signifies that the nature of the one and only God (singular name) belongs to three distinct persons who are related to each other as Father, Son, and Spirit, one of the clearest pronouncements of the Trinity in the Bible (2 Cor. 13:14).

28:20 Teaching. Instructing (a different Greek word than in v. 19). There is no baptizing without teaching, for the signs are grounded in the Word. observe. Keep, obey God’s laws (19:17). Salvation does not release Christians from obedience, but frees them from sin (1:21) to obey all of Christ’s commands. with you alway. Though the church’s call to obey Christ’s Word and to evangelize the world seems impossible, the promise of “Emmanuel” stands: God is with us in Christ (1:23; 18:20). By His Word and Spirit He will remain with believers, and empower them to fulfill all their calling. unto the end of the world. Christ’s spiritual presence with the church militant will be replaced by His visible presence with the church triumphant when He returns in glory (13:39–43, 49; 24:3, 14).

Joel R. Beeke, Michael P. V. Barrett, and Gerald M. Bilkes, eds., The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2014), 1410.

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DEVOTIONAL

Weekend Devotional: The gospel for Colombian guerrillas

Neither drugs nor civil war can stop the spread of the gospel in Colombia.

Juan and his wife, Maria, are missionaries among an indigenous people in an area of Colombia controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist guerrilla group. Many Colombian pastors and missionaries have faced opposition from the FARC and have fled the area. When Juan met with a group of 50 FARC guerrillas, however, 20 of them came to faith in Christ. As he says, “We exchange pistols for epistles.”

Soon a paramilitary group began attacking Christian churches in the region. More than 20 churches were shut down. Many pastors fled for their lives. Guerrillas often come and demand all the tithes and offerings or else they will take the pastor’s life. Now Juan is the only pastor left in the area.

Still, Juan and his wife made a decision to stay and continue ministering to the people. They say, “If we are to die because we preach the Word of God, we would rather die than leave the church.”

Juan does not condemn those who have left, nor does he talk about the difficulties he and his family have faced. He prefers to share what God is doing and his burden for ministry. His mind is preoccupied not with the danger around him, but with reaching Colombia’s people for Christ.

In Matthew 11:30, Jesus describes an image of a pack animal burdened with a load. The animal does not struggle against the weight of the burden, however, for it is hardly heavy at all. Being burdened with the gospel is not the same as being weighed down with earthly concerns. The burden of the gospel simply means an awareness of others’ spiritual needs. Juan has a “burden,” but his burden is light.

Following Christ’s example, we must be burdened for lost people. This load is light because we are always giving it away. We are not supposed to keep the Good News to ourselves. Have you been rejected when you share Christ? Perhaps you have considered giving in to the opposition. Let Jesus’ burden for the lost motivate you to persevere in sharing the gospel.

Front-line workers like Juan and Maria are advancing God’s kingdom in more than 70 nations where following Jesus can bring persecution. You can partner in prayer with front-line workers today.

Pray for Them

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SERMON

The Missionary’s Charge and Charta

A SERMON
DELIVERED ON SUNDAY MORNING, APRIL 21, 1861
BY REV. C. H. SPURGEON
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth;
go ye, therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Matthew 28:18-19