Challenge of the Great Commission
Rev. Michael Moore, St. James Missionary Baptist Church
Friday, April 24, 2009
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, Amen.
— Matthew 28:19-20
Thought: With much of the world unevangelized, and people passing into eternity every minute, it is time the church of Jesus Christ rediscovered the importance and insistence of the Master’s words. He says to you and me today:
Go ye with My power. “all power is given unto Me.” Think of it, all the powers of heaven and earth and hell are under the authority of feeblest Christian who is yielded to the Lordship of Christ. To be under the authority of the risen Christ is to be brought into all the good of that authority. None of us knows the full significance of this fact. If we did, we would be witnessing greater happening.
John 14:12 says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
Go ye with My program. “Make disciples of all, nations baptizing them….teaching them to observe all things.” How complicated and intricate we have made the program of our Lord! We have so cluttered it up with ancient accretions and traditions and modern gimmicks and organizations, that we have lost the strong and pure simplicity, which Jesus outlined for his disciples. Our task is simply to evangelize people for Christ, and then enlist them into the ranks of the church, and following this, to edify them into mature Christian men and women. It is only for this program that the Lord Jesus promised his power and authority.
Go ye with My presence. “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” The Apostle Paul put it another way when he said, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
What does it matter if men of movements do not acknowledge our works? So long as we are fulfilling the Great Commission in the power of the Holy Spirit we have nothing to fear. What we begin in him, he promises to finish even after we have passed on. Let us rally under the banner of our mighty captain and go.
Thrust: If we would enjoy the “Lo” of his presence, we must fulfill the “Go” of his program.
• “Sunday Sermon” is a forum for Emporia area ministers to share their sermons, thoughts and observations. This week’s sermon is from the Rev. Michael Moore, pastor of St. James Missionary Baptist Church.