Our Duty, Mission, And Passion: The Great Commission

The Main Purpose For Which FaithByTheWord Exists

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 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: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:16-20

Our Duty, Mission, And Passion In Life At FaithByTheWord

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus gave us a commandment—an assignment really—but many Christians are half-hearted about completing the task. Christ told His followers to share the good news about salvation and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey His commands. Some believers dedicate themselves to this work, but others are either too busy or too timid to commit in this way. 

The scope of this assignment is global—to all nations. But that doesn’t mean everyone should move to another country. Some believers are called by God to go far from home, but others are called to minister right where they are. The mission field is all around us—in our homes, workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods. 

As Christ’s followers, we have the Holy Spirit residing within us, which means we have His power to fulfill The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). We can’t save anyone, but it’s our responsibility to tell people about the God who can. How will they believe unless they hear (Romans 10:14)? This is what we do at FaithByTheWord Ministries! Believers bear the responsibility of carrying the message of redemption to the lost. We are saved to save others.

We are our brother’s keeper with a high calling from God

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
Acts 20:26-27

When Cain killed his brother and lied to cover up the murder, God told him that Abel’s blood cried out to Him from the ground; it demanded justice.

God clearly answered Cain’s question; we are our brother’s keeper. Centuries later, He emphasized this point to Ezekiel when He sent the prophet to the wayward nation of Israel. The Lord cautioned Ezekiel that if he failed to sound the warning to save the life of the wicked, and they died in their sin, their blood would be required at Ezekiel’s hand (Ezekiel 3:18).

The righteous carry the responsibility to witness to the lost. If we fail to do so and souls are banished to hell, God will hold us responsible. Their blood will be on our hands.

When Paul spoke to the elders at Ephesus for the final time, he declared that he was “innocent of the blood of all men.” He had preached the Gospel fully, fervently, and without apology. The unsaved could not lay it to his charge.

We have a high calling, a holy accountability. Our hands are not free from the blood of the lost until we have done everything we can to win those souls to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

May you walk in the urgency of these last days and take every opportunity to declare the Good News of Jesus to the lost.

We are the instruments of salvation to whom God has entrusted this task

Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
Daniel 12:3

We are the instruments of salvation – not God or angels, but humans. We are the ambassadors that God has chosen to carry the treasure of the Gospel to the lost.

Jesus commissioned us to go into all the world and preach His Gospel, to teach unbelievers to observe all the things that He commanded. It is our responsibility, but He did not abandon us to the task. He will be with us to the end of time.

Proverbs 11:30 tells us that a person who wins souls is wise, and Daniel assures us that the wise shall shine as brightly as the sun’s brilliance. Those who turn the sinner to righteousness will glitter like stars forever.

James, the brother of Jesus, caught His vision. He encouraged believers to go after those who strayed from the faith, to refuse to let them go! For every person that we bring to God, we save a wandering soul from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins (James 5:20).

We are to do our absolute utmost to introduce those outside of the Kingdom to the love of Christ. We are the ones to whom He entrusted this task. When we win souls, we will shine like the stars.

May you boldly carry the message of salvation through the blood of Jesus into all the world. May many turn to righteousness as you shine like the Son!

We must not become discouraged because there will always be some people who reject Jesus as their Savior

The decision to accept or reject Jesus as Savior is the ultimate life decision. Why do many people choose to reject Jesus as Savior? There are perhaps as many different reasons for rejecting Christ as there are people who reject Him, but the following four reasons can serve as general categories:

1) Some people do not think they need a savior. These people consider themselves to be “basically good” and do not realize that they, like all people, are sinners who cannot come to God on their own terms. But Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Those who reject Christ will not be able to stand before God and successfully plead their own case on their own merits.

2) The fear of social rejection or persecution deters some people from receiving Christ as Savior. The unbelievers in John 12:42-43 would not confess Christ because they were more concerned with their status among their peers than doing God’s will. These were the Pharisees whose love of position and the esteem of others blinded them, “for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

3) For some people, the things that the present world has to offer are more appealing than eternal things. We read the story of such a man in Matthew 19:16-23. This man was not willing to lose his earthly possessions in order to gain an eternal relationship with Jesus (see also 2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

4) Many people are simply resisting the Holy Spirit’s attempts to draw them to faith in Christ. Stephen, a leader in the early church, told those who were about to murder him, “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!” (Acts 7:51). The apostle Paul made a similar statement to a group of gospel rejecters in Acts 28:23-27.

Whatever the reasons why people reject Jesus Christ, their rejection has disastrous eternal consequences. “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” than the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12), and those who reject Him, for whatever reason, face an eternity in the “outer darkness” of hell where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30).

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