Committing A Crime of Commission

Are you committed - do any of us do the deep and important things conscientiously (by commission)? I'd like to think I'm that deliberate - but are ANY of us committed consistently?

Consistently committed to one's job, one's spouse, one's children or one's church - regardless of the object of our commitment, I have wondered... hat commits us to do so?

Words, for the most part - and they are mighty weighty things.

Is it any wonder that 21st century America is a VERY litigious society. What you say can get you in trouble! To not know this is like the two 1970's cast-offs coming up from under their rocks in the GEICO commercial, having a major epiphany.

But why? Why do words have weight? Well (that's a deep subject), its because our words define us and divide us... both warm us and warn us... follow us and foil us... and on anon (apologies, Shakespeare).

Take the enlisted man's oath into the United States Army:  

"I, (state your name), do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

Those words? Words that express our commitment to something larger than ourselves - a commitment.

Or take the words of Matthew, e.g. the Gospel According to Matthew:

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age." (Mat.28.18-20.esv)

Those words? Words that charge us to do something much more involved than we might initially understand - a commission.

Now this got me thinking (no, not the steaming cup of tea before me), the "Great Commission". You and I both know there's no proverbial "half-steppin'" or "knockin' it in neutral" regarding how we are to approach fulfilling the Lord's mandate.

Being consistently committed - either you're all the way in or outta the pool (bent, but floating, Baby Ruth's aside).

What is being emphasized in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 28, Verses 18-20? Hint: it's not what the words appear to be on the surface - throw it in low and plow deep, friend.

Obedience? Yep, no argument from me there. Action? Absolutely, the Gospel demands proof of our obedience. Faith? Jesus has the cred' for sho' (sorry, was that too ghetto?)

All true - but the chief take-away is DISCIPLESHIP - and all throughout Baptist-dom, brain synapses are exploding, arteries are hardening and little old ladies are shaking their canes and walkers at the sky. A crime has been committed (gasps: hide yo' wife, hide yo' kids)!

"But the Great Commission is about evangelizing the lost!" No, your LIFE should be about evangelizing those who do not yet know Him. Jesus isn't calling us to maintain the status quo through this edict - He's calling us to bump it up a few notches.

We, as committed, True Believers (apologies to Stan "the Man" Lee of Marvel Comics fame) need to consistently re-evaluate the Great Commission each-and-every morning. Why? So glad you asked.

If any have EVER had the privilege of leading someone to the Lord, we know it's AWESOME; but, first, the Spirit has to come upon them - and since we do not know when He (the Holy Spirit) chooses to come upon any/all... we're to be ready in-and-out-of-season to share the risen Christ.

"Okay, you've just explained evangelism - isn't that what we're to do to fulfill the Great Commission?" Someone's not listening.

What happens to the typical new True Believer - should someone lead him, through the Spirit's prompting, to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? Well, sadly, what TYPICALLY happens is whoever leads them to Christ, leaves them alone - either by going back home or going back over to their side of the church.

Discipleship is KEY to sustaining a godly witness, a Christian walk... and Jesus knew this.

He (Jesus) did not say, "Go therefore and lead the lost to a saving knowledge of Me, hoping that they'll be baptized and consistently be discipled by the church down the street..." No, but Christ does require us to "make disciples" - it infers a consistent commitment, a radical one in this day and age.

"You mean I gotta be a pastor to someone - isn't that a pastor's job?!" Ah... no sir, it's actually EVERYONE'S job to teach, mentor and disciple - not just the pastor's. And all of us should be doing so in-and-outside-of church, consistently.

Now, some will have a supernatural dose of these things - the Spiritual Gifts of Teaching, Pastor, Exhortation (not extortion), etc. - but ALL True Believers are expected to use whatever Spiritual Gifts they have been given to this end. Let's keep in mind that the character in which these Spiritual Gifts are to be rendered can be found in the Fruits of the Spirit (see Gal.5.22.esv).

Hey, here's a RADICAL idea - if the Lord has pressed it upon our hearts to lead someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ... then the Great Commission is (and must be) the next logical step - only when its being fulfilled, when we adhere to Christ's command and commit to making them DISCIPLES by consistently surrendering ourselves to be poured out into the lives of these new True Believers will GOD be honored through our individual lives. MMLIA