Who really benefits from the world Christian movement? Well, of course the unreached and the unsaved do!
They get the chance to hear the ‘good news’, respond, and experience the fulfillment to their spiritual search both as a ‘people’ and as a person! But have you ever wondered why God entrusted the Great Commission to His people? Why not to angels? He had used angels in the past to communicate the ‘good news’, and with good effect (Lk 2:8-14), and will use angels again in the future (Rev 14:6).
But, in ‘this age,’ in his infinite wisdom, God has chosen to use us! Why? Well, the answer is really quite simple – angels don’t need perfecting – we do! You see, the Great Commission is like a doubled-edged sword! Not only do the unreached benefit – so do the reached! The unreached get reached and the reached get perfected!
We could very easily refer to the Great Commission as the gift of the Great Commission. It is God’s gift to the Church – it provides a pathway upon which we can travel to become all that God intended us to become! There is nothing as powerful as involvement in the world Christian movement that provides us with the means to mature! It is as we embrace the Great Commission as a ‘commission’ to be obeyed not a ‘suggestion’ to be discussed or considered, that the wheels of our transformation begin to turn! From a self – centered, ‘what’s in it for me’ person, to a selfless, bond – servant of Christ! Our journey into Christlikeness and the true joy of being a follower of Jesus begins in earnest!
When Jesus taught on purpose, life and what it means to be His true follower, He frequently would include direct references to the Great Commission. For example, in Mark 8:34-35, it says, ‘Then he called his disciples and the crowds to come over and listen, “If any of you wants to be my follower,” he told them, “you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life.”’(NLT)
Note that Jesus was addressing the ‘crowds’ not just his chosen apostles! He said, “if any of you wants to be my follower…”. This message was for every believer!
The Great Commission is a double-edged sword in the hands of the risen Christ! He wields it to save the unsaved, to reach the nations, to take from them a people for his name. He also wields it to transform the people that bear his name.
It is very probable that the ‘end of the age’ will see the convergence of two key divine agendas – the maturing of the Church (Eph 4:13) and the discipling of all the nations (Mt 24:14). How great is our God, how marvelous are His works and how mysterious are His ways, but “God has revealed it to us by his Spirit” (1Co 2:10)!
Little wonder that the ministry of the Prophet adds to provide the foundation upon which the Church is built (Eph 2:20)! A true Prophet/Mobilizer carries out his/her ministry with this deep understanding that mobilization is not only about reducing the number of unreached peoples or seeing more people saved. It is equally about maturing the Church and preparing the Bride for eternal ages (Eph 5:27, Rev 19:7).
Mobilization is not just a good idea – a necessary evil or a ‘patch’ because ‘not all has gone according to plan’! Mobilization has been part of God’s master plan from the beginning – it has been in both Old and New Testaments and will be until Jesus returns!
