The Great Commission

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 28:18-20
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Note that Jesus did not see "teach people to ask me into their heart” or even "tell people to believe that I died for their sins.”

He said to "make disciples,” "baptize them,” and "teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Why is this not done (for the most part) today? I would submit it is because most folks do not know what it means (or what Jesus meant) to be a disciple so they just tell people to "believe in Jesus.”

What do you all think?

I agree Todd. We have made this thing about confessions and prayers, all for the sake of keeping us out of Hell and sending us to Heaven. All along, it has been about laying down our lives to receive His and following Him as a disciple.

Hi Todd: A very oversimplified answer.

I see the recipe for non-evangelism consists of these things.

Our culture is growing more and more aggressive to dissenting opinions, there is a lack of public decorum and a real lack of internet decorum. So when controversial issues are brought forth, the response is an attack or disinterest or disdain toward that opinion.
Stir in briskly a mixture of cowardice and fear, here the Christian knows he may be attacked or reproved for sharing his faith to friends, strangers of work-mates. At best he/she is considered 'odd' and now instead of friendliness there is a coldness.
To solidify this mixture you sit under preaching that has no evangelistic zeal, it resists giving any urgency to congregational street preaching, confrontation, theological confrontations, conflicts in cultural trends. The idea is to continually make Christianity to be all about self, what can do to improve self, marriage, kids, finances, jobs, friends, morals, disciplines. It's all inward focused.

combine all of these in various proportions and you will get a quick-set cement that kills zeal, quenches passion, questions sacrifice, repels overmuch righteous thinking or living.

All of this is for one great purpose, to end zealous passionate evangelism. The best Christian Churches have no prophets to correct, no evangelists to make the urgent calls to repent, no sold-out Pastors expecting their congregation to minister everywhere, anytime with only what they have.

It's not just about a deficient gospel, its a deficient pulpit, a deficient holiness in the congregation, a poverty of spirit devoid of any desire for the salvation of the lost.
Remember what we've all been saying in here...No evangelistic service on Wednesday, no intercessory prayer for the lost, no interest in ministering to your neighbor or stranger at the mall, no bible studies focused upon going from pew to a neighbors porch.

Young churches are all about babies, kids, doctrine, friends, potlucks, movies together, beer nights, bowling, superbowls, baseball at the park, hobbies, date nights, kids birthdays, girls night out, mens retreats to go to a place where you will not need a bible.

Any of this sound familiar?

I consider this recipe a workable and obtains observable results that can be measured...Satan himself is the Chef and his princes see to it the ingredients are apportioned to every congregation in our country.

Brother Marvin,

If I can ask, are you a member of a local congregation anywhere that you attend regularly?

Brother, I am in total agreement. Jesus never say, "Say this prayer and you will go to heaven when you die." He said, "Come and follow me AND heaven will dwell in you!"

Between us being born again and when we die (going to heaven), we are to be disciples, following Him, becoming the image of the God we were created to be. Jesus said make the inside of the cup clean FIRST and then the outside will come clean. Sadly, religious folk don't wait on the Holy Spirit to make the outside clean!!

Christians were not created to just sit on a pew every Wed and Sunday nights and Sunday mornings and never become the image of God.

But that's just me and my opinion!
God bless,
Lisa

Hi Brother David: I am in a local congregation now, but...my wife and I painfully decided last week to look for another fellowship. So, I am in an interim stage, but the norm is locked into a fellowship, serve, give and become involved wherever I am sent of the Lord. I personally hate moving to another fellowship, but it seems this is exactly what I need to do.

I just was hoping you had not opted put on the church and belonging to a local congregation.

I'm of the growing opinion also that as much as one can easily find wrong in almost any church there is a lot going on that is good in the church at large. We can easily fall into the danger of seeing our brothers and sisters and local congregations after the flesh and not after the Spirit. If we see the church cup as half empty it also can be seen as half full and growing fuller. One brand of criticism in my opinion cannot fit all American churches everywhere. I'm not trying to accuse but just speaking of the way I am coming to see it. Church bashing is in vogue in so many quarters it seems. But does it truly represent the way the Lord sees His elect and beloved church.

We have a large tent up and functioning in our church parking lot this week. 16 area churches are participating in Revive Minnesota for seven days. Prayer meetings are in the morning and street EVANGELISM is taking place all day with an emphasis on follow up DISCIPLESHIP. There is a mobile baptismal in the parking lot and several baptisms are taking place every day. I saw some today. Many have responded to Christ on the street and in the neighborhoods as evangelistic teams spill out of the tent and part of the group stays behind and prays in the tent while they are out witnessing. Folks from the 16 different churches meet together each night to worship together and listen to evangelistic geared teaching. This group Revive Minnesota are young and middle aged and aged and very committed and energetic and anointed. And they have several revival week meetings going on in other states right now also. There were probably close to 200 in attendance at the meeting under the tent tonight. Native Americans were there tonight and they ywere asked to come forward as a group (it was large) and apologies and repentance were spoken to them for what our ancestors did to them. They extended their hearts back and an on behalf of the group one of their leaders voiced forgiveness to all and any. We are going to go on until Wednesday. A lady was picked up 70 miles from here and actually said she had walked from Fla. The person who picked her up asked here if she wanted to go to a revival service and she said yes and came along and got saved. The speaker was speaking last night and a man rode by on the sidewalk bordering the church and he without thinking said over the microphone, "Why don't you come in?" To his amazement the man parked his bicycle and came in and ended up giving his life to the Lord. And it's not a repent free gospel they are sharing. And they are teaching how to witness and taking names of people who want someone to follow up and come and disciple them in the word and the ways of the Lord. I'm sure there are multitudes of groups like this bunch who are committed to revival which is taking place no matter what folks maty say. The have emphasized not just getting people saved but making disciples. I don't see an extraordinary lack of fulfilling the Great Commission just like it is with follow up discipleship and all. If it's not being done in all places it doesn't mean it is not being done. Maybe some of us need to get out and get around a little bit. It's been eye opening, humbling and challenging to me. Is the church cup half empty or half full? It may be much more full than we realize because God is able. If all were see is warts and flaws (maybe just in our eyes) what about the good things present in most churches who have truly committed believers. God is big and wise enough to correct His church where it is needed.

I don't see a revival free America today. What we see going on if we want to look may not be all there is but if God is in it then it is destined to grow which I believe it will.

Brother David: What a great testimony.

I don't want folks to think I have a negative view on the Church because I listed off a recipe for evangelistic failures. In some cases Churches live in the a sleeping state, never awakening to the great commission, others hit and miss, other try in various ways to reach out and do so.

The experiences I have, we usually have a mixture of things.
Our Church is witnessing, sending out missionaries, supporting orphans, schools, evangelists, training up new leaders in our congregation and birthing new congregations with new pastors...all such glorious works of God through us.
Yet at other times, lethargic, lazy, worldly, fighting and sinning in numerous ways, couples breaking up, young folks committing fornication, others being deceived by foolish teachings.

I don't have a nameless group of people who have bulls-eyes painted on them, I do have brothers and sisters who like myself get side-tracked, miss it, wrong priorities, worldly, lacking in prayerfulness, lacking in zeal or love.

Jesus has not spewed me or my Church family out of his mouth, he has been gracious to continue patiently growing and sanctifying us in the midst of victory and failure.

I know my recipe for evangelistic failure is accurate and its evident in many places, but its not always going to work because the people God and God himself are working and moving.

Like yourself I've visited places that were all asleep and others all alive and full of zeal. I visited one this weekend that was a fuzzy seeker-sensitive model...It was no fit for me or my wife, but I do know there were believers' there seeking God and seeking to grow in him. While the cross, sin, the power of the Holy Spirit were minimally mentioned there was grace and forgiveness and love for Jesus openly expressed.