I would like to take a few minutes to talk to you about one of the most fundamental instructions to the New Testament church. I am referring to the set of commands given by Jesus Himself that has come to be know as “The Great Commission.”
Turn over to Matthew 28:18-20 KJV and lets look at these instructions, “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.”
When the early church followed these simple instructions, it resulted in such radical, life-changing things taking place that finally even worldly people referred to Christians as “these that have turned the world upside down!”
Wow!
That is an amazing statement and one that, in many cases, does not seem to apply as accurately to the church today. Why?
I believe that a thorough examination of “the great commission” will reveal a couple of areas that we have let slip. As we progress further into these last days, it is imperative that we stir ourselves up in these areas – time is short!
First of all, let us compare these set of commands from the Master in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
“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 28:18-20 KJV
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” – Mark 16:15-18 KJV
“And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” – Luke 24:46-49 KJV
I want to draw your attention to the fact that the Great Commission actually contains 4 elements:
- Preaching and teaching
- All nations/peoples
- The Name
- Power/Spirit/Anointing
The Church has, for the most part, centered up on preaching the gospel to everybody that will listen – and that is a good thing! It is an incomplete understanding however that gets incomplete results! When you put all the pieces together, you get the whole picture — and change the world!
The Name
There are 3 ways to acquire a great name:
- You can acquire a great name through inheritance (Hebrews 1:1-4 KJV)
- A great name can be conferred upon you (Philippians 2:6-11)
- You can achieve a great name through mighty conquest (Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14)
Our Jesus got His name all three ways, bless God! This is one reason His Name is above EVERY name that is named. This is also why Jesus was very specific about the necessity of using the power and authority of His name to accomplish the great commission.
Jesus said, “All power in heaven and earth is given unto me” now YOU go in my name and do these exploits!
E.W. Kenyon, in his book “The Wonderful Name of Jesus,” states the magnitude of what we have been given so very well.
“The measure of Jesus’ ability is the measure of the value of that Name, and all that is invested in that Name belongs to us, for Jesus gave us the unqualified use of His Name.
So the possibilities enfolded in that Name are beyond our understanding, and when He says to the Church, ‘Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My Name,’ He is giving us a signed check on the resources of heaven and asking us to fill it in.
This promise is the most staggering statement that perhaps ever fell from the lips of the Man of Galilee – that we are to have the use of His name, that Name of Omnipotence.”
I encourage you to go back into our broadcast archives on our YouTube channel and study the 3 part series on “Faith in the Name” in April/May of 2020 and stir yourself upon the power and authority of the Name of Jesus!
Next month, we are going to go into the fourth part of the Great Commission that has been greatly overlook and you are going to be so glad! We are going to “go widescreen” on some things and it is going to be magnifical!