The Great Commission Is Not a Suggestion - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - Sep. 13, 2015

The whole world needs Jesus.

Jesus said this very clearly over and over, but in Matthew 28:18-20 he gave us the Great Commission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (NIV).

What is our assignment? It is “Go.” This is not a suggestion! It’s not optional. If you are a child of God, God expects you to go.

What’s the task? Go and make disciples. A disciple is someone who does the five things we were put on Earth to do: know and love God, grow to spiritual maturity, serve God with your shape through ministry, share the Good News, and worship God with all your heart.

What’s our authority? It’s not some government or the CIA. It’s Jesus.

What is our responsibility? Are we supposed to go and make disciples of some nations? No. All nations. Does that include Syria? Yes. Does that include North Korea? Yes. Does that include Iran? Yes. There is no nation that is off-limits.

What does it mean for you? If the whole world needs Jesus, then you must share the Good News. To keep it a secret would be criminal. If you knew the cure for Alzheimer’s or AIDS or cancer and you didn’t share it, that would be criminal. But we have something even better than a cure for disease. We know the cure for the human heart and the deepest needs of mankind. They need a Savior. They need forgiveness. They need their past forgiven, a purpose for living, and a home in Heaven. We cannot hold it back. We have to share it.

John 3:17 says, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

I want to be like Jesus. I want you to be like Jesus. We need to stop judging the world and being so critical. Let’s just get busy sharing the Good News.

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Talk It Over

• If God has not called you to move to another country and share the Gospel, what else can you do to support his mission around the world?
• How do you think your neighbors and co-workers would feel if they knew you had the secret to eternal life and didn’t share it with them?
• What part of the Great Commission gives you the courage you need when you are scared or nervous to share the Gospel?