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Thoughts on the Great Commission

The Challenge

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

These words were stated by a young man with a passion. Jim Elliott, and four of his friends, had a passion to reach the Auca tribe in the jungles of Ecuador -- one of the most savage tribes on earth. The name Auca itself means "savage," and is what the neighboring tribes used to call this people. Everyone who had tried to enter Auca territory was brutally killed!

But Jesus didn't tell us to have low ambitions. Our safety was not His main concern. He simply commanded us to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations (meaning people groups). That necessarily included the Aucas, and Elliott and his friends knew it could cost them everything.

Over a period of months, the group made air approaches to the Auca territory. They made communication with the group and lowered gifts in baskets to them. After a while, it seemed like they had won the trust of the Aucas. So they finally touched down on the sandy banks of the Curaray River.

It turns out that for Elliot and his crew, his words were more than hypothetical. Instead of coming toward the group with curiosity, the Aucas came with spears, and all five were murdered on the beach.

The men gave what they could not keep forever anyway -- their earthly lives.

What You Cannot Lose

But what can one possibly gain that cannot be lost? Our main clue is found in 1 Corinthians 3.

We are told that if our work stands up, we receive a reward. We can't at this point know with 100% certainty what this reward is, but here are some points to keep in mind:

1. This passage is clearly talking about an eternal reward. Once you "win" this reward, nothing can ever possibly take it from you! Jesus emphasizes this in His Sermon on the Mount:

   Don't lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

   Note also that Jesus calls this reward a treasure.

2. We know that God is a God who loves to give good gifts to His children.

   Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart; not grudgingly, or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

   Certainly, this applies to us today, but how much more would it be true in eternity, when we are with Him face to face?

   Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow. (James 1:17)

   Again, if God wants to give us good gifts now, how much better will be our future rewards for faithfuly serving Him?

3. This reward is not merely salvation, admittance to heaven. Everyone who has sincerely asked Jesus to forgive their sins is going to heaven. And, our 1 Corinthians passage specifically says that one who failes to "win" this reward will still be saved, but just barely. (Note that this passage is not talking about universal salvation. It is describing the "judgement seat of Christ," where all those who are saved will have their works tested. Those who are not saved will not be involved in this "judgement" at all!)

4. Revelation gives us some more clues:

   To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of my God. (Revelation 2:7b)
   
   
   To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows but he who receives it. (Revelation 2:17b)
   
   
   He who overcomes, and he who keeps my works to the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots; as I also have received of my Father: and I will give him the morning star. (Revelation 2:26-28)
   
   
   He who overcomes will be arrayed in white garments, and I will in no way blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revalation 3:5)
   
   
   He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will go out from there no more. I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my own new name. (Revelation 3:12)
   
   
   He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:21)

So, it appears as though this reward will come in several forms!

People Matter

We've established that we will receive an eternal reward for faithfully obeying Christ. But what other motivations might we have?

The other main motivation is that our fellow human beings are eternal creatures. Nowhere in the Bible does it ever talk about a creature with a soul and spirit being annihilated. Every single one of them -- God, angels, demons, and humans -- will exist forever. There is no way around it. When a person's body dies, his or her soul and spirit passes on to its final destination.

That destination is for each person to decide. However, in most cases, people need someone to show them the way. Since God usually uses natural means to accomplish His purposes, our obedience to Him is generally what He uses to get His truth to the right ears.

And it is quite serious.

Jesus gave us more information about this lake of fire:

Think about your family. Your friends. Your neighbors. The people you chat with on the Internet. Your customers. Your boss. The people of an unreached tribe in the Amazon basin. Do you want these people to be thrown into the lake of fire?

God sure doesn't!

There are many verses in the Bible that talk about God's passion for humanity. If it is important to Him, it should be important to us! And it will be very important for those who, because of your testimony, choose life and avoid the lake of fire!

But how? What's my call?

Good question. God certainly expects us to use what He gave us wisely. Jesus spoke about our accounting at the end of the age this way:

Since the Great Commission is the single most important mandate in this history of the world, can you think of a wiser area in which to invest what He gave you? As the parable shows, it really doesn't matter how much He gave you. You know He gave you something.

Paul gives us some hints as to our "talents" that can be used both in fulfilling the Great Commission, as well as in the everyday life of the church:

These are all spiritual gifts, but He has also given us practical gifts. What can you do well? You'll be surprised how it could be used for God!

1. If you are a teacher, you can teach either in a Christian school at home, or in a missionary kid school overseas. You will be mostly serving Christian children, but imparting Godly values upon them is a very important part of the Great Commission. Teachers can also be on the front lines of missions. Public school teachers at home, even if they can't speak about Christ in class, can live the life and wait for students to ask them about it. There is also a huge demand for English teachers in places like China and Latin America. What a great opportunity to witness!

2. If you're good with computers, you could be useful across the board in missions agencies, which need computer systems to run efficiently just as much as any business or government. If you are a high-level computer science guru, check out Wycliffe Bible Translators, which is involved in some incredible computing technology. They need computer programs to be able to render fonts to present the Gospel in written form in languages you've never heard of! There are plenty of other opportunities to use high level computer, electronics, and communications technology skills in the Great Commission.

3. If you can pilot an airplane, Mission Aviation Fellowship would like to talk to you. You could help serve inhabitants of hard-to-reach areas by running medical evacuations, taking kids to Christian camps, and delivering supplies and Gospel literature.

4. If you're a doctor or nurse, there's no shortage of opportunities. You may wish to check out HCJB World Radio's hospitals in Ecuador or Mercy Ships.

5. If you're an engineer, get creative! You'd never think that a hydroelectric power plant could be used in the Great Commission, but HCJB World Radio has three of them in Ecuador to power their shortwave antenna farm, which sends the Gospel all around the Americas. Surely many other great uses for engineering talent are just waiting to be discovered!

6. If you're a musician, write and/or sing songs that encourage unbelievers to consider Christ.

7. Nearly every mission organization needs accountants! Some also need lawyers.

8. If you want to be in missions and don't have a clue where God wants you, why not start with Youth with a Mission Discipleship Training School (if you're under 35) or Crossroads DTS (over 35)? That will give you a great opportunity to spend a few months learning more of God's truth and some practical outreach experience.

9. Last, but far from least, you may be called to simply stay at home and have a secular job. This is important for two enormous reasons: 1) God needs people to be His salt and light (witnesses) in secular workplaces, and 2) missions work needs to be paid for! People in full time missions work are not normally producing anything for the earthly economy and therefore will not be paid by normal means. He needs people who have regular incomes in order to pay for spreading the Gospel!

These should only get you started.

Above All: Love Each Other

If we Christians don't love each other, the world will have no reason to believe our testimony.

To have any success in the Great Commission, this is beyond essential. Other verses give us some more practical advice in this area: