Matthew 28:19-20 in the NIV:
19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Understanding: Do you sometimes wonder why Christian missions’ efforts, operating under the umbrella of Matthew 28:19-20, do not have successes similar to those of the early church?
Deep Digging includes at least the following information.
- Christ is recorded as speaking the “Great Commission” to a very small group of believers, i.e., The Eleven, as in the eleven Apostles. This is proven by Matthew 28:16, “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. (“The Eleven,” as the group to whom Christ gave heavy-duty messages, is further corroborated by Acts 1:2.) Moreover, the Great Commission:
- was not given to the “seventy-two” found in Luke 10:1-17
- was not given to the “one hundred & twenty” of Acts 1:15
- was not given to the “five hundred” of 1st Corinthians 15:6
- The eleven men who heard the Great Commission were all apostles. They had been with Jesus’ day & night for his three-year walking seminary and were being given their graduation assignment.
- Apostles are the highest-ranking members of the body of Christ, as indicated by First Corinthians 12:28. Next in “rank” are prophets, teachers…. Some commentators believe that only an apostle should be called a missionary, and the rest of us could/should simply be called heralds (Acts 8:1-4).
- Apostles are defined in Second Corinthians 12:12 as follows: “The things that mark an apostle — signs, wonders and miracles — were done among you with great perseverance. (Cf. Acts 2:43, 5:12, 7:36, 8:6, 8:13, 14:3; Romans 15:19.)
Reasoned conclusion: Many of today’s churches have largely “done away” with the office of Apostle because they simply do not believe that apostles are for today. They usually do not pray for, or seek to find, an Apostle within their memberships. Relatedly, very few reports of “signs, wonders and miracles” come from those that are sent to the mission field. Lastly for now is the issue of making disciples (not just decisions) who are taught to obey everything that Christ commanded. Who else but those with apostolic giftings could teach believers, not just how to obey, but actually to obey everything…? Meanwhile we should be able to do rather well with Second Timothy 2:2 (entrust Gospel teachings to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.