Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) 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, baptising 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.
Jesus gave this Great Commission just before His ascension to heaven. His last con-cern was for the lost, and Jesus’ last commission should be every believer’s first con-cern in life. Jesus is asking every one of us to go to our neighbours, colleagues, rela-tives and friends to share the good news of the Gospel. He is compelling us in our hearts to be His spokespersons!
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are indeed few. Therefore, God is asking us to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers to the field. He is asking us to respond to His call to go and share the Gospel.
Currently, someone is dying of COVID-19 every few seconds, and the numbers are rising by the day. When we know the heart of God, the key question we as Christians should ask is “has the person pronounced dead had the opportunity to hear the Gos-pel and call on the name of Jesus to be saved?”. Wouldn’t this be Jesus’ greatest concern—the spirit of the person? Therefore, there is this urgency, and it should be viewed as the top priority of the church to have the Gospel made known to those around us. If there is the one thing that we can do when the church is closed, it’s the sharing of the Gospel with those around us.
While we might not know anyone who has contracted COVID-19, we do know people who are living in hopelessness, those who are suffering from chronic disease, business failure, isolation, depression, and joblessness. While it is not true that Christianity is meant for those who are weak, it is in their weakness that men realize their minuteness, weakness and inability. When people have come to the end of themselves, their hearts are more open to God. It is in their weakness and experiences that they realize that there is more to life than just their business, job or achievements. It is a time of visitation when God comes to their lives.
The great mobilization is found in these verses when He sent forth the entire church to go out and reach the lost through this Great Commission. Every believer without exception is entrusted with the Gospel and commissioned to preach and to teach it. Jesus did not call us to be a believer but a disciple for Him. He has entrusted us with a ministry to disciple new believers, but first and foremost, we need to share the Gospel with the lost.
Sermon Series: It’s Urgent and a Top Priority
大使命的第一步
马太福音28:18-20 耶稣进前来，对他们说:“天上地下所有的权柄都赐给我了。所以你们要去，使万民作我的门徒，奉父，子，圣灵的名，给他们施洗。凡我所吩咐你们的，都教训他们遵守。我就常与你们同在，直到世界的末了。”
耶稣升天之前赐下这个大使命。祂最后关心的是失丧的人，耶稣最后的使命应该是每个信徒生命中首要关心的事。耶稣要我们每个人都到邻居、同事、亲戚朋友那里去分享福音的好消息。祂在我们心中动工要我们做祂的代言人!
要收的庄稼多，但做工的人实在是少。所以神要我们求庄稼的主，打发工人到田里去。祂是要我们响应祂的呼召去分享福音。
目前，每隔几秒钟就会有人死于COVID-19，而且死亡人数每天都在上升。当我们知道了神的心意，作为基督徒我们应该问的关键问题是:“被宣告死亡的人是否有机会听到福音，并呼求耶稣的名来得救?”人的灵不是耶稣最关心的吗?因此，教会的当务之急是让我们周围的人知道福音。如果有一件事是教会关闭时我们所能做的，那就是与我们周围的人分享福音。
虽然我们可能不认识任何感染COVID-19的人，但我们确实知道生活在绝望之中的，那些遭受慢性疾病、生意失败、孤独、抑郁和失业之苦的人。虽然基督教并不意味着为那些软弱的人而设，但正是在软弱中，人们才意识到自己的渺小、软弱和无能。当人走到自己的尽头时，他们的心更能向神敞开。正是在他们的软弱和经历中，他们才意识到生命中有比他们的生意、工作或成就更重要的东西。当神进入他们的生命中，就是我们探访他们的时候了。
在这些经文中我们可以发现伟大的呼召，祂差派整个教会出去，藉着这个大使命去触摸失落的人。每个信徒都无一例外地被托付福音，被委托去传讲和教导福音。耶稣召我们不是要我们成为一个信徒，而是要我们成为祂的门徒。祂把教导新信徒的事工托付给我们，但首先的也是最重要的是，我们要与失丧的人分享福音。
讲章系列:这是当务之急