And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
This passage is part of what the Bible calls "The Great Commission". Although the Church has long acknowledged that we have been given a commission, I'm not sure the 21st Century Christian could explain what his commission is. I'd like to share the journey I've taken in dissecting these important verses.
So, this is where it is really important to understand the meaning of words and what they tell us about who we were created to be. To begin with, it is important to comprehend that we are on a co-mission with Christ. This can be perceived in two, yet equally valid, ways -- 1) Jesus was given a mission by our Father in Heaven, and we are to be a partner in that mission (think co-worker); and 2) We have been given a legitimate commission by Jesus to accomplish something in particular; we have been officially charged with a particular task or command.
Then it is important to know that the mission of the Body of Christ (as outlined in the other Scripture about the Great Commission, Mark 16:15) is to Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel [of the Kingdom] to the whole creation. That means proclaim it to people, plants, mountains, the wind, the sea; everything on the earth. And before you think that sounds like some New Age craziness, remember that Jesus is our model! He cursed the fig tree and it died. He spoke to the storm, and it calmed. He took command over the water, and walked on it. Furthermore, Jesus challenged the Pharisees who warned Him to tell His disciples to keep quiet about the works of Heaven (miracles) that they had seen, praising God in His glory, and Jesus responded, I tell you, if these [disciples] were silent, the very stones would cry out (Luke 19:40). And let's not forget Romans 8:22-23 when Jesus says the whole creation has been groaning along with us for the redemption of our bodies. I believe He is showing us that there is a huge difference between having faith IN God, and having the faith OF God, which can move mountains and calm the seas.
It is that faith OF God that enables us to carry out our mission for the Kingdom of Heaven. It was the vision of God, from the beginning, that He would create Earth, where He would rule [as He rules His kingdom in Heaven] through His children. But that plan was derailed in the Garden of Eden. So now His vision is the same, but we have been given another chance to accomplish our mission [to preach the Good News that the Kingdom of Heaven has arrived on earth] by doing everything His Son has commanded us to do. As I've said so many times before, that is clarified in His instructions spoken in Matthew 10:7-8, And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. It couldn't be any clearer!
Put simply, our goal as Christians should not be to get to Heaven, but to make Earth look like Heaven. But RELIGION tells us we shouldn't be satisfied on earth until we go to Heaven. But that's a wrong picture of God's vision! There is no sickness in Heaven, and by using the power and authority Jesus gave us, we can come against sickness here on earth as Kingdom citizens and ambassadors. Sickness can't defeat the Kingdom, and in all reality, Kingdom solves the problem of sickness and conquers it!
We see this principle displayed in Luke 13:10-17, Now he [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
Notice, Jesus is in the synagogue preaching; He is in the church and notices a woman who had "a disabling spirit" and was obviously so tormented that she could not stand up straight. She had suffered for 18 years and I believe it is reasonable to suspect that she had been coming to that synagogue hoping for relief and healing. So what does Jesus do? He changes her circumstances by laying hands on her and releasing the healing power of God that is present in Him through the Holy Spirit. But the religious ruler of that synagogue is indignant because Jesus dared to heal her on the Sabbath! That priest's words and actions show that it was more important to keep his religious traditions than to set her free from her circumstances of disability.
But what is Jesus's answer to this condemnation? I'm paraphrasing here, but His answer was something like this ... Isn't this woman not more valuable than an ox, which you would choose to water on the Sabbath? She comes from Abraham's lineage and got healed under Abraham's contract with God that by his seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. That should satisfy you religious people. But there is a bigger contract than the one with Abraham! I have brought the governing principles of the Kingdom of God with Me, and we don't allow sickness in Heaven. So, I have changed the circumstances under which she's lived the last 18 years by the Kingdom principle of healing. You religious leaders here in the synagogue could have tried to heal her, but instead, you kept her comfortable in her circumstances; you kept her helpless against the torment of the Enemy."
Can you see that our churches too often do the same thing? How many people have been sitting in the pews of their church for 18 years [or longer] suffering from debilitating physical ailments such as diabetes or arthritis; or tormented by lust and pornography; or burdened with the shame and guilt of promiscuity or abortion? Oh, they are wonderfully saved and believe that Jesus died on the Cross for their sins, but they are still suffering physical pain or the pain in their souls and spirits from the lies of the Enemy about their past. Jesus brought the Kingdom of Heaven to earth so that we don't have to continue in our circumstances! When we become Saved, we have the ability to see and enter the Kingdom of God, and that Kingdom citizenship gives us a right to be healed! But our church doctrines and traditions don't make that healing available. Instead, they serve to keep us comfortable in our harassed and tormented states, teaching us that we just have to wait until we get to Heaven and we will be healed of everything that caused us pain. That's not what Jesus taught!
In Luke, Chapter 9, the Bible says that Jesus called his disciples together and gave them "power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick". That is our commission, too! It's really that simple ... "Spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God to all the nations, and then the end of this age will come" [Matthew 24:14]. That means the end of sickness, the end of death, the end of poverty, the end of pornography, the end of the sex trade, the end of corrupt government -- the end of everything the devil has used to support his dark kingdom on this earth.
Isn't it finally time that we begin changing the circumstances in the lives of people who love Jesus? Isn't that the underlying message in my opening Scripture? Jesus said to make disciples and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you .... tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and then heal the sick [in all the manifestations of that word]. KINGDOM CHANGES OUR CIRCUMSTANCES!
Notice, Jesus is in the synagogue preaching; He is in the church and notices a woman who had "a disabling spirit" and was obviously so tormented that she could not stand up straight. She had suffered for 18 years and I believe it is reasonable to suspect that she had been coming to that synagogue hoping for relief and healing. So what does Jesus do? He changes her circumstances by laying hands on her and releasing the healing power of God that is present in Him through the Holy Spirit. But the religious ruler of that synagogue is indignant because Jesus dared to heal her on the Sabbath! That priest's words and actions show that it was more important to keep his religious traditions than to set her free from her circumstances of disability.
But what is Jesus's answer to this condemnation? I'm paraphrasing here, but His answer was something like this ... Isn't this woman not more valuable than an ox, which you would choose to water on the Sabbath? She comes from Abraham's lineage and got healed under Abraham's contract with God that by his seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. That should satisfy you religious people. But there is a bigger contract than the one with Abraham! I have brought the governing principles of the Kingdom of God with Me, and we don't allow sickness in Heaven. So, I have changed the circumstances under which she's lived the last 18 years by the Kingdom principle of healing. You religious leaders here in the synagogue could have tried to heal her, but instead, you kept her comfortable in her circumstances; you kept her helpless against the torment of the Enemy."
Can you see that our churches too often do the same thing? How many people have been sitting in the pews of their church for 18 years [or longer] suffering from debilitating physical ailments such as diabetes or arthritis; or tormented by lust and pornography; or burdened with the shame and guilt of promiscuity or abortion? Oh, they are wonderfully saved and believe that Jesus died on the Cross for their sins, but they are still suffering physical pain or the pain in their souls and spirits from the lies of the Enemy about their past. Jesus brought the Kingdom of Heaven to earth so that we don't have to continue in our circumstances! When we become Saved, we have the ability to see and enter the Kingdom of God, and that Kingdom citizenship gives us a right to be healed! But our church doctrines and traditions don't make that healing available. Instead, they serve to keep us comfortable in our harassed and tormented states, teaching us that we just have to wait until we get to Heaven and we will be healed of everything that caused us pain. That's not what Jesus taught!
In Luke, Chapter 9, the Bible says that Jesus called his disciples together and gave them "power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick". That is our commission, too! It's really that simple ... "Spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God to all the nations, and then the end of this age will come" [Matthew 24:14]. That means the end of sickness, the end of death, the end of poverty, the end of pornography, the end of the sex trade, the end of corrupt government -- the end of everything the devil has used to support his dark kingdom on this earth.
Isn't it finally time that we begin changing the circumstances in the lives of people who love Jesus? Isn't that the underlying message in my opening Scripture? Jesus said to make disciples and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you .... tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and then heal the sick [in all the manifestations of that word]. KINGDOM CHANGES OUR CIRCUMSTANCES!
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