THE GREAT COMMISSION 

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and TEACH all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”   (Matthew 28:18-20)   (Emphasis mine) 

Jesus the Messiah has given marching orders to his followers.  His first Church in Jerusalem received the Great Commission.  This Commission tells HOW they, and all true Churches since then, are to be His Witnesses. 

TEACH (MAKE DISCIPLES) 

The main verb in the Great Commission is TEACH (“evangelize” = make disciples of) all nations.  The other verbs -- GO (“going” or “as ye go”) BAPTIZING and TEACHING are all participles in the Greek New Testament, built around the main command -- EVANGELIZE. 

Therefore, true Christianity is evangelistic.  It has the Glad Tidings (Gospel) of Jesus Christ.  “... the Gospel is not good advice, but good news.  It does not tell us what we are to do to earn salvation, but proclaims to us what Christ has done to save us.”   (Loraine Boettner) 

Jesus the Messiah died for sinners, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.  Whosoever will may come to the water of life and drink freely.  All of His elect will come.  They will repent of sin and call upon the name of the Lord.   

They shall be SAVED.  Saved from what?  Saved from the pleasure of sin.  Saved from the power of sin.  Saved from the penalty of sin.  And someday, saved from the presence of sin.   

Think of it!  No more sorrow, pain, sickness, worries, hunger or thirst.  No more trials, nor temptations.  We’ll experience pure love, joy and peace in the presence of our resurrected Lord Jesus, who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own Blood.  

A new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness.  Life at its best -- in the glorious liberty of the sons of God -- forever!!! 

AS YE GO 

True Churches are missionary Churches.  They seek to spread the Gospel.  They seek to win people to the Lord Jesus Christ.   

They preach the Doctrines of Grace -- Total Inability, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints (T- U- L- I- P).  They trust God for the results.   

They GO.  They go to their relatives, neighbors, friends, and acquaintances, even to their enemies, with the Gospel.  They go to strangers.  In obedience to the Great Commission, they send Missionaries to language schools, then to foreign lands. 

They use all lawful means to reach others.  They hand out Bibles, New Testaments, Gospel Tracts and Videos.  They preach in the Churches, in (home, school and workplace) Bible studies, on the Radio, TV, and on the Internet.  Christians are GOING (as it says in Greek). 

WHY A GREEK NEW TESTAMENT? 

From the time of Alexander the Great, the official language of government, military and trade was Greek -- in Asia Minor, Syria, Israel, and Egypt -- as well as Greece.  Two of Alexander's generals founded Greek-speaking dynasties -- in Syria and Egypt (Israel sits between them). 

“When Rome conquered Greece, Greece conquered Rome.”  The Greek language, religion and culture were taught to young Roman boys of patrician families.  Therefore, at the time of Christ, the international language of the eastern Mediterranean was more Greek than Latin. 

This is why the inscription on the Cross of Christ was written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin (John 19:19-20).  This is also why the New Testament was first written in Greek, and only later translated into Latin.  The Apostles from Israel were more familiar with Greek than Latin. 

BAPTIZING 

Missionary Churches BAPTIZE new converts -- those who repent and believe in Christ.  Calvin (though not a Baptist) correctly says, “Yet the word "baptize" means to immerse, and it is clear that the rite of immersion was observed in the ancient church.”[1] 

The Greek word “baptizo” in all Greek lexicons means, “I dip, I submerge, I immerse.”  Greek writers (pagan and Christian) all say this.[2]   In Greece and Russia, immersion is the unbroken, universal practice -- the Greeks acting consistently with their own language. 

Immersion bests shows union with Christ in His Death, Burial and Resurrection.  The new convert goes under the water (burial) and comes up out of the water (resurrection) according to Romans 6:3,4.  It also best symbolizes the washing away of sins (Acts 22:16).  

The ancient Churches did not consider infant baptism valid.  Therefore they baptized all who came over to their fellowship.  This practice earned them the nickname “Anabaptists” (Re-baptizers) by their enemies.   

After the Reformation, the name was shortened to Baptists.  Many who claim the name Baptist today do not preach the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ.   

Most preach a decisional regeneration, where man's faith precedes the new birth.  But there are still some Baptists who faithfully preach the Doctrines of Grace (T-U-L-I-P). 

TEACHING (INSTRUCTING) 

The participle “teaching” is a different word from the main verb TEACH (EVANGELIZE) in the koine (common) Greek of the New Testament.  The participle “teaching” in the Great Commission implies instruction in all Biblical truth. 

Upon adequate instruction in the Faith, new converts are to be baptized and to commit themselves to a New Testament Church.  True Churches continue to teach believers ALL THINGS, WHATSOEVER CHRIST COMMANDED.  This is an ongoing duty.  Why? 

Believers are at different stages of growth in the Lord.  New believers join the Church from time to time.  More mature believers still need to be reminded of certain commands and be encouraged and built up in the Faith.   

Children of believers often need evangelism.  Doctrine, reproof, correction, and more instruction is the divine pattern (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  Churches also need to commit truth to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).   

Thus, Churches should serve as training schools for Pastors and Missionaries.  These Missionaries are not just preachers.  They are Church-planters.  They don't just evangelize.   

As they go and make disciples, they baptize those new disciples, and teach them all things, whatsoever Messiah commanded.  To do this, they establish new Churches. 

I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE WORLD.  AMEN 

Messiah is with true Churches, from the time of His first Church in Jerusalem, until the end of the “world” -- or “age” as we know it.  This promise implies that Christ has always had some true Churches in existence, somewhere in the world, in every generation. 

They were branded as heretics, schismatics, re-baptizers and puritans by their foes.  Sometimes they were called by the name of a leader (Montanists, Novatians, Donatists, Paulicians, Lollards, Hussites) or a location (Albigenses, Vaudois, Navarri, Waldenses).[3] 

They called themselves Brethren.  It can be shown that they were (with few exceptions) Bible-believing Christians.  Cardinal Hosius, a member of the Council of Trent (1546-63) said that the Anabaptists had been suffering cheerfully for the their faith FOR 1200 YEARS.[4]  

He also said, “The Anabaptists are a pernicious sect, of which kind the Waldensian brethren seem to have been.  Nor is this heresy a modern thing, for it existed in the time of Austin.”[5]   Austin was born 354 A.D. -- the same 4^th century that Constantine wedded Church and State. 

By 395 A.D. Catholicism was the ONLY RELIGION ALLOWED in the Roman Empire.  Pagan priests and multitudes became instant Catholics.  True Christians, already persecuted, were now ILLEGAL.  C.H. Spurgeon, in his Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, says: 

“... the Baptists are the original Christians.  We did not commence our existence at the Reformation, we were reformers before Luther or Calvin ... we never came from the Church of Rome, for we were never in it, but we have an unbroken line up to the Apostles....”[6]

Sir Isaac Newton wrote, “The modern Baptists, formerly called Anabaptists, are the only people that never symbolized with the papacy.”[7]   

Thus, those who obey the Great Commission are part of a long train of witnesses.  They have Messiah's authority to do what they do.  And they have His blessing, guidance, provision and divine presence with them -- even unto the end of the world.  Amen.

Note: We tried for years to start a work in our home.  In our misguided zeal, we called it Fairmount Baptist Church.  (We would have called a Pastor, had there been an interest from other believers).  But we should have had sponsorship from an existing Baptist Church.  We did not.  We are now seeking to find and fellowship with a Sovereign Grace Landmark Baptist Church in another area.