YouVersion Bible App: Daily Refresh

The Mission of the Church

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, he spent 40 days on earth ministering to people and preparing His disciples for life without Him. Jesus planned on leaving earth and ascending to heaven, but before doing so, He gave His disciples a mission found in Matthew 28:19-20. We often call this mission The Great Commission.

The Great Commission begins with getting up and going to places where people need to hear about the good news of Jesus. This doesn’t mean you have to leave your country—there are people in your own neighborhood and workplace that need to hear the hope of Jesus.

The ultimate goal of the Great Commission is to make followers of Jesus. So as we go about sharing the good news of Jesus with people, we’re to show people how Jesus has changed our lives, and invite them to discover Jesus for themselves.

Jesus also instructs us to baptize new believers. Baptism is a symbol of someone’s incorporation into the family of God. It is their public display of their new faith in Jesus. Baptism is such an important part of the Christian life that Jesus made sure to include it in our mission.

It can be easy to think that making disciples and baptizing believers is the responsibility of our church pastors and ministry leaders. While those things certainly are part of every church’s mission, Jesus intended for every believer to be making disciples.

So take a moment to think about someone in your own life who helped you grow spiritually. Ask God to bring to mind someone you can help and disciple. Then, allow God to give you the courage to share the hope of Jesus with those around you.

My Thoughts

Chances are good that you did not just decide one day to become a Christian. Someone (a neighbor, a friend or a relative, or even a total stranger) sowed a seed in your life and God brought it to fruition. Where would you be today without Jesus in your life? I don’t even want to think about that possibility and I am so thankful for a new neighbor who made it her mission to tell as many people as possible about the saving power of the Lord. I was one of those people whose lives Verna touched for eternity. When you give money or food to the poor, that will help them for a little while. But when you sow a seed for Jesus, you could me affecting their forever destination. God didn’t ask us to make sure that everyone is saved. He just told us to go and tell. Is there someone you can tell today about what Jesus did and is still doing in your life? Pray and tell. Pray that the seeds you sow will fall on fallow ground. The salvation Jesus provides is not meant to be a well-kept secret…go and tell so that others may know.