Devotional: The Great Commission

In all the years I’ve been a pastor, I have never heard anybody talk about the second commission. We’ve always thought about just one commission, the Great Commission. I believe that the other commission is the foundation for the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18).

Beginning with John 21:15 is the other commission. After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus the disciples were together and Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” And the other disciples said. “We are going with you.” They went and fished that night and didn’t catch anything. Then afterward, Jesus appeared to them, prepared breakfast for them and told them where to drop their nets and they caught a net full of fish. After they ate, verses 15-17 says:

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” Hesaid to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend (the traditional King James version says, “feed”) My sheep. He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.” The word feed is the Greek word bosko and it means “to nourish, to provide food” … to feed people in the natural with food and/or spiritually.

This is the other commission, but most everybody gets fixated on “over there, everywhere but here.” But “over there” is based on “over here,” because when Jesus gave them the commission He said to them, “now don’t you dare leave Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high, because you will be witnesses to me [in Jerusalem]” (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8).

In order to accomplish the Great Commission, there has to be a strong home base. In order to have a strong home base; you have to feed the sheep and lambs.

Sheep and lambs are not sinners. They are the saved. He says to “go feed the nations.” I’m talking about spiritual food. He said go preach the gospel. Sinners need the gospel preached to them. Christians need to be fed the Word of God.

Every born-again person has a part in God’s global strategy to bring an awareness of His love to mankind.

The Bible says in John 3:16, “God loved the world.” He didn’t just say He loved Christians or just white, black, red, brown, yellow folks. It says, God so loved the world. He loves everybody.

Paul says in Ephesians 4:11-16: And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (a mature fully grown man) man…

Godly maturity is developed from knowing the Word. That’s why Jesus told Peter, “feed my sheep and feed my lambs.” In other words, take care of them or tend to them and see that they get strong …

…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ – from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies…

Every joint supplies – not some of the joints supply. Not a few of the joints supply, but every joint supplies. If you are in the Body of Christ you are a joint and there is something that you can contribute. You need to find out what your part is and do it.

We are all that God has. He doesn’t work through angels; He works through men. He works through those who have been blood-bought and blood-washed. If we are not yielded to Him, we stymie God. We hinder the love of God to be shared with others.

Scripture Of The Day: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” – James 1:27 (NKJV)

SOURCE