You Talking to Me? – Part 37

What we have called “the Great Commission” is, without a doubt, a “You talking to me?” moment.

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Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 21, 24, 26, & 28 – And God said . . .

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In Mark 16, we read the words of Jesus to His disciples, and to His Church.  “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”  In this passage of Scripture, there are at least six “You talking to me?” moments.  Let’s take a walk through them.

“Go ye into all the world…”  If this were only talking about traveling throughout this planet, that alone would be a “You talking to me?” moment.  I have done international travel.  Modern conveniences make it easier today than ever before.  Only legal complexities from nation to nation hinder that.  However, most people don’t have the financial means to do the kind of travel necessary to travel throughout the earth.  but in the first “You talking to me?” moment, the Lord was not speaking about traveling throughout the earth.  Instead, He was talking about the Church becoming a powerfully invested, seasoning element into every arena of human life.  The Greek word for “world” used here is “kosmos.”  That is speaking about the systems of the world.  The Lord Who purchased our complete redemption from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13), was sending His Church into every system of the world to be the light, to be the leaders, to be His witness, to be the salt of His kingdom in every arena of life that impacted His children.  That, my dear friend, is truly a “You talking to me?” moment.

But something happened.  While the early Church sought to do that very thing, when the systems of men began to infiltrate the Church rather than the Church infiltrating the systems of men, the message, work, and power of the Church was corrupted, tainted, weakened, and in many ways, may ineffectual.  This should not have been.  Over time, leaders in the Church began to tell people to stay out of government; that the Church has no business involved with the government.  And it did not stop with government.  From the weakened estate to which it has fallen, the Church became afraid to invest itself, not only in government, but in business, graphic arts, performing arts, and education.  And what we see today is the result.  But it’s NOT too late.  The Great Commission is still there.  It is still doable.  Holy Ghost will still empower you for it.  It is still commanded.  And yes, I’m talking to you.

Manna for Today – Genesis 1; Psalm 119:89; Proverbs 4:20-23; Mark 11:22-26; Romans 3:4