Sharing our faith with others isn’t a kind of bolt-on extra, a kind of opt-in bit at the end of the Christian life. Rather it is core to it and is one of the central things it means to live as a Christian. One of the main reasons for this is that one of the last things Jesus said while he was on earth according to Matthew’s gospel was this:
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Matt 28:16-29)
So we share our faith in response to the command of Jesus, and obeying Jesus isn’t an optional extra, it’s the very core of what it means to be a Christian, following him, obeying him. After all, Jesus said, ‘If you love me, keep my commands.” (Jn 14:15)
It’s actually remarkable that Matthew concludes his gospel with the words we refer to as “The Great Commission”. Matthew’s gospel was written to a Jewish audience, to persuade them that Jesus really is their messiah. God’s covenant, given to Israel through Abraham, says that they would be God’s chosen people, set aside in order to be a blessing to the whole earth.
I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed. (Gen 22:18)
How’s that going to happen? Well we don’t find that out until Jesus comes and explains that it’s through the gospel – us going out in his name to the whole world – that we’re going to see the fulfilment of that promise. It’s not that Israel would build a political or military empire that would reach the ends of the earth. Rather it’s in Christ that God will bless the nations. Jesus is the true king, and his rule extends as people put their faith in him and acknowledge his lordship! So God sends us as his messengers of this truth, not as some peripheral activity but as the very heart of what it means to be a church, the heart of what it means for us to be Christians fulfilling God’s plan for the world.
Prayer: I worship you Lord as God of the whole earth. Help me to do something today to advance your kingdom, and to bear your ‘great commission’ faithfully. Amen.
