Bill's Bible Blog

A10. Practicing the Great Commission (last in the series)

Practicing in most things means working to improve one’s skill, but the activity rarely has any ‘real world’ impact. ‘Practicing’ the G.C. is more like when a lawyer or doctor sets up a ‘practice,’ they are practically applying what they have learned in school and internship now in the real world.

Using football as a metaphor for the G.C, there are two main ways that players and teams improve–by practice and playing games. If a player–such as a quarterback–wants to try and go to the next level, they often put in extra individual time reviewing game films of their upcoming opponent.
So, to summarize, individual skills and knowledge start with individual practice. Then team practice moves more toward developing teamwork skills. The goal is playing time in the game. That is where the excitement is, where the challenges are that makes you dig for your best, or shows you where you’re lacking.

‘Practicing’ the G.C. also occurs on three levels. First is the individual level where we develop our personal relationship with God through our personal devotional, prayer and Bible study time. If we really want to be in the big Game, we need to lean in on these personal activities.

After I left the Army, I was playing for a recreational soccer league. We were guaranteed a certain minimal amount of playing time, and that is all I got because my skills were just average.
I preferred to play forward and I noticed that we didn’t have a natural left-footed player. My dad and I are slightly ambidextrous, so I determined to see if I could elevate my left-footed skills.

Every day after work, I took my soccer ball to a nearby school with a blank brick wall and a flat area in front of it, and practiced kicking the ball with my left foot and catching it too. After about 3-4 weeks of this, coach began noticing my improved skills when I made some good stops and crosses to the striker, one of which he was able to head in for a goal. I got that increase in playing time I wanted.

Our personal devotion and prayer time with God, ‘practicing His presence,’ is when we develop our closeness to and sensitivity to Him. Our personal Bible study and Scripture memory is when we are equipped with God’s Word.

‘Team practice’ in the G.C. would be any time we are with other Christians, such as at a church service, home group, a Bible study, or serving together. In those situations, we should be trying to put into practice the ‘one another’ commands of the New Testament and developing our ‘team skills’ of fellowship–sharing testimonies about what God is doing in your life, answers to prayer, and meaningful messages from God’s Word.

The real ‘game’ of the G.C. then is when you are out in the world. If you have developed your personal relationship with God and developed your team skills with other Christians, then you should be ready to put the Great Commission into practice.

I hope this series on the Great Commission has caused you to think more deeply about this central facet of the Christian life, and that it has motivated you to do whatever you need to do to ‘get in the game.’

May 8, 2025

bible, christianity, great-commission, jesus
A9. Participating in the Great Commission

“Everything we do is practice for something greater than where we currently are.” Les Brown, motivational speaker and writer.

It seems like almost all aspects of our life consists of starting at an entry level and learning, advancing to the next level, and so on. We do this in our education. Tests to show we learned enough to advance are more obvious maybe in education than in some other arenas but they are always there.
The same is true in sports. How well we do in elementary recreation league determines if we make the team at school. How well we perform at the high school level determines whether or not we’re picked for a college team and so on.

The same is true in the arts. My sister was always very talented, but didn’t get the chance to focus on developing her talent until after her daughter was on her own.
I remember one year talking with her on my birthday and she was telling me she had opened a store on Etsy. I was very excited for her and asked how many pieces she had sold so far. ‘None,’ she answered.
But my sister continued practicing her art and the sales happened. Next she displayed and sold at local craft shows. Then she was invited to display and sell some of her works in local businesses. By the time she was within one year of retirement, she was receiving invitations to headline art gallery showings. Her dedication took her from an unknown artist to a featured headliner. You can see some of her work at TerryChanceMosaicsEtc.com

Growing into the Great Commission is like that. We often think of those who are participating in the G.C. as the pastors, the evangelists, the church planters and missionaries. These are like the pros in sports. Every one of us on the Christian continuum can be a participant also. Let’s look at the various elements for how that can be.

If you listened to a gospel presentation, believed and were baptized, you were participating in the Great Commission.
If you listen attentively to your teaching pastor’s sermon each week, maybe even take notes and discuss them, and if you are working on changing at least one aspect of your life each week to bring what you do, what you say, and yes, even what you feel and think, into obedience to the Bible, then you are participating in the G.C.
Every Sunday we are told at the end of our service @SummitChurch.com “Summit, you are sent!” The idea is that since we spend the rest of our week in “the world,” we should be participating in the G.C. by being witnesses for Christ and sharing our testimonies of what God has done in our lives and the lives of those we know.
I have to be honest with you, that is very difficult for me. How about you?

May 6, 2025

faith, great-commission
A8. Assembling Elements of the Great Commission

It’s always the small pieces that make the big picture. Don’t underestimate the little things in life! 🧩 Source Unknown

When I decided to start vegetable gardening, I looked for a book that would have all the information I needed. I did have some success following that book, but I realized there was much more I needed to know.

I’ve spent the years since reading every article on gardening I came across, watched every program on TV and talked to every gardener I met. Each time I learned at least one new thing I could add to the bigger picture I was forming of successful vegetable gardening.

Understanding the G.C. is a little like that. A record of Jesus giving the G.C. is contained at the end of each gospel and the beginning of Acts, but there are many more references to it in the Bible. Each of the 5 records are different from each other, but all have connections with the others, as well as unique elements. Here is my attempt at assembling these elements into a bigger, coherent picture.

The SENDING. The first word of the G.C. in Matthew is GO! We see in John how this is a bigger part of God’s plan when Jesus says, “As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” And the scope of the sending is “all the nations,” “the world,” and more specifically we see in Luke/Acts they are to start in Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, and then to the remotest parts of the Earth.

Tha SPEAKING. As the disciples spread throughout the world at Jesus’ command (and not just them, but their disciples and so on to each generation until our day and beyond), there were specific messages they were to proclaim which we can summarize under the word the ‘gospel’. Elements of the gospel include “Proclaim repentance for forgiveness of sins. ” Jesus specified that any sins they declared as forgiven would be forgiven. Jesus also said they were to be His witnesses, testifying to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as the Messiah (the Christ.)

The RESPONDING. It was expected that of those who heard the gospel message, some would believe and some would not. Those who believed were to be baptized as a sign of repentance and forgiveness of sins. Then they were to be taught to obey the commands of Jesus, as the disciples were taught by Jesus, and thus become disciples themselves, culminating in them obeying the final command–the Great Commission.

The EMPOWERING. Although this element tends to appear at the end of the G.C., it actually had to happen first. In Matthew, Jesus is recorded as saying, “I will be with you always.” In John chapters 14 to 16, we see this Prescence be in the form of the indwelling Spirit of God. We slao see this pouring out of God’s Spirit was prophesied by Joel as “the promise of the Father.” The disciples were to wait in Jerusalem for it to happen as it did 10 days later on the 50th day after the Passover, Pentecost. One other element of the G.C. was that miraculous signs would accompany those fulfilling the G.C., as we see they did in the book of Acts.

This initial outpouring of God’s Spirit on Christ’s disciples was a big, flashy, attention-getting event, as befit an inauguration. Something similar happened only a couple of other times to show that God’s promise of salvation was intended to go beyond the Jews. We who have believed also receive the indwelling Spirit, but it tends to grow within us as we grow in our faith and practice of discieship.

So, where are you in the Great Commission? Still working on the believing stage or are you learning and growing as a disciple? Are you maybe about ready to GO! No matter where we are in the Christian continuum, we are the product of and participating in the Great Commission.

May 3, 2025

bible, christianity, discipleship, god, great-commission, holy-spirit, jesus
A7. We are not alone, God is with us. We are NEVER alone, God is ALWAYS with us.

from song by Pepper Choplin, copyright 2005, Shawnee Classics.

In Jesus’ last teaching session with His disciples before His arrest, He told them. “I will not leave you alone as orphans…”

Woven throughout His final teachings, as recorded in John chapters 14, 15 and 16, is a coming person called in Greek a ‘paraclete.’ Only John uses this nominative form of a more common Greek word translated several different ways. For example as comfort/consolation = 36 times, hence translated as Comforter. As exhort/exhortation = 28 times, hence called the Exhorter. As beseech/entreat/pray = 29 times, hence as Advocate or Intercessor. Other translations use Helper, Teacher, Encourager and more.

At its most basic, Paraclete means one who “comes alongside.” As I began considering these meanings, the picture of a coach came to mind, so let me paint some word picture from my first coached experience playing little league baseball to illustrate these meanings.

The first thing I remember the coach doing was gathering us around him and teaching us the rules of baseball, what each position did and how we had to learn to play together as a team. He was being a Teacher.

I remember when I was having such a hard time learning to hit the ball and he came up beside me, put his hand on my shoulder gently and said, ‘You can do this. I have confidence in you.’ He was being an Encourager.

I also remember times when I wasn’t doing a very good job in my fielding and the coach came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder firmly, looked me in the face and told me I needed to do better. ‘We need you to be attentive out here. The rest of the team is depending on you to field the balls hit your way. We need you to do your best.’ He was being an Exhorter.

I also remember losing our first hard-fought game and I was even crying. The coach came up beside me, put his arm around my shoulders and said, ‘I know you did your best. It will be alright. I’m proud of you.’ He was being a Comforter.

And then there was the time when I slid into home plate and the umpire called me ‘Out.’ The coach came out of the dugout like he’d been shot out, stood beside me and argued with the ump that he was wrong, that I had beat the tag and so I was safe. Coach was being an Advocate on my behalf.

This Person John labels as the Paraclete is God’s Holy Spirit and He does all these things and more for us.

You see, even though the Holy Spirit doesn’t come upon us in the spectacular way He did for the disciples at Pentecost and a couple of times afterward, He comes to dwell within us at that moment we choose to believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior, repent of our sins, publicly profess Jesus as our Lord and are baptized.

The problem is the Spirit is gentle in His actions and hard to perceive to us who are so much more in touch with the physical world than the spiritual one. We need the help of Christians older in the faith and more sensitive to the Spirit who can guide us as we grow to that point ourselves.

THIS is what makes all the difference for us changing from a sinner, living in the kingdom of darkness at conversion, to being a mature disciple, living in God’s Kingdom and ready to carry out the Great Commission.

So, how can we lean into our relationship with God’s Holy Spirit within us, and thus maximize our spiritual growth?

April 29, 2025

bible, christianity, god, holy-spirit, jesus
A6. When are we ready to fulfill the Great Commission?

Previously we looked at how much time the disciples spent with Jesus and what kinds of things they did as disciples. Simplifying a little bit to keep the math simple, we can say they spent about 100 hours a week with Him.

Let’s look at how much time per week we spend as disciples. Most of us go to an hour and a half church service where we worship, we are taught, we even fellowship a little with others.

If you have multiple service, like my church @summitchurch.com, they ask us to also serve at another service, that’s another 1 1/2 hours.

Then we have home group or small group, whatever your church calls it, for another 1 1/2 hours where we fellowship, talk about what we learned from the sermon and pray for each other.

If you’re a dedicated disciple or otherwise have the time, you’re also attending a men’s or women’s Bible study or discipleship group for a deeper time of study and discussion for another 1 1/2 hours per week.

And then you’re spending daily time in personal devotion, Bible study and prayer. Maybe you can spend more time than this, but I’m going to call it 30 minutes per day with maybe a day missed for a total of 3 hours per week.

Then there is a special ‘Serve Saturday’ every month for about 4 hours, which we’ll amortize to 1 hour per week and what do we get? About 10 hours per week being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Do the math, 100 vs. 10 hours per week, times 3 1/2 years, and we’re talking about 35 years of discipleship before we’re ready to take on the Great Commission.

BUT wait, there’s something wrong with this picture. The @navigators.org regularly grows disciples from conversion to Commission in a third of that time. So does our church via @summitrduinstitute.com. In science, if a model doesn’t explain the facts, then the model is at fault.

In a recent sermon, our pastor @jdgreear.com told a story of how an engineer in the 30’s looked at how a bumblebee can fly. Based on the fixed-winged aerodynamics known at that time, he concluded that a bumblebee could NOT fly because the lift capable of being generated by its wing size would not be enough to lift its body weight. Yet, they can fly, even if in their own bumbling way.

Aerodynamics has advanced enough since then they can now explain how a bumblebee flies. So, what is the missing element from my model that explains why it takes only a third as long long as we might think before a Christian is ready to fulfill the Great Commission?

April 27, 2025

bible, christianity, discipleship, great-commission, jesus
A5. It’s Gods Spirit that Makes all the Difference.

God’s Spirit is a major player in the Bible. He appears from the beginning in Genesis 1 to the end in Revelation 22.

The Bible word used for ‘spirit’ is also used for breath, life, (if you’re breathing, you’re alive), and wind (a breath of air). Jesus uses this latter to talk about God’s Spirit in that we can’t see where it’s coming from, nor where it’s going, we can only see it’s effect around us like wind rustling the leaves of a tree.

Wind can be a gentile breeze or a raging storm. In 1 Kings 19, we see where God passes by the prophet Elijah at a time when he needed a new glimpse of the God he had been serving. First there was a windstorm like a tornado, but Elijah saw that God was not in the wind. Next was a great earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake either. Next was a firestorm, but God was not in the fire.

Then came a gentle blowing wind and Elijah recognized the Spirit of God that had been a part of his life as a prophet.

God’s Spirit touches the earth lightly. Mostly He indwells people, giving them supernatural insight and understanding, power to perform supernatural acts, provides glimpses of the future…

In Isaiah 11, a prophecy of the Messiah, six characteristics are listed from the Spirit of the Lord residing on Him: wisdom and understanding, insightful counsel and strength, knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

In Isaiah 61, another prophecy of the Messiah, it says the Spirit if the Lord is upon Him because He has been annointed to bring good news to the afflicted…and more.

Actually we have an intersection of the Old Testament and New Testament here because recorded in Luke 4 we have Jesus visiting his home synagogue after His ministry had started, and He reads this very passage from Isaiah, then declares, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

God’s Spirit had descended and rested on Jesus at His baptism. THIS was the element the disciples lacked, even after their 3 1/2 years of intensive discipleship with Jesus.

God’s Spirit in a person has often been described as a lamp. If it doesn’t give off light, it’s just another decoration. Jesus had given His disciples a light bulb through His teachings, but without plugging the lamp’s cord into an electrical receptacle, still no light.

Hence Jesus last command to them, recorded at the end of Luke and beginning of Acts, was to stay in the city until God’s promise of an outpouring of His Spirit occurred.

And it did on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit changed Peter who, 7 weeks before, was so frightened for his life that he denied even knowing Jesus, to a powerful, confident orator who confronted the crowds who had gathered around the building and and he testified to the resurrection of Jesus.

The exciting part of this event to me was, it wasn’t just God’s Spirit empowering a single person as was typical in the O.T., but God’s Spirit was also working on the hearts of the crowd of Jews there from all around the world, to convict them of ‘sin righteous and judgment,’ just as Jesus said He would.

It’s God’s Spirit that makes all the difference. It requires more than a desire, more than a plan, more than a fancy presentation to carry out God’s Great Commission. As Zechariah prophesied, it’s ‘…by my Spirit says the Lord.’

April 26, 2025

bible, faith, god, great-commission, holy-spirit, jesus
A4. Were the Disciples Ready to Fulfill the Great Commission?

The G.C. is often referred to as Jesus’ final command. It culminated an intensive 3 1/2 years of discipleship training with Jesus.

At the beginning, Jesus issued invitations to follow Him as disciples with words like these to the Galilean fishermen, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”

What did it mean for His disciples? In essence it meant that they were with Jesus 24 / 7. Taking time for sleep and maybe some personal needs, this would be between 17,000 and 19,000 hours of discipleship over the 3 1/2 years.

What did they do during this time? Activities as seen in the gospels fit into 3 categories. Their first commitment was to SERVE in Jesus’ ministry. They took care of His and the group’s essential needs. They acted as ushers and errand runners. They screened those approaching Jesus, and did everything that was needed to keep a traveling ministry going.

What did the disciples get for their service? They got the opportunity to LEARN from Jesus. They listened to His public teachings and watched as He modeled it. In private they could ask questions and received private instruction. They sometimes were even corrected and rebuked.

Thirdly, they FELLOWSHIPPED with Jesus. They traveled together, they ate together, they even slept in a common room together. They went to synagogue and worshipped together every week and attended the yearly festivals in Jerusalem together. They talked, they laughed, they cried and even made mistakes together.

And this was Jesus’ plan, to prepare successors to carry on His work of taking the Gospel to the entire world. He even said that when a disciple is fully trained, they will become like their master. So, were they ready? Well…not quite. You see, there was…One…More…Command.

April 23, 2025
A3. How do you feel about the Great Commission?

At our church this weekend @summitchurch.com the Easter message by our pastor @jdgreear.com was from the Luke account of Jesus’ trials and crucifixion. He pointed out that there were 5 attitudes exhibited toward Jesus during His trials.

First was Pilate the Preoccupied. He was more concerned about everything else other than delivering justice for Jesus.

Next was King Herod the Superficial. He was interested in Jesus more as entertainment, hoping that Jesus would perform some miracle for him. In response, Jesus didn’t even speak with him.

Then there were the Chief Priests and Scribes, the religious leaders of the Jews. They felt their power and influence were threatened by Jesus, so they were openly antagonistic toward Him and incited the crowds to demand His execution.

Then there was Barabbas the Oblivious. He didn’t really know what was going on, just that he was released to be allowed to continue his life of crime and rebellion. He represents all of us in that Jesus died for his sins too, as well as ours in the midst of our own life of sin and rebellion against God.

Lastly there was Simon the Cyrenian who was drafted to carry Jesus’ cross when it became obvious He was too exhausted to do it Himself. We can call him the Obedient since other references show that he was or became a disciple of Jesus.

It occurred to me that these disparate attitudes toward the chosen Person of God, might be similar to the range of attitudes people have toward the Plan of God for the salvation of the world.

What about you? Do an attitude check. Where do you think you fall on the continuum of attitudes from Oblivous to Obedient toward the Great Commission? Check with God through prayer. Do you feel His desire for you to move one step closer to Him in this area? How do you think you can take that next step?

April 22, 2025
A2. What is the Great Commission?

The G.C. is an anchor point for one of two themes that weave through the Bible and meet in Jesus Christ. These themes are God’s Plan for redemption and God’s chosen Person–the Messiah.

In the beginning, God’s plan was a promise to Abrahan, Isaac and Jacob that in their ‘seed’, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

In the Law, God’s plan was preserved until the Messiah should come.

In the Prophets, details of God’s plan were foretold.

In Jesus, God’s plan was embodied, “…behold, for I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. ” Luke 2:10

In the gospels, Gods plan was revealed and consummated through Jesus.

In Acts and related epistles, we see God’s plan, the Great Commission, begin to be carried out.

In the doctrinal epistles, God’s plan is explained, “…that God was in Christ reconciling the WORLD to Himself…” 2 Corinthians 5:19

And in Revelation, God’s plan is shown to have been fulfilled, “…behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from EVERY NATION AND TRIBE AND PEOPLE AND TONGUE, standing before the throne…” (Revelation 7:9)

What is the Great Commission? It is an opportunity for us to participate in God’s plan to bring salvation to the world.

How are you participating in God’s plan in the part of the world where you live?

April 22, 2025
A1. Every Christian should know 4 Scriptures

Last year I read that every Christian should know 4 Scriptures by heart–the Golden Rule, the Golden Verse, John 3:16, the Great Commandments and the Great Commission (G.C.).

A friend of mine, Mark.Stebbins@Navigators.org, wrote in his recent newsletter that at this time in his ministry, he wanted to write about what God has put on his heart about the G.C. after over 50 years in missions and he solicited suggestions. I suggested he start off small, like a blog.

Afterward I realized, “I can do that too!” Therefore I have begun this blog in the hope that we can become ‘brother bloggers’; to give you insights into the G.C. from the heart of a life-long missionary and from the mind of a life-long scholar, in the hope that your understanding of the Great Commission will be expanded and you will be more committed to fulfilling it, starting right where you are.

April 21, 2025