Great Commission Strategy

When talking about the Great Commission many people focus on either the Matthew Great Commission or the Mark Great Commission.  Rarely do you ever hear someone talk about both being essential to our calling as Christians.

You’ll hear something like “we need to preach to everybody!”

or

“The Great Commission is about making disciples.”

When it’s really about both.

So here are the two:

¹⁵He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. ¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”  Mark 16:15-18

¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

So the Mark passage is all about Preaching to Everyone & the Matthew passage is about teaching or discipling all the nations.

Just a quick note on the Matthew Passage.  It says to make disciples of nations.  For too long we’ve been content to make disciples in nations when Jesus specifically commanded us to make disciples of nations.

Okay…I digress.

I believe the Mark commission is a generational commission whereas the Matthew commission is a multi-generational commission.

Mark says to preach to every creature in the planet.  Lets say you finally find the last person on the planet who needs to hear about the Kingdom and you go up to them and begin to tell them how awesome Jesus is.  And you’re so excited because this is the “last person” on the planet!

And while you’re sharing the 4 spiritual laws, or whatever method you prefer, a baby is born at that very second.  In fact, in 2008 they figured out that 4 babies are born every second in the world.

So even if you have your gospel presentation down to 10 seconds 40 people have been born around the planet that you now need to go find!

Therefore the Mark Commission is every single generation’s responsibility because it is a perpetual work.

Now the Matthew Commission is a Multi-Generational command.  Meaning you can do the work now and it will last 3 generations down the line.

I learned about this from non other than the golden arches, McDonald’s.

You can go to a MickeyD’s anywhere in the world and have the same experience nearly every single time.  Ever wonder why?

It’s because this guy named Ray Croc got together with the McDonald brothers years ago and saw that they had something going for them.  So Ray asked himself “How can I systematize this process so I can hand the system to a 15 year old kid and they can run it?”

And that’s what he did.  He created a system that to this day is used all over the world.  They basically sell you a business in a box for a million dollars.  You put the system to work and it will work for you.

What does this have to do with the Great Commission?

Everything!

Jesus told us in the Matthew Passage that we are supposed to teach the nations to obey his commands.  If Ray can do it with hamburgers; If he can teach a system that to this day works around the world if he’s there or not, surely we can teach a way to obey the commands of Jesus that will work in the nations no matter if we’re still alive or not.

And since we’re lining up the nations to the very design of the creator of the universe.  It will work!

Just think…what if we taught Government officials & business men how to really obey the command of Jesus to let your yes be yes, and your no be no.  That would make an amazing difference in our planet!

I believe in this so much that I write articles on this site about how to obey the commands of Jesus.  I’d love your input also!  So go visit those posts and leave a comment!

Many Blessings,

RK Castillo

As I was reading through Matthew I came across a verse that I have been pondering for the last couple weeks:

²⁰ Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.

²¹ Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

²² But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

²³ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.

Jesus is rebuking the cities where he did the most miracles because they had not changed their mind (repent) about the Kingdom and what Jesus was doing.

But the thing that I have been pondering is Jesus said that if the miracles that were done in Capernaum had been performed in Sodom they would have repented?!

Sodom is a famous city for their grotesque sin and they would have repented if they would have seen a level of miracles?

No Fire? No Brimstone? No wifey into a pillar of salt?

Why is it that miracles will cause a sinful city to repent?

I don’t know!  If you have an answer please leave it as a comment below!

If I had to guess….

Miracles are a demonstration of a higher power.  And I would say the miracles Jesus was doing in their city were of a truly high caliber; Probably deaf, blind, paralytics, maybe even dead people being raised.  So when Jesus performs these types of miracles it causes an automatic gut check.

God is here…and I don’t know if I want him in my life or not.

And their decision at that moment is what Jesus was rebuking them for.  They chose their own selfish ways instead of submitting to the Kingdom that he was demonstrating.

Why would it have cause Sodom to repent?

I don’t know if there was a demonstration of the greatness of God in that city?  There probably wasn’t.  If there were miracles in that city It would have been a declaration to that city that the One true God is here and he wants you to submit to him.  And according to Jesus they would have repented!

Now…if you’re attempting to reach your city without a demonstration of miracles.  I would ask why?

Jesus himself says that the way to reach a city, even a horribly sinful city, is to do public miracles.

So lets get out there and reach out city!

Many Blessings,

RK Castillo

Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Matthew 5:25

Although Jesus is saying this specifically about working settling disputes with an adversary taking you to court.  I think it can also be applied to matters with anyone or anything.

Settle matters quickly with your adversary.  Don’t bottle things up.  Don’t let things go and think time will heal.  Deal with matters quickly!  This is connected with the previous command to deal with anger but it is another aspect of it.

We are not just called to deal with anger.  We’re called to deal with anger QUICKLY!

So how do you go about obeying this command?  I’d love to hear how you do it!  Leave a comment below!

Action Point:

So how do you actually go about doing this?  Well, just yesterday I got upset at one of the guys that works with me on my team.  I said some things in anger and then we went into a prayer/worship time.  I was reading a book and praying and felt like God said you need to go apologize to that guy right now!

So I got up, walked over to the guy, tapped him on the shoulder and said “Hey bro, I apologize for getting upset about such and such.  I’m sorry”

That’s how I dealt with the anger I had and how I settled the matter quickly.

“”You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift”. Matt 5:21-24

Jesus starts of this command zeroing in on our heart issues.  You heard in the past that you shouldn’t murder people.  So where does the actual act of murdering come from?  It comes from a heart issue of anger.  And if you’re angry at your brother you are in danger of judgment!

This should put a little bit of the fear of the Lord in your heart.  Anger is basically the same as Murder in the eyes of God.  We need to deal with it as such too!

So what does Jesus say to do?

He says to go and deal with this thing even before you spend your time in worship to him.  Don’t even worship if you know someone has something against you.  Go to that person and be reconciled.   Do it right now!

So how do you actually obey this command?  I’d love to hear what you do.  Leave a comment below…..

Action Points:

It always interests me that if someone has something against us we are called to go and talk to that person, not them come and talk to us.  And he says in another verse if we have something against another person we are to take the initiative and go and talk to them.

So we have two options.  We can either Go or Go.  If you have something against somebody, Go.  If someone has something against you, Go.