How badly have we failed the Great Commission?

KenE@21B

Well-Known Member
As followers of Jesus Christ we literally have one job: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age"

The result (reward) for believers obediently carrying out the instructions of our Saviour is eternity with Him: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
However, in the nearly five decades that I have been born again, all I have seen is church congregations building bigger and grander edifices, at enormous monetary cost.

These are then run as businesses, requiring treasurers, finance and maintenance committees, project managers, etc, with huge salaries being paid to the pastor (often this is split between him and his wife to reduce taxation).

I do not see anywhere in Scripture where Believers are instructed to do this - in fact I have actually had some of my best church meetings in rented school halls.

In the small town where I grew up and worked in South Africa, I lived in one house for 25 years. In a 10km radius around this house there are at least 30 churches of various denominations.

Sadly, in those 25 years, I only ever had ONE church come knocking at my door to share their 'Gospel Message' - and that was when 2 young men from the Jehova's Witness church came around to clock up their 'works-based' quota of visitations.

In the next city that I moved to, there are currently over 200 churches, many of them built on prime property. A very conservative estimate of the combined value of these churches would be enough to send half a million missionaries out into the world for three years to spread the Good News of the Kingdom.

Many huge, historical churches around the world have already fallen into disuse, some being used for rave parties and other worldly events.

So - to get to the point - if church leaders REALLY believed the Word of God, they would understand that the greatest priority of the Body of Christ should be to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

All that is needed to accomplish this is enough people and money - but to date, money has always been the one constraint that has prevented enough people from getting the job done!

Besides, after the Great Tribulation, one would expect that most of these grand edifices will lie in ruins anyway....

Although this article may appear controversial, when seen in the light of the Great Commission and it's eternal reward, I'm afraid it does seem that we have missed a great opportunity to use what the Lord has blessed us with, to accomplish the task He set before us.
 

Purchased With Blood

Well-Known Member
The result (reward) for believers obediently carrying out the instructions of our Saviour is eternity with Him
I hate being disagreeable but this is too important. Our eternity with our Savior is based on grace through faith alone and not of works. This includes works related to the Great Commission. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Our eternal rewards, such as crowns and positions in the Kingdom of Heaven, are based upon things such as evangelism and obedient living. These rewards will be given at the Bema Seat Judgment for believers, but this is an entirely separate issue from being justified by God for simply believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Romans 11:6 says, "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."

Yes, being with our Savior for eternity is the greatest reward, but not what Paul was speaking of generally when he wrote about rewards in his epistles. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 says, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

Grace and peace to you.
 

Andy C

Well-Known Member
Although this article may appear controversial, when seen in the light of the Great Commission and it's eternal reward, I'm afraid it does seem that we have missed a great opportunity to use what the Lord has blessed us with, to accomplish the task He set before us.
Is this your own personal post, or is the entire post an article written by someone else? If its an article, you need to post the link to the article.
 

Everlasting Life

Through Faith in Jesus
the greatest priority of the Body of Christ should be to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Amen! :nod May the Lord show all of us individually how He would have us follow His instructions in our lives and communities. :pray

It's true that there are those who claim the name of Christ but have missed the way of Christ in His instructions to share the Gospel but rather utilized the tools of the world to build a church seemingly missing the power of Christ.

However, there are those who are faithfully following the Lord's commission and instructions throughout the New Testament on how to be a church pointing to Christ and souls are being saved. A church in my community, a solid bible teaching one is quite busy right now making room for and coming alongside around 300 brand new Christians who've placed their faith in Jesus recently. So, be encouraged, God is working and responding to hearts who desire to serve Him in getting His Gospel out and He has His people faithfully working.

All that is needed to accomplish this is enough people and money - but to date, money has always been the one constraint that has prevented enough people from getting the job done!

I can understand where one may think this way and it's true that there's definitely a financial need and a need for people to serve. But, I think the foundational aspect of God's church are people who's hearts are yielding to the Holy Spirit first, to seek God's will and His direction, trusting that the Lord will provide financially and whatever else is needed.

I love how in Zechariah I learn that it's not by my might, power, but by God's Holy Spirit that God builds:

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6

And in Matthew 16 Jesus speaks of how He is going to build His church:

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it. Matthew 16:18

So, my prayer is, "Lord, where are you building and where do you want me to be part of your work?"

For Jesus is in charge of the harvest:

He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

Matt 9:37-38

And as we seek His Kingdom, His righteousness, He'll provide the resources:

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Matthew 6:33


I was involved in a ministry one time where we really needed a soundboard tech who knew what they were doing. We could've gone out and hired someone, we even announced our need to the group being served. But, it was realized one day that we had neglected to pray to our Father in Heaven who can provide all things for our needs. So, we quickly made sure to present our need to Him in prayer and actually forgot about it for a couple of weeks. One day after the function a lady came up to us asking if we needed a sound board tech to which we answered, 'yes!' She had just been laid off from a major news company, was familiar with the exact soundboard we had and volunteered her services to run it for free.

We could've easily looked at the impossible problem and impossible people but when we remember that God can do all things, provide abundantly, move hearts and is working and to pray for His direction, guidance, and provision according to His will, that's when I've seen things happen which has quite astonished me.

Yes, there is a responsibility for the Church to be about the Lord's great commission, I'm praying that the Lord would send more workers, around the work and in your neck of the woods as well. :pray
 

Tall Timbers

Imperfect but forgiven
We're all different parts of one body. I'd like to say we haven't failed. Everyone who was gonna get saved will get saved. Not all of us are preachers or teachers. Some are servants, etc. Together we make up the Body of Christ and the world does hear the gospel, whether or not individuals listen to the message. My message to my Brothers and Sisters is, rest in Jesus, and if/when you feel prompted, listen to that still small voice. Don't ever feel like you've failed Christ. Just love and appreciate our wonderful God and be willing to do what you feel moved to do in His name.
 

Matthew6:33

Withstand in the evil day. Eph 6:13
Good posts. Who wrote this article?

I always thought the Church assembly is for fellowship, corporate worship, teaching the bible, and equiping the saints for doing the work of God.

It is up to the Spirit filled (fed and nurtured) flock to evangelize as they are lead (using their unique gifts).
 

Jaybird

Well-Known Member
Good posts. Who wrote this article?

I always thought the Church assembly is for fellowship, corporate worship, teaching the bible, and equiping the saints for doing the work of God.

It is up to the Spirit filled (fed and nurtured) flock to evangelize as they are lead (using their unique gifts).
I think Tall Timbers was on the right track. What does the Scripture say?

Corinthians 12: 17-31:

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
 

usoutpost31

Well-Known Member
This article is over a year old, but it does identify trends, taking the long view.

https://research.lifeway.com/2022/01/31/7-encouraging-trends-of-global-christianity-in-2022/


1. Religious faith is growing faster than the irreligious.

While the number of all religious people is growing at a 1.27% rate, the growth rate of nonreligionists is less than half that—0.52%, well below the total population growth percentage. In particular, the number of atheists is almost stagnant, only growing 0.18% per year.

2. Christianity continues to grow.

Not only is religion growing overall, but Christianity specifically is growing. With a 1.17% growth rate, almost 2.56 billion people will identify as a Christian by the middle of 2022. By 2050, that number is expected to top 3.33 billion.

3. Growth is fastest in the global South.

The places where Christianity is growing the fastest? Africa (2.77% growth) and Asia (1.50%).
In 1900, twice as many Christians lived in Europe than in the rest of the world combined. Today, more Christians live in Africa than any other continent. By 2050, Africa will be home to almost 1.3 billion Christians, while Latin America (686 million) and Asia (560 million) will both have more than Europe (497 million) and North America (276 million).

4. Christianity continues to spread out.

As Christianity continues to grow in the global South, it is also becoming increasingly less concentrated. In 1900, 95% of all Christians lived in a majority Christian country. In 2022, that number has fallen to 53.7%. By 2050, most Christians (50.4%) around the world will live in non-majority Christian nations.

5. The percentage of non-Christians who know a Christian is climbing.

With more Christians living outside of Christian nations, more non-Christians know a Christian. In 1900, only 5.4% of non-Christians could identify a Christian they knew. That percentage has risen to 18.3% today. By 2050, 1 in 5 non-Christians (20%) will know a follower of Jesus and have the opportunity to hear the gospel from them.
As a result, the percentage of unevangelized people around the world continues to fall. In 1900, more than half of the world’s population (54.3%) was unevangelized. That has now fallen to 28%.

6. More than 90 million Bibles will be printed this year.​

As Christianity continues to grow, the printing of Bibles continues to grow along with it. This year, 93 million copies of God’s word will be printed, up from 54 million in 2000 and 5 million in 1900. By 2025, 100 million Bibles will be printed each year. Currently, almost 1.8 billion Bibles are in circulation around the world. That will climb to 2.3 billion by 2050.
 

Jeff K

Well-Known Member
As followers of Jesus Christ we literally have one job: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age"

The result (reward) for believers obediently carrying out the instructions of our Saviour is eternity with Him: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
However, in the nearly five decades that I have been born again, all I have seen is church congregations building bigger and grander edifices, at enormous monetary cost.

These are then run as businesses, requiring treasurers, finance and maintenance committees, project managers, etc, with huge salaries being paid to the pastor (often this is split between him and his wife to reduce taxation).

I do not see anywhere in Scripture where Believers are instructed to do this - in fact I have actually had some of my best church meetings in rented school halls.

In the small town where I grew up and worked in South Africa, I lived in one house for 25 years. In a 10km radius around this house there are at least 30 churches of various denominations.

Sadly, in those 25 years, I only ever had ONE church come knocking at my door to share their 'Gospel Message' - and that was when 2 young men from the Jehova's Witness church came around to clock up their 'works-based' quota of visitations.

In the next city that I moved to, there are currently over 200 churches, many of them built on prime property. A very conservative estimate of the combined value of these churches would be enough to send half a million missionaries out into the world for three years to spread the Good News of the Kingdom.

Many huge, historical churches around the world have already fallen into disuse, some being used for rave parties and other worldly events.

So - to get to the point - if church leaders REALLY believed the Word of God, they would understand that the greatest priority of the Body of Christ should be to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

All that is needed to accomplish this is enough people and money - but to date, money has always been the one constraint that has prevented enough people from getting the job done!

Besides, after the Great Tribulation, one would expect that most of these grand edifices will lie in ruins anyway....

Although this article may appear controversial, when seen in the light of the Great Commission and it's eternal reward, I'm afraid it does seem that we have missed a great opportunity to use what the Lord has blessed us with, to accomplish the task He set before us.
We have to remember that each believer will stand before Christ as an individual, not as a member of a church or a group.

When I was attending a "seeker friendly church", the pastor acually stood on stage and told the congregation, "do not try to give the gospel on your own, bring those people here and let the professionals do it" (quote to the best of my memory). I left that church shortly after that statement.

We each receive the power of the Holy Spirit to be a witness for Christ. Although many churches fail, we need to take personal responsibility for what we are doing with the gospel, for some day, those books will be laid open before us, and we'll be standing there on our own - before Jesus.

We have missed the great commission? Or, I have missed the great comission? I'll start with the "I", personally.
 

KenE@21B

Well-Known Member
Thanks to everyone who responded to this post. I appreciate the input and constructive criticism.

I do realise that God's timing is perfect, and I agree with Tall Timbers that Jesus will not lose a single soul He was given.

The truth remains that an incredible amount of money has been spent (globally) on property and buildings which will one day be empty or destroyed. This could have been far better utilized (including feeding and clothing the billions of starving people in this world, supplying the medical needs of the underprivileged, etc)
 

Purchased With Blood

Well-Known Member
James 2:17 "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
The Great Commission is not a call to faith but to spread the Gospel.
James 2:17 does not mean we have to work our way to our salvation. "Dead" in this context means fruitless, it does not mean salvation is lost and we are cast into the Lake of Fire at the Great White Throne Judgment if we don't obediently carry out the instructions of our Savior. God's standard of obedience is absolute perfection if we are to be saved by works, which we will never be able to do. We are saved by grace through faith alone, and not of works.


The result (reward) for believers obediently carrying out the instructions of our Saviour is eternity with Him
If the Great Commission has "failed" it's because of the proliferation of false works-based doctrines. Our eternity with Him is not the result of obediently carrying out the instructions of our Saviour. Obviously that is a works-based doctrine. We are saved by grace through faith alone, and not of works.
 
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Purchased With Blood

Well-Known Member
The Great Commission is not a call to faith but to spread the Gospel.
The Gospel, according to 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, is that "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." A person has faith in the Gospel and then they receive everlasting life.
 
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