The Great Commission Conundrum

This is how I feel I am perceived sometimes when I talk about God...

"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped 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, baptizing 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.'" Matthew 28:16-20

The passage above is what Christians refer to as the Great Commission. It is Jesus' last words to his remaining disciples following his resurrection and prior to his ascension back to heaven. It is why churches do mission work. It is why churches evangelize. It is why Christians, regardless of denomination or church affiliation are called to spread the good news. And, to me, it is the most difficult and frustrating aspect of the entire Christian walk. Let's get real for a minute.

I realize that saying the purpose of Christianity is the most difficult aspect seems a bit off. And, it's not that I dislike that aspect. On the contrary, I can see no greater pursuit in this current life than to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. 

Obviously these days, suggesting that evangelizing is a good way to live one's life is a good way to get people to laugh at you. 

"Pursuit of happiness is life's purpose," they might say. "Follow your heart and live for today!"

These sentiments, while common, are certainly empty in their promises. It is secular man's way of coping with the inevitibility of death, and the seeming unknown that awaits after this life. Christians have hope in what awaits after this life, and so we see these empty cliches for what they are. Simple societal fluff, without much foundation. 

Sure we can try to be happier, or to make more money to have more stable lives, but our sole purpose should be using whatever gifts and talents we have been blessed with to honor and pursue Christ, and to spread the news of his sacrifice. 

This brings me to my frustration. As it turns out (and I'm pretty sure Jesus mentioned it) the world is not entirely receptable to this message of hope. In fact, it is downright against it in many cases. That isn't to say there aren't people willing to listen to our words. That isn't even to say some of the most die hard anti-Christian people have not been brought to an understanding and faith in Christ. It is possible, as with God all things are possible. That doesn't mean though, that everyone on this earth will come to God. 

The reality of the gospel is that it has the power to draw people near to God, and to harden them further away. 

Look at Pharaoh in Moses' day. Though God further hardened it, Pharaoh was already hardening his heart to God's message. It wouldn't matter who tried to compel him for God, he wouldn't have gone that route. 

Similarly, when we pursue those who don't believe, we must realize that not everyone will believe. Christ said in the passage above that "some doubted." It is expected that we cannot reach everyone.

Christians have tried numerous methods over time to draw in those to faith in Christ, with measured success and failure. I'll list some of the more well known below:

1. Apologetics (A good way): I would define it this way: A pursuit that seeks to answer every (or nearly every) question an unbeliever may have about the faith in order to sway his or her opinion and bring them to a realization of Christ. 

I'll be honest, this has been my method of choice for awhile. In my heart, I felt that being able to logically answer the objections to the faith (where apologetics comes from: to defend the faith), I could sway the opinions of my loved ones. 

It is a noble pursuit, but certainly not the only means for spreading the gospel. There are some great ministries out there that make this their primary focus, and in all honesty, they do reach many. 

What frustrates me about this approach though, is that even the most logical argument for Christianity, will not necessarily cut to the heart of the listener. It's great for getting to the head, but the heart often still rebels, and apologetics, unless the Spirit intervenes, cannot always reach those people. 

Our church is about to participate in a great campaign throughout the Austin area called "Explore God." It's a great idea, and the fact that 250 different churches have agreed and come together on this one thing is a miracle in itself. During the promotion of it, pastors will be preaching on some of the tough questions posed by those outside of the faith. Even now at "http://www.exploregod.com, there are numerous questions and answers posted. 

The idea is to equip Christians (however knowledgeable about their faith) to be able to have an honest, simple conversation with someone who doesn't believe. Listening is the big part of it, and not engaging in grand theological apologetic debates will play into the more heart directed aspect. The idea is giving a willing ear, explaining our stories and why we believe, and just loving the person in fellowship. 

In a city like Austin, there will no doubt be pushback, but I think Christians have much to look forward to in the upcoming months with this campaign. 

2. Prosperity Preaching (A Bad way)- The misguided attempt to draw in converts by promising God's blessings of health and wealth if they simply believe it.

I'm not a big fan of this one myself. While it is true that God can bless us, God is not going to get us a new Mercedes because of converting to Christianity. And, to the preachers suggesting that, some inner analysis would do some good. 

By bringing in people to the faith who expect nothing but God's blessings to rain down on them the minute they accept Jesus, we create shallow Christians. These Christians expect that Christianity is all about Good feelings and good times, and the minute something happens contrary to that, they may fall away. 

The Bible promises blessing, but also testing and trial. We grow through adversity, and maturing our faith is of the utmost importance once we accept Christ and are justified in him. It's a huge part of the day-to-day sanctification process to strive ever more to live as Christ would have us live. Suffering for Christians is disciplinary and meant for strengthening of our reliance on God, even when everything in our body screams for another response. 

Does prosperity preaching win converts? Absolutely, but in many cases it's not the lasting dedication to the faith the Christ is speaking of when he says to make disciples of the nations. We see in the case of Judas, just how prosperity potential played into his betrayal. Wealth and health will pass away, but Christ is forever.

3. Love is all you need Preaching (A so-so way)- This would be preaching that focuses primarily on the Love of God to draw in those who are compelled by that emotional connection.

I'm calling this one a mixed bag. I do not suggest we don't love those who we are ministering to, but we have to also balance our "love preaching" with full gospel truth.

In reality, the first part of the Gospel is the bad news/ convicting part. We only get to the good news of it, when we learn that Christ took the penalty of God's wrath for us on the cross. Prior to that line, it's pretty bad news for humans. 

To start with the love, or to even focus on it so much that one never learns why it's important, is to neglect an important part of the Gospel. 

Again, this can lead to many false doctrines creeping into the body of the church. We can begin to see Jesus as simply our good buddy, and not as savior. We begin to see God as the old man in the sky who exists to fulfill our wants and needs. 

The reality of the gospel is that we are sinners, separated from God by our sin. Without Christ bridging that Chasm, we are under the wrath of God, and frankly, in bad shape. When we trust Christ for our justification from sin, that gap is bridged and we have fellowship again with our Creator, as in the first days with Adam and Eve. Without that belief and justification in Christ, we are lost.

Not quite as "good news" to hear the whole story, but still extremely extremely important for Christians to know. Whether new to the faith or long term, these basic principles have to be understood if one is to truly be able to call oneself, "Christian." 

There are many other methods used, but those three have an element of a good way, middle of the road way, and bad way to lead people to Christ. 

As I strive to witness and speak to people about Christ, I have not yet found a method that reaches them completely. Since becoming a Christian, I have loaded up on apologetics, and spent a lot of intellectual pursuit trying to understand exactly why I believe. I suppose that is so if someone were to ask, I could be ready to give a reason for the hope I have. By that same note though, I'm full of information with no real outlet for it. 

If I walk up to some random dude on the street and begin spouting theology they're going to run the other way. So, how are Christians supposed to disciple the lost? 

We have examples of walking the walk, like mission work. A simple act like that can often sway opinion in favor of Christians. Frankly, a lot of our behavior plays a huge part. 

If so many Christians weren't acting crazy all the time, the world probably wouldn't mind us so much. If they saw the normal fellowship and worship services, the helping hand lent to a neighbor in need, they'd be lining up to come to Christ. 

Sadly, in our fallen world, even Christians aren't perfect, and we do stupid things often. We are held to a higher standard because of Christ, so it's easy to see how an unbeliever would be put off by some Christian behavior when our Savior laid out a very specific way to behave in the world. 

As I reflect on this writing (and for whatever purpose I felt compelled to write), I realize I have more close friends and family opposed to Christ than for Him. I have more Christian friends and family who would rather "do good things" than understand the real meaning of Christ. The world's mindset and values has slipped into the church, and we are paying the price daily. 

It hurts me to think that even with all my theological knowledge I cannot seem to effectively witness to anyone.

How then, do I fulfill Christ's commission? 

I've found over time that prayer is really the only true answer to that question. It is God who can compel the hearts of the unbeliever to repentance and faith. Christ may have commissioned his disciples to spread the good news, but it's God the Holy Spirit who opens hearts to be receptive to that news. I could give the most profound, exact answer in the world to someone with only one question keeping them from belief, and without God moving on their heart, they'd still not actively choose faith. 

And so, as it is a dual effort, I feel slightly more encouraged. Going alone to preach the good news, without prayer and God, is beating our heads against a brick wall. 

This gives me more hope. I am a bit forward in my attempts to spout theological knowledge to try to convince people of Christ, but truly if it is time for that person to know Christ, it will be God's working on their heart. God might use my words to compel that, or He might not. I suppose there's some beauty in that. 

It is much more fulfilling, and less frustrating, to know God has our hand even in spreading news about himself. God does love every one of his creations, and even though some will ultimately still reject his offer of love and salvation, countless more will accept and spread the good news. We cannot control those who reject the gospel. We want to, especially in the case of friends and family. But, ultimately, loving and ministering to needs may be all we can do with those people. Explaining deep theological truth will not sway them without God making them receptive. 

So brethren, as we go out, trying to fulfill our calling in Christ, using our gifts and talents to further the kingdom, let us always remember that it is God who does the work on the hearts, and let us trust that his love for the lost will bring in a wonderfully abundant number to faith in Christ.