Comments on: More on The Great Commandment vs. The Great Commission

By: johnshore

johnshore — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:50:55 +0000

Beautiful, Snow.

This whole exchange–all of these posts–have made for some great reading. Everyone's being so thoughtful and kind. It's great.

By: snowhite197

snowhite197 — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 18:25:25 +0000

I think if the Holy Spirit is truly leading you to witness to a person, of course you should obey Him. On the other hand, I think John is mainly focusing on how we should interact with our non-Christian friends and loved ones who we see on a daily or regular basis, outside of times when we may be directly commanded by God to testify.

Now some people… perhaps Mr. Johnston above?… have the gift of evangelism. They tend to be very likeable, sweet and extremely honest/genuine people who also aren't really too afraid of what others think of them. Mr. Rogers also comes to mind.

Not everyone is the same, though. My husband, for example, is a very private person. He doesn't make fast friendships with people like some are capable of. However, he also has plenty of opportunity to talk about his beliefs b/c other people ask about his faith all the time! This is because he

1. obeys God's word and does not make excuses or try to explain why he acts in a different way than non-christians

& 2. lives a life that is filled with joy, freedom and fellowship with other Christians and invites others to share in that life.

My husband does not really actively seek to evangelize others, but he ends up doing it anyways b/c people see something in him that is different, and b/c they see that he has and is capable of making very meaningful, rich relationships with others. This is huge b/c, as a wise person once told me, no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

By: Persephone

Persephone — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 14:42:16 +0000

I have struggled with this since first becoming a Christian–how to fulfill Christ's commission in a way that will draw, instead of drive, others away. Witnessing through the way we live is one thing, but is it enough? I believe not. It simply opens up opportunities for sharing the faith–through the living word, when the time is ripe, and as the Holy Spirit leads. I completely agree with Mr. Johnston on the power of praying for the other person and speaking as we are led. Since every person is unique and different, it follows that the words we will be led to say would also be that which will speak to them directly, rather than a generic spiel.

By: Eudokia Roberts

Eudokia Roberts — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:31:38 +0000

Christ has declared the ultimate importance of the great commission, the influencing of every person from all walks of life. We are to go into "ALL" the world. So much for the small segment of society that has the strange notion of a legitimate concept called the 'seperation of church and state.' We certainly know where Jesus stood on it.

I guess if I truly loved Jesus I would do as He says because I would not want a single person to experience the horrors that would have awaited me if not for the love of God that saved me. In a sense evangelizing to unbelievers can be seen by some as a blessing and by others as a curse.

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 30 May 2007 02:28:35 +0000

Jesus came to save the lost and heal the broken hearted. And for that I am SO thankful. Without both the great commandment and great comission I would still be lost and broken. Why are we afraid to speak as Jesus taught us to?

Nick

By: Johnny Johnston

Johnny Johnston — Tue, 29 May 2007 20:26:13 +0000

The Bible teaches us to speak the truth in love. If we truly love our neighbors as ourselves we cannot keep from them the only truth that will save them.

I have learned in 50 years of ministry that if I pray earnestly for others, I have an overwhelming love for them in my heart. I find myself being very careful with my words and their feelings. My conversation with them seems to flow so naturally that I know I am being carried along by the Holy Spirit. I have also learned to concentrate on the great thing God did for us when he sent His Son. It is the greatest act of love witnessed by this universe we live in. Just like the shepherds heard, "I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people." After a session like this, I often hear, words like "what must I do?"

When I hear interest like this, I tell them the worlds in Romans 10 – If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

With a prayerful caring approach like this, I seldom experience a harsh rejection. I have preached, taught and witnessed like this for at least 30 years. I only wish I had done so for the first 20.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 29 May 2007 20:21:06 +0000

The Golden Rule according to Matthew 7:12 says, "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them". Again, in Matthew 22:39 Jesus says, "You shall love your neighbor as your self." No human is perfect. I love myself recognizing that I am not perfect and have faults. Whatever these faults may be, I still love myself. I also love my children and my wife knowing that they are not perfect but I love them anyway. Understanding that biblically "my neighbor" is any human who comes into contact with me (Luke 10:25-37), and recognizing that I am not perfect nor is my neighbor perfect, God wants me to attempt to love my neighbor as myself. This attempt is treasured by God and He will reward my obedience. John 15:9-10 says we (believers) will abide in the love of Christ Jesus when we attempt to keep God's commandments. Therefore, we are to try and love every non-believer as ourselves but we recognize that we and they have faults. What is all this leading to? God loves all humans knowing that we all have faults; "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick" (Jeremiah 17:9). And didn't God expect us who are now believers to change when we were unsaved? Doesn't Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17 tell us we have changed; "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away"? The Great Commandment and the Great Commission are therefore, very compatible. We evangelize asking our neighbor to change fully loving them for who they are with all their faults just as God loves unbelievers for who they are: potential children of God who will co-inherit all the riches and rewards God has in store for those who love Him through the grace of salvation. Didn't you change when you were saved? God and believers expect the unsaved to change also, all the while loving them as God once loved us before we were saved.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Tue, 29 May 2007 20:04:17 +0000

God loves us all when we are not even Christians, yet. And while He loves us, He makes sure that somehow we get the message that we are not ok, and we need to change.

Since He is our model and He wants us to do as He did/does, we also have the capacity to love and also give the message that someone is not ok, and needs to change.

I don't see the conflict.

I don't see the conflict in that.

By: Dan Cartwright

Dan Cartwright — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:36:11 +0000

The 'art' of evangelizing with words, for lack of a better term, to me means that somehow I need to approach the subject of the 'deadness' of spirit without Christ without driving people away.

Christ died and was resurrected first of all to bring the dead to life. All the stuff of having a better life is iw window dressing. It will happen, on His terms, not ours. Inviting someone to come to Crrist just for the better life is like giving someone a parachute at 30,000 feet to wear for a more comfortable ride.

If someone is living in rebellion against God, there will be resistance and a driving away just talking about the God of the Bible. If someone in whom the Holy Spirit has begun a work (a 'drawing') quoting the Apostle Paul concerning being 'dead in trespasses and sin' can cause lights to turn on in the one to whom one is witnessing. The same Holy Spirit who inspired the Bible is working in the true 'seeker'. The Holy Spirit will embrace the truth, but the enemy may try and cause resistance.

Rick is 'right on' concerning the Holy Spirit. He will attract the true seeker and be an offense to many. And even among those multitudes who were attracted to Him, there were many who left when He spoke of the hard things like dying to self.

Concerning the world, as a believer I live as a pilgrim and am already in it (the world – living behind enemy lines) and don't need to 'go' very far to find it.

So much for the musings of an old soldier.

Blessings to you!

Dan

By: Rick Miller

Rick Miller — Mon, 28 May 2007 23:54:55 +0000

After reading your posting on Crosswalk, I like the title of your book, I'm OK-You're Not, and I'm looking forward to reading it soon. I have my opinion about the compatibility of the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Of course they are compatible. Jesus can do nothing else. But I have to work through it and ask the Holy Spirit to get it straight in my damaged brain. And every time I go into the "world" I must display the love of Christ to them. As Jesus' cousin John said, "I must decrease and He must increase." In this way the attraction of Jesus that compelled multitudes to go to Him will replace my attitude of "change to be like me, or burn!" I must daily, minute by minute, be filled by the Spirit of Jesus to attract and not offend.