“Go, Teach, Baptize”
By Tom Hanson
August 22nd,
2010
Click here to download printable sermon
notes in pdf format.
Intro:
We, as
Christians, have been given a job to do. It is a job that will occupy
us for
the rest of our lives. It is a task that Jesus gave to us through His
disciples
on that beautiful day two thousand years ago before He ascended into
Heaven. It
is the commandment that kept the early church fully involved and
thriving
throughout the Book of Acts. It has been called “The Great Commission.”
The Great
Commandment. But, truthfully, it could just as well be called the “The
Forgotten Commission.” The Forgotten Commandment.
Jesus left us a purpose, not just a church
motto.
I. Evangelize – Go:
Matthew
28: 18-20 …Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations…
Jesus
told us,
through His disciples, to go and teach and baptize. Very simple
instructions.
The Bible tells us that we are not be corrupted from the simplicity of
Christ.
2
Corinthinthians 11:3
…corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ.
An
evangelist is
“a preacher of the Gospel.” It is not necessarily a traveler of great
distances
to preach the Gospel, although some people do just that and rightly so.
But
Jesus told us to go and teach and in another place go and preach the
gospel to
every creature (Mark
16:15). Evangelize. There are many creatures - people – (NOTE: The word creature really
means, ‘created
being.’) we come across every day. We can see that the fields are white
to
harvest, but you are the only laborer in the harvest field of your
life, so we
must not overlook those around us. We don’t have to go half way around
the
world to evangelize the Gospel of Christ. Everywhere we go has the
potential of
saving a soul. God told Moses that he was standing on holy ground.
Exodus
3:5
…the place whereon thou
standest is holy ground.
When
we put on
Christ, everywhere we go is holy ground – we take off our shoes,
spiritually
speaking, and we have our feet shod in the preparation of the Gospel of
peace.
Where we walk is now holy ground.
Ephesians
6:15
And your feet shod
with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Preach
- Evangelize
2
Timothy 4:1 …Preach
the word; be
instant in season, out of season…
II. Educate – Teach
Who
is your teacher? Paul’s teacher was a man named
Gamaliel.
Acts
22:3
…brought up in this city
at the feet of Gamaliel…
But
Paul at this
time in his testimony did not know the Perfect One and therefore did
not know
the The Truth, The Whole Truth and nothing but The Truth. But, in time
he would
come to know Jesus and would become the greatest evangelist not only in
terms
of distance traveled but in preaching of the Gospel.
Are you teaching God’s
curriculum? There
will be a test – and it will be
pass/fail. And your
name is on it. Not
the names of the people that you are sharing
with. No, they have
their test, too, but
this test has only your name on it. You
will get an eternal grade and eternal comments: “Well done.” Or:
“Depart from
me.” So, every man
and woman needs to be
apt to teach.
2
Timothy 2:24
…be gentle
unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
We
teach more than the accuracy and
precision of The Word of God, but through our living examples.
1
Timothy 4:12-16
…be thou an
example of the believers, in word, in conversation...
III. Equip – Baptize –
Believing
and being baptized allows
us to put on Christ – to be complete in Him.
Colossians
2:10
And ye are complete in
him…
Now
we are
equipped in God’s Spirit and Truth and can be led by God to do His
will. We equip
those around in Christ through the
pastorship and leadership that God has provided us so generously with
and in
this ministry through
fellowship, Bible
studies, exhortation, and just a good attitude to do the work of God
that is
before us. All of this takes patience and determination, but it is
possible in
God as Jesus said:
Matthew
19:26
…With men
this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Remember:
Jesus gave us a job to
do. Go, teach, and baptize. Evangelize, educate, and equip.
Sermon
notes by Pete Shepherd
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