Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10.
God’s kingdom is an unfamiliar concept. We might talk about a country and citizenship rather than a kingdom, but those elements are integrated into the idea of God’s Kingdom. God’s Kingdom is His rule over a people or place. He is the sovereign ruler of the universe, so He sustains the very nature of our existence. In this context, His kingdom is about His redemptive plan to reconcile people back into a relationship with Him, in this case, His people, Israel.
His kingdom program centered on Jesus, who came as God’s anointed One and was sent to the lost house of Israel. His gospel called Israel to repent and return to the Lord God. Jesus’ presence and message was to restore Israel to their Heavenly Father so He might fulfill His covenant promises to His people.
Israel’s rejection of Christ ultimately opened the door for the Gentiles to step into God’s covenant promises through the death, burial, and resurrection of His One and Only Son. Those who believe in the Father’s credibility and put their faith in the redemptive work of His Son are delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of His beloved Son. His kingdom work will be entrusted to His followers to carry out this same kingdom work, not just with Israel but also with the Gentiles.
This meant that the coming Messianic Kingdom that fulfilled the promises to David would not see its fulfillment at the time of Christ. But His gospel to restore individuals to a relationship with the Father, through His Son, would continue until that time of fulfillment.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.
The Great Commission is Christ’s kingdom work here on earth. I notice four things that are critical to participating in this kingdom work:
- The focus is on making disciples. His authority gives us the responsibility to be His witnesses and, in so doing, to be engaged in making disciples. His authority is not about personal business success, a safe life, financial freedom, or independence but about making disciples.
- Christ’s call to make disciples is for all who claim to be disciples. The text does not say that missionaries are to make disciples, nor does it say thatonly those with the gift of evangelism should make disciples. Disciples, people who are followers of Christ, are to make disciples. I believe Matthew does this purposefully so that people cannot find an excuse not to participate if the label or giftedness does not fit them.
- A disciple living in obedience is committed to sharing the gospel and teaching those who become followers of Christ to obey all that Christ commanded. This is not a choice of doing one or the other. A disciple lives on the mission and invests in others to become a mature disciple of Jesus. Disciple-making is not just about teaching to obey; it must also include reaching the lost with the gospel. We do not have the right to do one without the other.
- Making disciples is not about having a particular gift. I cannot tell you how many people have told me that Christ has not called them to make disciples, or they do not have the gift for it. Jesus only said you have to be witnesses of the person of Christ and how He has changed your life. He never spoke of this related to giftedness.
Pastor Brad Little