Devotional Focus: Fulfilling the Great Commission
Pray that this generation will fulfill the Great Commission.
“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, ESV)Following His resurrection from the dead, Jesus remained on earth for 40 days, appearing to and meeting with His followers on various occasions. Before returning to heaven, Jesus gathered His disciples and issued the greatest mandate of all mandates called the Great Commission. They, and all of His followers from that point, would need to take the message of the gospel to all nations, baptizing and discipling them. However, as recorded in Acts 1, Jesus instructed them first to remain in Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father—the empowerment of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. They would need His power to fulfill His commission to them.
Just prior to delivering the Great Commission, Jesus told His followers in Matthew 24:14, “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” From that day till now, Jesus’ followers have been working to fulfill the Great Commission; yet much more remains to be done. So many people have not yet received a viable witness of the gospel.
While we may long for the end of this age to be in God’s glorious presence, there is a great harvest field still before us. May this be the generation that will see the fulfillment of our Lord’s mandate!