You Talkin' To Me?

One of the important things to consider when reading the Bible is WHO is being spoken to. Check this out.

"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 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 28:16-20

This passage is referred to as The Great Commission. Pastors often use this text to encourage churchgoers to "spread the Gospel." But WHO specifically was Jesus talking to?

Jesus was only talking to the 11 disciples. Not to ALL of His disciples. Just the 11. He put them in charge of forming The Church. They traveled far and wide, preaching The Word, performing "signs and wonders," and setting up local churches.

Here's another example on the same command from Jesus. Note that he is now speaking to the 11 Apostles.

"In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen." - Acts 1:1-2

Again, there were only 11 apostles left of those that Jesus had chosen.

[Side note: Apostles are also disciples, but not all disciples are apostles.]

The Great Commission is also mentioned in Mark and Luke. In Mark, the writer refers to them as "the Eleven" (capital E). And Luke, who also wrote the Book of Acts, again used "the Eleven." But additional names were ALSO mentioned - the two walking to Emmaus, one specifically named Cleopas.

The point of all this is to say that the Great Commission was given specifically to a very few people. Not to all of Jesus' disciples. And they DID go to "the ends of the earth" at that time. They established the foundation for the church. True, they took other disciples with them, to help them, as they went, but the 11 were in charge.

We here in today's world, some 2,000 years later, were not given the Great Commission. The church already exists. Yes, we evangelize, Yes, we become missionaries. But the foundation of the church was already laid 2,000 years ago by the Apostles. They came up with the structure, the qualifications for church leadership, etc.

If we truly ARE disciples of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit lives within us, we can't help but share the Good News with others. It is the Holy Spirit urging us to share that Good News.

Your faith and personal story of how Jesus changed YOUR life was given to you from above. It's a wonderful story. Share it!

The Foundation of The Church - Gotquestions.org

You Talkin' To Me? - Robert de Niro