Scripture Matthew 28:16-20
Then the
eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to
go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but
some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and
said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, 20 and
teaching them to obey everything I
have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age."
What has this text been named?
THE GREAT
COMMISSION
What does verse 20 say? teaching
them to obey everything I
have commanded you! Everything I have
commanded you means – teach them the red letters…the things Jesus has said.
Even the greatest commission in all scripture tells us to know and teach HIS
words. To share…to spread his word throughout the world. That is the task of
the church, of the individual Christian and of The Gideons International.
Spread of the bible around the world as Guy is coming up
Guy
Esbin share about the Gideon Ministry.
BRIEFLY
RETELL THE5219 PARABLE OF THE SOIL AND THE SEED
Matt 13:3-23
Then he
told them many things in parables, saying: A farmer
went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the
path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did
not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But
when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they
had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty
or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.
10 The
disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the
people in parables?"
He replied, The
knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but
not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.
Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I
speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they
do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9-10: You will be ever hearing but never
understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's
heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have
closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their
ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. But
blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I
tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see
but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
Listen
then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message
about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches
away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one
who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word
and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a
short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly
falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man
who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of
wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that
fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces
a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
The purpose of the parable is
two-fold as there are two audiences for hearing it.
The first audience is the crowd
(of whom the disciples are also a part) Jesus puts out a test to see how people
will respond to his word. Are you good soil or bad soil? There are not really 4
soils – there are two – the first 3 are simply variations of bad soil and the
second is the good soil. Bad soil (most of the crowd) reject Jesus and his
word. The good soil (the disciples) receive and believe Jesus and His Word.
Spread of Christianity around the world
The second audience are the
disciples only. Jesus explains the parable to them and now they are to follow
Jesus in what he has done and begin spreading the word like the Coronavirus is
spreading around the world. What an impact Jesus and His word would have if
everyone infected with the Jesus disease would get out and spread what they
know and have experienced.
THE
SECRET RESISTANCE
During the occupation
of Europe by Nazi Germany during World War II, concentration camps mushroomed
throughout Europe where Jews and other minority groups were at first confined
and later executed. The fear of arrest that everyday people felt turned to a
paralyzing terror. Daily life was dominated by the presence of the German
military.
But there arose
within the terror another response – the underground “resistance” – made up of
various secret diverse groups of civilians as well as armed bands of guerrilla
fighters worked secretly against the occupation. Their activities ranged from
publishing clandestine newspapers to assisting the escape of Jews and Allied
airmen shot down over enemy territory to committing acts of sabotage and
ambushing German patrols. These were brave men and women, who could not overtly
resist the powerful German forces but who covertly operated to bring freedom to
their people.
But the will and
the ability to fight on covertly was in large measure kept alive by one abiding
hope – the rumored coming Allied invasion. From the first German Blitzkrieg of
Poland in 1939 to those in the successful German invasions of Belgium, the
Netherlands, and France in 1940, millions of people were oppressed for years.
The effort, ability, and resources of the resistance would most likely have
disappeared except for that hope of the coming of liberation. As the months and
years dragged on, one of the most important efforts of the resistance was
preparing for and coordinating with the invasion by conveying intelligence
information to the Allies. Finally, on June 6, 1944, D-Day, the Allied invasion
of western Europe began.
The resistance
provides a modern illustration of the effectiveness of hidden power. It proved
dramatically effective in keeping the Nazi war machine off balance, it gave
inspiration to the common people throughout Europe, and in spite of its
apparent helplessness the resistance drew on the promised hope of the Allied
invasion to coordinate its efforts at liberation.
Nazi Germany – secret resistance
– like those who spread the word -provides hope to those condemned in this
world while we await the promised return and final victory of Jesus our savior.
Those who have received and
believed should spread the word of God (the words of Jesus) like the corona
virus trying to infect as many people as possible for the glory of God. Or like
the Nazi resistance who never gave up because of a future hope that usher in a
new eternal kingdom.
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