Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. ~ Matthew 28:16-20

  This is a well-known verse from the Bible. And, I might add, it is a highly condensed passage encompassing an enormous concept. The Lord begins by declaring that "All power in heaven and on earth is given to me." This is an amazing statement considering the scope of planet Earth, the worldly powers that existed even at that time, and the implication that it was for an eternity. But that is exactly what He said.

  A tenet is defined as: A doctrine, principle, or position held as part of a philosophy, religion, or field of endeavor.

  From that definition, we can extrude the main ideas regarding the Lord’s Great Commission, which are the scope of his authority, the going and the making, and how to do it. From these words, we know the King of all things has authorized our activity and therefore supports us whenever and wherever we go. Now let’s look at each of these tenets that comprise the larger idea.

  After the Lord establishing his authority, our first tenet in the Great Commission is not to make disciples. Our first tenet in the Great Commission is not teaching or fathering, as in spiritual sons and daughters. As critically important as all this is and as much as I believe the Holy Spirit is restoring our understanding of these, much of which has been previously lost to history, neither of these is our first tenet. Our first tenet in the Great Commission is evangelism. Christ expressed it immediately, having revealed the scope of his authority by using one simple two-letter word…Go.

  I know that most of us, myself included, understand that making disciples can, should, and does incorporate evangelism. However, in a measure, I’m doing a drill down here for emphasis because of the hour in which we now live and as an exhortation to the body regarding fulfilling prophesies that have gone before us in the last few years.

  The revelation in scripture is undeniable: God came to gather together, not the powerful, affluent, or worldly exalted. He came to seek and save that which was lost, and in so doing, he sought out the meek, the humble, and the lowly, as seen through the eyes of the world. This is an outward reflection of the inward heart. Not that wealth is always a sign of corruption, but it often is, and the Lord said so. And we see this reflected in the world today even now.

  As I am writing this, I am keenly aware of the profound penetration demonic power has made into the western church. The Apostle Paul warned Timothy regarding the doctrines of devils, and that is exactly so much of what I see.

  When you examine the critical paths of any process, you are identifying potential choke points. When I look at the major false doctrines pervading in the church, this is what I see. Our enemy has identified choke points, and using these, he has proceeded to disciple the church out of its delegated authority. He accomplishes this by taking scripture and twisting it just enough so that it entertains the reason of man’s mind, pointing us to the service of self and away from service to the Lord. The supreme irony here is that he does this while justifying to us we’re engaged in something Godly. This is part of a much larger subject I intend to deal with in the near future, likely on my podcast. Having said that, the aggregate effect of these hidden attacks, among other things, has been dwindling evangelism. Within God’s created universe, dwindling reproduction is a non-sequitur and often leads to extinction. Certainly, it has reduced the size of our army due to attrition. And make no mistake, we are engaged in a spiritual war.

  Lastly, I want to encourage every reader yet again. The Lord has put his thumb on the wheels of the enemy to slow him down and frustrate his efforts just enough to rouse us awake. Holy Spirit, in some ways, has already begun to clean his own house. A father disciplines a son he loves and encourages his obedience, even when it leads to the suffering of the soul.