Comments on: A Great Commission Resurgence? http://www.desiringgodchurch.org/web/2009/05/29/a-great-commission-resurgence/ Fri, 13 Aug 2010 16:25:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Coty Pinckney http://www.desiringgodchurch.org/web/2009/05/29/a-great-commission-resurgence/comment-page-1/#comment-244 Coty Pinckney Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:38:42 +0000 http://www.desiringgodchurch.org/web/?p=242#comment-244 No question: Dr Akin is fully in agreement with this definition of the Great Commission. The problem is that when he says "Great Commission," many, many Southern Baptists have a different conception in their heads. It's not enough to quote the verses. The term must be defined. The Great Commission does <em>not</em> say, "make disciples of all lost people." It says, "disciple <em>all nations</em>, baptize <em>all people groups</em>, teach <em>all ethnicities</em>." For more on this see <em>Let the Nations Be Glad</em>, chapter 5. As for when the Great Commission is fulfilled: If I'm the CEO of a company, and I tell my employees to go and paint 10,000 houses, and they spend 95% of their time, energy, and money painting one house - are they fulfilling my command? I don't think this is picking nits. No question: Dr Akin is fully in agreement with this definition of the Great Commission. The problem is that when he says “Great Commission,” many, many Southern Baptists have a different conception in their heads. It’s not enough to quote the verses. The term must be defined.

The Great Commission does not say, “make disciples of all lost people.” It says, “disciple all nations, baptize all people groups, teach all ethnicities.” For more on this see Let the Nations Be Glad, chapter 5.

As for when the Great Commission is fulfilled: If I’m the CEO of a company, and I tell my employees to go and paint 10,000 houses, and they spend 95% of their time, energy, and money painting one house – are they fulfilling my command?

I don’t think this is picking nits.

]]> By: Daniel http://www.desiringgodchurch.org/web/2009/05/29/a-great-commission-resurgence/comment-page-1/#comment-243 Daniel Sun, 31 May 2009 03:00:20 +0000 http://www.desiringgodchurch.org/web/?p=242#comment-243 If you read the verses that are before the preamble, you will find the very verses that you cite, Matt 28:18 - 20. If you take the time to listen to Dr. Akin's message, you'll find that the Great Commission as you think of it is central to the thinking here. There's no good reason we shouldn't be on board as signatories and participants in a GCR. The Great Commission is not either all nations or our neighbors across the street. It's all the above. Let's stop knit-picking and start moving forward with the Gospel of God for the glory of God. If you read the verses that are before the preamble, you will find the very verses that you cite, Matt 28:18 – 20. If you take the time to listen to Dr. Akin’s message, you’ll find that the Great Commission as you think of it is central to the thinking here. There’s no good reason we shouldn’t be on board as signatories and participants in a GCR. The Great Commission is not either all nations or our neighbors across the street. It’s all the above. Let’s stop knit-picking and start moving forward with the Gospel of God for the glory of God.

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