Gods Kingdom

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Baptizing

Baptism is a symbolic ordinance in Christianity. The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, you are saved. In spiritual ritual, however, baptism follows confession. To be considered a Christian, all believers and nonbelievers must be baptized. Baptism is a part of Jesus' instruction before He ascended to Heaven. It is the responsibility of the church to teach God's word, bring souls to Christ and baptize those men in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Like communion, baptism must be taken seriously. Before the church was founded, baptism was practiced by the Jews. John the Baptist used baptism as a form of repentance (asking God to forgive one of their sins). Through this ordinance, a person is accepted into a church home. Baptism also symbolizes a cleansing and new life in Christ (Holladay, 2012).

Teaching

As a Christian believer, teaching is an important part of evangelizing. God wants Christians to teach His word so that non-believers can gain an understanding of how they should live and act on Earth. The word B.I.B.L.E. has been said to stand for Basic Instructions before Leaving Earth. The Bible is a symbolic instrument that serves as a guide left here on Earth by God. As Christians, one should seek to understand His Word through reading, understanding, teaching, attending Sunday School and Sunday service. While attending church is not a requirement of the Lord, it is important for believers to be among other believers. God said where two or more are gathered; He is in the midst. This does not necessarily have to be a church. In early Christianity, a church was considered a place where believers gathered. The church during that time was not a building, but more of a congregation of believers preaching and teaching the Word.

Examples in History to Help Accomplish the Mission

Many churches today and in history evangelize, teach and baptize in the form of mission trips. The purpose of a mission trip is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in areas that lack the knowledge. Mission trips allow Christians the opportunity to expand God’s kingdom. God’s wants the believer to share and spread His Word all over the world. Many countries do not have the accessibility to gain the knowledge that’s needed to become saved. Therefore it is the responsibility of the Christian to ensure that no only one group of people obtains the Word of God but the nation as a whole (Case, 2009).

In addition to the mission trips, one of the most significant events in the history of Christianity was the Nazi War. The Nazi War derived from the conflict between Judaism and Christianity. The Nazis hated the Jews because they believed that the Jews had too much economic influence. They also believed that the Jews had too much dominance over the human race. In understanding the reasons behind this war, this gives Christians the opportunity to teach and help those who do not know the Word, attain knowledge (Cesarani & Rees, n.d).

Conclusion

In examining the Great Commission, you must first know what God wants you to do. Every Christian has the duty of following the Great Commission, as it acts as a guide on how Christians should go about in the land. As a believer, one cannot just take in the Word of God and not testify and witness to others. The past acts of Christians set the stage on how Christians should govern themselves today. Spiritual holidays and moral values are just some of the ways that Christians honor God and His kingdom. It is important as Christians to understand and know that without God, you are nothing. God created the Heavens and the Earth, and the Book of Revelations tells the believer that in the end, everyone must answer to God. What will you know God you did to save a soul? You must make the decision to act on His instruction today, while you still have time.

References:

Budziszewski, J. (2014, October). Evangelizing Christians. First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, (246), 19.

Case, J. R. (2009, January). The Great Commission: Evangelicals and the History of World Missions. Fides et Historia, 41(1), 149.

Cesarani, D., & Rees, L. (n.d). The Nazi hatred of the Jews. WW2 History, (),. Retrieved from http://ww2history.com

Chung, Y. (2015, October). A postcolonial reading of the Great Commission (Matt 28:16-20) with a Korean myth. Theology Today,72(3), 276.

Holladay, C. R. (2012). Baptism in the New Testament and Its Cultural Milieu: A Response to Everett Ferguson, Baptism in the Early Church. Journal of Early Christian Studies, 20(3), 343-369.

Kennedy, D. J., Newcombe, J., & D'Souza, D. (2008). The Impact of Christianity. Faith Facts, (),. Retrieved from http://faithfacts.org

The Holy Bible (New Living Testament)