The Great Commission

‘The spirit of apostleship is indelibly wrought in the very nature of the Church and should be lived in every age,’ states Archbishop Anastasios of Albania. ‘Mission is part of the Church’s genetic makeup, a fixed element in her DNA. Church without mission is a contradiction in terms. If the Church remains indifferent to the apostolic work with which she has been entrusted, she denies and contradicts herself and her very essence.’

 These are powerful words from one of the foremost Orthodox missionaries in the world today! They remind us of the central and primary role of sharing our Christian Faith with the world around us, locally as well as globally.

 There are many reasons why we may find ourselves hesitant to share our Faith with others, but we must find inspiration in the teaching and the work of Christ and His Apostles.

 Christ’s Great Commission is clear: ‘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’ (Mt. 28:18-20).

 Our Lord’s final commandment is no less certain: ‘You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’ (Acts 1:8).

 In other words, for us to faithfully live out our Christian Faith, we must strive to actively share our Lord’s good news and unconditional love with all people everywhere. Christianity should always imply looking outward and remembering the other.

The Philokalia, a collection of saying from the Church Fathers, teaches, ‘Blessed is the one who rejoices in his salvation, but even more blessed is the one who rejoices in the salvation of the other’. St. John Chrysostom emphasizes the same idea: ‘I do not believe in the salvation of anyone who does not try to save others’.

 So we must go forth, breaking away from our egocentric temptations as well as our desire to simply maintain the status quo of our personal faith, and instead faithfully share our rich spiritual treasure with others.

 Knowing we must get involved in evangelism and outreach, however, is not enough. We also need to understand how to do evangelism!

 As Christians and as a Church, what should we do first? Authentic evangelism is not simply about methods and ‘how to’ ideas.

Authentic evangelism is mostly about developing an authentic relationship with God through sincere relationships with one another. Love is the underlying method of all aspects of evangelism. 

 The application of this understanding is very straight-forward. We must learn to love the people we are around enough to care about their salvation. We must love them enough to develop a sincere relationship with them, wherein sharing our faith and caring about their salvation is not a foreign object but a natural component.

 Consider the people you work with, you play with, you live with—even the people you worship with. Build bridges that will enable you to talk about your Faith. Opportunities abound. Timidity is not born of love for our neighbor.

 -Fr. Matthew