Question for Christians only (Please read the details)?

Question

As Christians, our mission is to obey the Great Commission of our Lord as stated in the following Scripture passage:

Matthew 28:19-20 (New International Version)

"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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

My question is...How are you fulfilling the Great Commission by participating on Yahoo! Answers? Are you merely trying to convert non-Christians, or are you doing something to make disciples of them as well?

I think we are missing the mark if all we are doing is trying to make believers out of people without making sure that they follow Christ in discipleship as well.

Answer 1

It would be quite a miracle if anyone got converted here in this forum.
Of course, God can and does do such miracles all the time.
It works sort of like this:
Kidd asks a question, and catches a non-believers interest.
Then, that person asks a question, and maybe Angeltress answers it in a way that he can understand, and begin to grow...
Later, as he begins to develop, he asks yet another question, and maybe Pilgrim, or Debra, or Dave, or one of the other great Christians here give him details that you or I missed...
As we work together, the harvest increases. You may never know which heart you touched, I may not, neither will Pilgrim, or Debra, or Dave, or any of the rest of the team. Heck, some days, we may not even realize that we are, indeed, with our different ideas about the Lord we all worship, working as a team...
But Jesus knows....

Answer 2

Yahoo Answers is not really the place to disciple people. It is a question and answer forum, and I post when their are questions I can help people out with or when they are asking for prayer. Church is a much better forum for discipleship training and then discipling others, as I was taught to do in my teens.

Discipling is a personal relationship between a mentor and a disciple like what Christ had with the 12. If there is a way to do that on Yahoo! Answers, go for it! The disciple is usually a new Christian who has recently come to Jesus and is asking for further teaching. In my view, Yahoo! Answers is not conducive to this.

But it is a place to post answers to questions based on your experience and help some people who are looking for help and not to ridicule.

Answer 3

With all due respect, the great commission was given to the disciples - not Christians in general.

I do believe teaching is important, but I believe that the most influence we have is in how we live our lives and conduct ourselves - especially in crisis. Most people in America have heard of Jesus. It's not that they don't know, it's that they view it as some pyramid scheme. People want to convert you so the church has money. Or they think the church is a glorified social group.

I actually came here thinking I would discuss passages in the scriptures that were difficult. I never dreamed that there would be so much friction. But it's been a good experience overall. I think most of the atheists here are beyond conversion by anything anyone here could say to them. Most of them have read the scriptures more diligently than some Christians here. What I think they haven't seen - for the most part - is someone willing to live a Christian life lovingly.

It's easy to tell someone else what they should be doing. In fact, it can very easily distract us from doing what _we_ should be doing.

I agree that it's not simply about baptism, but about discipleship. I don't know if you can do that in a forum. I think our congregations need to be nurturing places where people can be spiritually healed instead of judged. Where they can be supported and encouraged and see examples of what it is Christ has done for us.

I think we fail people if we're just interested in "selling" them Christianity and moving on to the next sale after we close. It's about building real relationships - with God and with each other.

Answer 4

Well brother.. here on yahoo answers I believer many are here for numereous reasons....Some to open a way through answering questions to those who are seeking after the Lord, a way to know Him or to even clear up any questions regarding the Lord...
The word speaks of us sitting and reasoning together... that though our sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow.. though they be as crimson they shall be as wool...

I cannot tell you honestly and we may never really know how our questions or answers fulfil the great commission to disciple all nations...but we must admit that this forum allows us an opportunity to reach many many people all over the world.

For me..if someone is interested in knowing further of something I asked or answered then there is the arrangement through Yahoo messenger or emailing. I have not been on this site for even a month and there have been at least four believers who have made some contact with me so that there can be further fellowship between us in the word.

I too questioned this " means' and wondered if spending my time outside in my home or work or community would be more beneficial...and maybe it can...but this too is a forum there you can reach people in a way that face to face is not able to.
Some may be of islam where being seen preached to a christian will mean something severe to them...
This way they can learn or even receive something pertaining to the Lord and as the word says' One plants . the other waters.. but the Lord gives the increase" (paraphrasing)
So we may never know how the Lord will use the word to His benefit.
I am encouraged also by this verse in Timothy
"God desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth"
This is God's desire and if some come to a fuller knowledge of the truth through either researching an answer in the word or reading it here through the word then something is gained for God's Kingdom and something is taken away from the Kingdom of darkness...
May many be saved by our Lord through the pure sharing of His word.

Answer 5

I took a course in High School on Discipleship. Each year in college - I got together with friends once a week to teach them the course.
My Junior year in college I took a course in "Masterlife" and it was brilliant.
Since that time I have tried to help others learn more about thier walk by sharing what I was so beautifully taught. It has not been a consistent thing. If my walk is away from God - I am a failure in mammoth proportions. But when I crawl out of my own selfish rediculousness... God puts people in my path that I can share the principles of discipleship I was taught.

The thing I wish was a common part of life is mentoring.

I wish older christians regularly took on a younger person to mentor in the faith. (Not just older and younger in age - but in walk as well.)

Maybe someday.
Peace.

Answer 6

For me, i don't spend all waking hours in Y!A... so when I answer questions here, I am explaining how I live my life and understand the word... in a discussion atmosphere...

as for fulfilling the Great Commission... most of my work in that arena is in working with the Youth.... we send kids each year to places all over the planet on mission trips, we pray for all our missionaries associated with our church affiliation.... right now, we have 1 youth member in Honduras, one in Alaska, 2 just returned from Italy, London and France, one leaves in 2 weeks for Peru, 2 leave for Lebanon in July and another leaves for Australia...

plus we host exchange students.... 3 out of the 5 (one from Germany, one from Brazil and one from Korea) have all come and accepted Jesus and been baptized while here.... and one by one, people are learning who Jesus is.... My husband and I baptized 5 of the youth just last year, and we are just youth workers, not pastors...

we aren't 'missing the mark' unless this is 'all we do' towards the Great Commission.... sometimes we are only the seed planters, and God will provide those needed to grow them up towards Him

Answer 7

Kidd..lets look at the most essential portion of that scripture first ..."And surely I am with you always...."

Dont take this portion of the scripture on the face value only. It must seen deeply to its actual meaning. When God say i am surely will be with you always, He meant it. Yes, we are Christians. But than, to go out to preach to the world, God clearly said, I must be with You. Without Him, we are like chickens entering the realm of the wolves. To preach or teach about God, u must first make sure He is with you and He is the One who commanded you to do it just like it had been to all His Servants thus far. You first must have the Anointing of The Holy Spirit because He is the one who will talk through you and move ur every step.

The problem is, Christian are zealous and take God's words on its face value only. Remember it is God who will bring the lost souls for Himself not any humans. Humans are just mere tools used by God for his will & purpose.

So dont get fooled. Let God tell you first to do it. Than do it. You will be successful cos He will back you up. Otherwise, i dont think so

Answer 8

Your quotation refers to our responsibility to spread the Gospel throughout the world,so that all may freely choose (or not choose) to follow Christ. I personally do not view R&S as an opportunity to do that in particular,since we rarely reach non-Christian countries,to go by the postings,although a few post-Christian countries apparently do get Yahoo and/or can use English well enough to participate. In any event,I'm Catholic and we don't actually approve of spreading the Gospel the way you sell something door-to-door or advertise; we establish our presence and let people be drawn to us. I don't feel participating is directly related to what you call the Great Commission. If you are using it to proselytise,my view is you are simply aggravating people - and arguably demeaning Christ. The passage in Matthew refers to spreading the teachings to those who are unaware of them; it today's world,it might apply to Thailand - but not the U.S. People here have so to speak "heard The Word" and have accepted it or rejected it; if the latter,then they will have to rediscover that divine spark within themselves - or it doesn't happen. All we can do is lay out the teachings for all; let those who wish to join us,come. And in this country we have done that.

Answer 9

It is kind of difficult in this time to fulfill that Great Commission. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't try but, we have to know how to go about it so that we don't create the wrong image of Christianity. First of all, I think that we should do something about the current media. If you check out the current music videos or movies, people will be hanging HUGE cross necklaces but, wearing almost nothing else. In Saudi Arabia, this is what they see and imagine Christianity is all about. Other things are like alcohol....if you check it out, only so called Christians are the ones openly drinking alcohol and say that is is not forbidden in Christianity although it is. It is the people who call themselves Christians who are destroying the image of Christianity in the eyes of the non-Christians.

Anyways, we should always try to show the non-Christians the true image of this great religion.

Answer 10

I'm really not trying to convert anybody. I am trying to answer questions from individuals in a very diverse crowd. I also ask questions that I have asked, asked in other places without success, and can only hope that more learned folks can provide the answers. I really say nothing more than Christ has risen. If it pleases God to move a person by my words, so be it. If people can't hear the honesty in my words about Christ, then, they're digging their own graves, and also. so be it.

God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. But much of why he loves us, is a mystery to me.