And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All power is given to me in heaven and in earth; go, therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:18)

While I was meditating in private upon this text I felt myself carried away by its power. I was quite unable to consider its terms calmly, or to investigate its argument. The command with which the text concludes repeated itself again, and again, and again in my ears, until I found it impossible to study, for my thoughts were running here and there, asking a thousand questions, all of them intended to help me in answering for myself the solemn enquiry, “How am I to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit?”

The practical lesson seemed to me to overwhelm in my mind the argument of which that lesson is only a conclusion, “Go and teach all nations.” My ears seemed to hear it as if Christ were then speaking it to me. I could realise his presence by my side. I thought I could see him lift his pierced hand, and hear him speak, as he was accustomed to speak, with authority, blended with meekness, “Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the all glorious God.”

Oh! I wish that the Church could hear the Saviour addressing these words to her now; for the words of Christ are living words, not having power in them yesterday alone, but today also. The injunctions of the Saviour are perpetual in their obligation; they were not merely binding upon apostles, but upon us also, and this yoke falls upon every Christian, “Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

We are not exempt today from the service of the first followers of the Lamb; our marching orders are the same as theirs, and our Captain requires from us obedience as prompt and perfect as from them. Oh that his message may not fall upon deaf ears, or be heard by stolid souls! Brethren, the heathen are perishing; shall we let them perish? His name is blasphemed; shall we be quiet and still?

The honour of Christ is cast into the dust, and his foes revile his person and resist his throne; shall we his soldiers allow this, and not find our hands feeling for the hilt of our sword, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God? Our Lord delays his coming; shall we begin to sleep, or to eat, or to be drunken? Shall we not rather gird up the loins of our minds, and cry to him, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly?”

The scoffing skeptics of these last days have said that the anticipated conquest of the world for Christ is only a dream, or an ambitious thought, which crossed our leader’s mind, but which never is to be accomplished. It is asserted by some that the superstitions of the heathen are too strong to be battered down by our teachings, and that the strongholds of Satan are utterly impregnable against our attacks.

Shall it be so? Shall we be content foolishly to sit still? Indeed, rather let us work out the problem; let us prove the promise of God to be true; let us prove the words of Jesus to be words of soberness; let us show the efficacy of his blood and the invincibility of his Spirit, by going in the spirit of faith, teaching all nations, and winning them to the obedience of Christ our Lord. (source)

Charles Spurgeon

Further reading

• SBC AFFIRMS BIBLICAL SEXUALITY BUT NO DISCIPLINE FOR GAY-AFFIRMING SBC CHURCH
• OPRAH WINFREY NOW PLAYING GOD?
• PASTOR CARL LENTZ USING BAIT AND SWITCH WITH HOMOSEXUALITY?