You Are Commissioned
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In the beginning, God gave dominion over all the works of his hands to mankind. That dominion was handed over to Satan when mankind sinned. Now that God has redeemed us and made each of us a new creation, we are not only restored to him, but also to our original mandate [directive]. It is once again our mandate and responsibility to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue and have dominion over the earth. Additionally, we are now to make disciples in all the world, drawing all people to intimacy with the Lord, and reconciling them and their lives to the Lordship of Christ.
GENESIS 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth”
MATTHEW 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority [delegated empowerment over jurisdiction] in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples [followers of Christ] of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-20 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come [new birth, rebirth]. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.
Therefore, our purpose is not only to delight in God for all of eternity, but also to glorify him in all things. God desires that we exercise his nature and character in our lives. This includes proclaiming the gospel in speech and deeds. We are to preach and demonstrate the kingdom of God by setting people free from sin, lack, sickness, death, and sorrow: We are to proclaim (herald ) the gospel with a conviction that it is worthy of honor and respect and with an authority which must be listened to and obeyed:
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MARK 16:15-20 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim [herald with a suggestion of formality, gravity, solemnity, and with an authority which must be listened to and obeyed. Solemnity means serious, dignified, worthy of honor and respect] the gospel [good news] to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
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The good news is that Christ died for all and everyone can be reconciled to God, be recreated, have eternal life right now, walk in his authority and power, and make disciples. We have all of this by faith in the name of Jesus. In Christ, we are more than conquerors!
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LUKE 10:18-19 He [Jesus] replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority [delegated empowerment over jurisdiction] to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power [ability, strength] of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
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ROMANS 8:37 …we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
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In following sections, we will cover Biblical and practical applications of walking out this great commission and God’s mandates. We will show you how to reign over your body, thoughts, emotions, and all situations.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:9-10 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”- these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
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