Joy in the Great Commission
by George S. Frahm
‘Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."’ These are the last words of Christ as recorded by Matthew. They are so famous that we have given a name, “The Great Commission”, and many of us know them even if we cannot remember the chapter and verse. But, who was Christ talking to and what does it mean? Well, the literal answer from verse 16 is the eleven disciples who remained after his crucifixion.
It was through the witness of these 11 men that you and I became Christians. These disciples left the safety and comfort of Jerusalem and went out to tell others about what they had seen and been taught by the Rabbi. The eleven disciples did exactly as their Rabbi instructed them and went out to make disciples. These disciples in turn went out and made more disciples. These disciples went out and made even more disciples. Eventually, they came to you and me who claim to be disciples. But, who was Christ really talking to since the Bible is intended to be a contemporary instruction for us as Christians. Just as this verse was an instruction for all disciples and believers 2000 years ago, it is still an instruction for all of us who claim to be His disciples today. But, how do we do that? Is Christ asking us to leave our homes and become missionaries, traveling overseas? In some cases, yes, some people do leave home, study a foreign language, and witness in a strange land and culture, to a different people group. Others are blessed financially to support and send those who are willing to go.
But the real question is about you and me. How are we supposed to make disciples of all nations? We may not be blessed to speak a foreign language. We may not have money, time, or supporters to travel overseas. We may not be comfortable living in a different culture. Does that mean we do not have to follow the great commission? Are these real concerns, or are they the response of Jonah told to go to Nineveh? Do we really have to sit on the sidelines or can we get in on the action? You can get in on the action through international student ministries. Students come to the United States to study many subjects, but they must all learn the instructional language used in the universities, English!
Being our native language, you and I are experts at English. They come to your home town. They are here for varying lengths of times, but typically for years. They deal with living in a different culture. You and I are experts on that culture, having lived here all our lives. They come here vulnerable, open to new ideas and influences. This vulnerability is both good and bad. They come seeking freedom but don’t know what freedom is. But, they all come looking for friendship and relationships. And that is where you and I come in. Our purpose is to form a friendship with these students. We guide them through our culture. We protect them. We offer them a relationship, first with ourselves, then our friends, and then with our greatest friend, the Lord. As international students, they come looking for a better life, and you can offer them eternal life.
Right now in the United States, there are over 600,000 international students, their families, and expatriates. They come from every continent, country and many of the tribes. In mid Michigan, there are over 1200 international students registered to study at state and universities. They need you to follow the Lords commandments to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with your entire mind and then to love your neighbor as yourself. The harvest is ripe and ready, we need laborers to go into the field. But, the field is not always a long way off or difficult to reach. It can be as close as the nearest university.
So, how can you get started? The first thing is to look on campus. In 1996 several local Christians banded together to conduct international student ministry in mid Michigan. We called ourselves V.I.S.A. (Valley International Student Association). We affiliated ourselves with International Students Incorporated (ISI) and American Christians Ministering to Internationals (ACMI). We started studying countries and cultures. Several of us become English tutors and instructors. We started forming relationships. Today, we transport students, including a weekly trip to church followed by a fellowship in an American home on Sunday mornings. Monday evenings is a 2 hours conversation corner where we can just talk and deepen our relationship. Sometimes this leads to individual discipleship and bible study. We do the same things again on Tuesday, bringing into the school cafeteria both physical bread and spiritual bread. Every month, and sometimes several times during the month, we try to do a little more such as a movie night, game night, or field trip. All the time, we want to build our relationship and opportunity to witness about our friend, Jesus Christ.
But, what do we need to do this? What we really need is not money, but time, your time! We need dedicated Christians such as yourself to come out and form a relationship with a student in order to introduce them to your life as a Christian. You don’t have to preach, and you don’t have to stand in front of a crowd. The Holy Spirit does the work; he just wants you to help him extend the invitation. The greatest reward though is when you hear someone who arrived some time ago and told you that they had never been in a Christian church, acknowledge that they want to accept the gift of grace and follow Christ the rest their lives. The greatest reward is to watch a previous non-believer become baptized. The greatest reward is when one of these students’ returns home sometimes to closed or virtually closed countries and begins to witness what God has done in their live. If this sounds interesting and you are willing to follow the command of going and making disciples of all nations, then I have done what I set out to do.
I’d like to invite you to join in an international student ministry such as V.I.S.A. If you are in mid Michigan, you may contact Valley International Student Association, % Hopevale Church, 5360 Shattuck Road, P.O. Box 6889, Saginaw MI 48608, 989-793-3122. If you are not in mid Michigan, please contact ISI at 1-800-ISITEAM. V.I.S.A. is a multi church, interdenominational international student ministry. Give God the glory!
