Dr. Diane on a word about "The Great Commission"...

from December 2006

Dear Friends:

As we begin this new year, I am again reminded of the Word of God that clearly says to us all,

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."(Mark 16:15-18).

What does that mean?

Well, first of all, all of the Bible means exactly what it says. We cannot pick and chose what suits us, what we like, what makes us feel good and leave what is inconvenient, and what requires our commitment to -- in this case -- the Great Commission.

Those who have heard the Word and taken it seriously to respond in action, are often not believed. Listen to what's taking place just before the Great Commission, in Mark 16, verse 9 to 14:

"Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them."

You see, some people truly hear the Lord when they read the Word of God. Jesus repeated many times, "Let him that has an ear hear". He also told us to be not only hearers of the Word but doers. Is that in the Bible or not?

Now, listen to what took place just before the Lord gave the disciples the Great Commission (in verse 14)...

"Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen."

Wow, he upbraided them -- or reproached them, rebuked them -- for their unbelief and hardness of heart! Why? Because they did not believe those who had seen him after his resurrection.

In the same way today, many do not believe those who hear the Lord and heed His Word about the Great Commission. They do not take them seriously even though they see their work.

They see them struggle. They respond in unbelief; they do not see the Lord in their work; they see only the person, the individual. They do not give or support the work because they say that "God will provide".

But how does God provide? Through His people. If His people don't give, they don't give to the work of God. If they don't believe those who have believed and have responded in action, and harden their hearts from giving financially or of themselves, they don't believe God.

"He upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen."

Then he gave them the Great Commision to go "into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:15-18).

Then He left this physical world (verses 19-29):

"So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."

It is a sobering thought when one meditates on this Great Commission, for in it there is also a reproach. A reproach that those who do not believe will be damned. These are pretty hard words. We don't like to hear them nor tell them. We get all scared and faint to relay this to the unsaved. We say, we can't preach a gospel of fear, and so we only tell them that God loves them and everything is OK. That's not what God says.

What's sobering is that the truth is that if we don't persuade them about Salvation, about their need to get saved, they will be damned. Many of us merely, live and play through life after we've become Christians. We do our duty of going to Church once a week, attend a few events and feel that we've done our deed for the Kingdom of God.

Some of us give more money to food and leisure than to the work of God. We don't know what it's like to give sacrificially. We don't know what it means to deny ourselves of some pleasurable things and give instead to the work of God. We don't tell our friends and loved ones that if they don't believe on the Gospel Message, they are going to hell, because we are afraid to offend them. What will we say when we stand before God?

Then the other part of the Great Commission says that as we go into all the world (some of that world is right in our own surroundings) and preach... there will be signs following... in His name we will cast out devils... we will speak with new tongues, take up serpents, not get hurt if we drink deadly things... lay hands on the sick and heal them...

That's what the Link School of Ministries is all about. Preparing "whosoever will" to take the Word of God seriously and act upon it to carry out the Great Commission. I can't do it alone... It's not about me. It's about people. It's about God.

I thank those who contribute to the work and have contributed in the past, all the students who have invested in their studies of the Word of God, the board members who have helped in every way they can, friends... for they are doing it to the Lord not to me or to the ministry, but to the Lord, to God, to the Kingdom of God. I thank all of you on behalf of the Lord who has given me the responsibility of this Ministry.

I was reminded by a well known pastor of a large successful church and ministry that people don't give to needs. They give to vision.

And so this year I will try and present the Vision of the Link School of Ministries rather than just tell folks about the financial needs of the ministry. May be, just may be, I can persuade more to give this year as the School commits itself to provide the Gospel by Internet and hopefully soon a physical local facilities in order to better serve the Christian community and the unsaved.

The Vision can be seen in this new web site. You can imagine the work that went into it. Hours of work. But it is well worth it...

How can YOU help? You can help greatly by sending a one-time donation, or monthly donations, by buying your Christian books and products through this web site, sending letters of encouragement, praying earnestly and regularly, continuously...

As you browse through this web site, may the Lord bless you with His Word...

Dr Diane

P.S.:Please pray for this ministry that the Lord will place it on the hearts of people to send in a donation to help cover the expenses and the growth and vision of this ministry.

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