Loving God Leads to Love for Wisdom
We are talking about the most important things every Christian and every church must know and remember. At the center of these truths is the Great Commission, because building and sustaining a church requires knowing what matters most — and keeping those truths from slipping. This is why Scripture warns us to hold fast to what we have heard and not allow these essential truths to drift from our hearts.
Hebrews 2:1, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”
The first and great commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And when you love God, something becomes immediately clear: the principal thing is to get wisdom. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7) Scripture teaches that wisdom begins with Him, flows from Him, and depends entirely on Him.
If you love God, you will seek wisdom — because He is the source of it, just as He is for love. “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
If you love God, you will value wisdom — because He gives both the wisdom itself and the desire to love it. Without God, there is no wisdom at all. And when wisdom takes root, it leads to obedience — and obedience leads directly into the Great Commission, the mission God has given His people.
Loving God Leads to Love for Others
But loving God does more than open the door to wisdom. It reshapes what you care about. When you love God, you begin to love what He loves. And God loves souls. He loves the world. He loves the lost. He loves the nations. He loves everything in His creation.
So the first commandment — loving God — inevitably leads to the second commandment: loving your neighbor. And loving your neighbor leads directly into the mission Jesus gave His church.
The Great Commission is simply the Second Commandment in motion. It is love for God overflowing into love for people — expressed through the church ministry of going, teaching, baptizing, and discipling.
You Cannot Win Souls In Heaven
Loving God leads to loving people, and loving people leads to reaching them. And that brings us to a sobering truth that is revealed in one question:
What is the one thing a Christian can do on earth that he cannot do in heaven?
There is only one answer — the Great Commission. You can worship in heaven, you can fellowship in heaven, you can learn in heaven, and you can praise in heaven, but you cannot win a lost soul in heaven. There are no lost people there (Revelation 21:27).
The Great Commission is the one assignment that ends the moment you die. It is the only work God has given His church that has an expiration date. Everything else continues in eternity — but evangelism does not. Reaching the lost is a “now or never” mission.
This is why the Great Commission rises to the top of what every Christian and every church must remember and do. It is the one task we will never again have the opportunity to do once we step into glory. It is the most important thing we can do for others and the greatest expression of love.
And this brings us to the heart of the matter: those who truly love God will involve themselves in fulfilling the Great Commission.
The Second Commandment — loving your neighbor — naturally expresses itself through the Great Commission.
When you love others with God’s love, you care about them. You want to help them. And what is the greatest need any person has? Salvation.
Jesus came with one mission in mind. In Luke 19:10, He said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” And He expects us to continue His mission. In Matthew 4:19, He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
If you love others, you will share the Gospel. If you love God, you will help others learn the Gospel.
The most important thing you can ever do for another human being is to show them how to be saved — for three reasons:
- it is now or never,
- it is their greatest need, and
- it is God’s directive to us.
This love expresses itself through faithful sowing and watering of the Gospel. It is the love of God flowing through the people of God to reach the souls God loves.
Sowing and Watering
What God expects and admonishes every believer to do is to sow and water the Gospel message in the hearts of others. Paul explained the importance of this in Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
You are responsible for the choice to sow and to water the Gospel message. Paul wrote, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3:6–7)
The point is this: our responsibility is to sow and to water, regardless of the choices others make. You cannot make someone believe, but you can choose to share the Gospel and make it known.
To understand the weight of this mission, we must understand what a commission actually is.
What Is a Commission?
Because Christ gave a commission, we must understand why this commission stands above every other assignment He gave.
A commission is:
- an assignment
- given by a superior
- with authority
- to accomplish a specific mission
It keeps us focused when we remember this.
Jesus did not give a suggestion. He did not offer a recommendation. He did not present an optional ministry opportunity.
He gave a commission — a binding, authoritative command.
This commission carries divine weight. It carries divine responsibility. It carries divine accountability. And when the One giving the commission is the risen God and Savior, the authority behind it is divine and absolute.
This makes the Great Commission great because:
It comes from the risen Christ.
No ordinary man gave this mission. The One who conquered death issued it with divine authority.
It concerns the eternal destiny of souls.
Every person you meet will exist forever — in heaven or in hell. No mission carries greater stakes.
It is the only mission the church can fulfill on earth but not in heaven.
Evangelism ends at death. It is a “now or never” need to fulfill. There are no lost people in glory. This work must be done now.
It requires God’s authority and God’s power.
The Great Commission begins with “All power is given unto Me…” and ends with “I am with you alway.” It is a divine command carried out with divine enablement.
The Great Commission Explained
Pre‑baptism discipleship — evangelism.
1. “Go” — Go Where Souls Are
“Go” means movement, initiative, and intentionality. You cannot reach the lost by staying where you are. You must go where lost people live, work, and breathe.
Evangelism begins with going — stepping into the world where the lost are with the Gospel.
2. “Teach” — Evangelize the Lost
The first “teach” means to make disciples — to lead the lost to follow Christ.
This includes:
- explaining salvation
- calling for repentance and faith
- showing them how to follow Jesus
Post‑baptism discipleship — the ongoing work of the church.
3. “Baptizing Them” — Church‑Centered Evangelism
Baptism is not a private act. It is a church act — your first church ministry action — carried out with church authority to qualify the believer for church membership. As God’s institution on earth, built by Christ (Matthew 16:18) and described as the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15), the work the church performs requires God’s approval and authorization. It is inappropriate for individuals to hijack God’s work and self‑authorize what God intends to be done under His authority.
Baptism is God’s way, not ours. His way is the right way, and every believer should desire to align with God’s will. You cannot fulfill the Great Commission without baptism.
4. “Teaching Them Again” — Train the Baptized
The second “teach” is different from the first. The first “teach” is evangelizing the lost. The second “teach” is training the saved to do likewise in everything. The first teaches the lost; the second trains the saved.
This includes:
- doctrine
- character
- skills
- everything Christ taught
A Seamless Cycle Of Ministry
The Great Commission is not four separate tasks but one unified mission. “Go,” “teach,” “baptize,” and “teach again” are not optional steps or interchangeable parts — they form a single, continuous process of making disciples the way Christ commanded. We go to where the lost are, we teach them the Gospel, we baptize those who believe to qualify them for church fellowship and authority, and then we continue to teach them so they can grow, obey, and participate in the same mission.
This is Christ’s blueprint for reaching the world — a seamless cycle of evangelizing the lost and training the saved, carried out through His church until He returns.
Examples of Authority in Acts
Many people assume the “power” of Acts 1:8 refers to personality, communication skill, charisma, or persuasion — but lost people possess those qualities as well. False religions have gifted speakers, cult leaders can be persuasive, and motivational speakers can stir emotions.
The power Jesus promised is not human talent; it is authority — His approval to preach the Gospel, to baptize properly, to disciple correctly, and to represent Christ legitimately. This is the power behind the mission: not natural ability, but divine authorization and approval.
Anyone can share the Gospel, and God will bless the message shared, but only those who are baptized properly and serving under church authority will be exemplifying God’s work done His way with the authorization He gives to His church.
Acts 2:11 — Authority to Declare the Gospel
The disciples spoke “the wonderful works of God” with divine authority, for “we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11). The Spirit empowered their message, not their natural skill, enabling them to proclaim the Gospel to Jews who had gathered from all over the world.
Acts 2:41 — The Jerusalem Pattern
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
This verse reveals a clear and consistent order: every believer was baptized, and every baptized believer was added to the church. This is God’s pattern — not man’s tradition, not denominational preference, and not cultural adaptation. God saves, the church baptizes, and the baptized are added to the church by God. This divine sequence is the New Testament blueprint that shows the Great Commission in action.
Acts 8:17 — Authority Recognized by the Apostles
The Samaritans received the Holy Ghost only after the apostles laid hands on them, for “then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost” (Acts 8:17). Philip was eager and sincere to fulfill the Great Commission, but the apostles had to confirm the baptisms with authority. Philip did not have authority to baptize at that time.
Acts 8:37 — Authority To Be Baptized Requires Belief First
After explaining the book of Isaiah, the Ethiopian believed. He asked, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” Philip said, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” (Acts 8:37) He baptized the Ethiopian only after he confessed that he believed.
The apostle’s actions show that one must believe before they can be baptized.
This is the New Testament pattern: Evangelism → Belief → Baptism → Church membership.
Acts 18 — Zeal Without Valid Baptism
Apollos was fervent in spirit, but his baptism was of John (Acts 18:24–26). Aquila and Priscilla instructed him “more perfectly” (Acts 18:26), and though God honored his zeal, his baptism still needed correction. Believers can be zealous and blessed by Christ, yet they still need to learn how to baptize correctly.
Acts 19 — Authority Determines Valid Baptism
The disciples in Ephesus were baptized again because their first baptism was not done correctly. When Paul asked them about their baptism, they explained that they had only received John’s baptism, so “when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:5). Just as Apollos had been fervent, sincere, and powerful yet still needed correction because he had only John’s baptism, the Ephesian disciples also had to be instructed more perfectly in the way and baptized again.
Authority Matters
God’s work must always be done God’s way. The Great Commission is not driven by talent, personality, or charisma. These may impress people, but without God’s approval they remain nothing more than impressive human abilities. Scripture shows repeatedly that the power of Acts 1:8 behind the mission is not human skill but divine authority — the authority Christ gave to His church to preach the Gospel, baptize correctly, and disciple faithfully.
This is why the Samaritans received the Holy Ghost only after the apostles confirmed the work, why Apollos needed correction even though he was fervent and gifted, and why the Ephesian disciples were baptized again. In every case, God honored sincerity and the preaching of His Word, but He upheld His order, His pattern, and His authority for baptism. The right way to do God’s work is by doing it His way.
The Great Commission is therefore not fulfilled by human strategy or natural ability but by divine mandate. Christ empowers His church not through talent but through supernatural authorization. The message is His, the method is His, and the authority is His. When believers and the church follow His pattern, the mission advances with His blessing.
The Great Commission Is Your Earthly Assignment
With the authority of Christ established and the pattern of Scripture confirmed, the only question left is what this means for you. The Great Commission is not an abstract doctrine or a church program — it is your earthly assignment.
The most important thing you can do on earth — the one thing you cannot do in heaven — is this: reach the lost and disciple the saved. This is the Great Commission. It is great because
- it comes from Christ,
- involves eternal consequences,
- requires divine authority,
- ends the moment you die.
So the question to ask right now is not, “Will you obey the Great Commission.” The real questions are: Who will you reach, and who will you disciple?
Because when your life ends, this mission ends with it. Your opportunity to reach the lost is now — and only now.
And remember: Successful personal ministry is not measured by how many people respond positively, but by how much sowing and watering you do. Faithfulness is the measure; fruit belongs to God.
The Next Steps
Now is the time to act. Begin praying and planning your personal strategy for discipling others in a way that honors Christ.
This is the third lesson in the five‑part series, “The Most Important Things Every Christian and Church Needs to Know.” If you missed the first lesson, you can read it here to stay aligned with the full progression.
Continue with the next lesson: “Loving God Deeply With Three God‑Given Resources.” These are the essential tools God provides for your spiritual growth.
For step‑by‑step guidance in discipling others, get your copy of Disciple Like Jesus and begin building a life of intentional, God‑honoring discipleship.
