Have you heard the saying, “It's one thing to begin well, it's another to finish well.” As CCF celebrates its 26th anniversary, how do we stay faithful and vibrant in our journey with Jesus as individuals and as a group? Bobby Clinton, in his amazing research said that as he studied Christian leaders all over the world, he discovered that 70% of them will not finish well. Only 30% will finish well.

            There are many reasons why people don't finish well. They get sidetracked, they become proud, they don't listen to people, materialism, or maybe wrong belief or teachings. For example, there is a big difference between a believer and a disciple. You don't see the word 'believer' used a lot in the Bible. 99% of the time, believers are called disciples because 'disciple' is very clear. You are a follower of Jesus. The problem with many Christians today, because of wrong teachings, they have this mindset: if I believe in Jesus, that's the end. Nothing is further from the truth.

            Matthew28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." The most neglected phrase in the Great Commission is “all authority”. That word 'authority' was used by Pontius Pilate when he asked Jesus, “Do you not know that I have authority to release you or to crucify you?” Pontius Pilate is saying that all the power of Rome is behind him. He is free to do all he wanted to do with Jesus' life. And Jesus answered, “You have no authority except what is given to you from God.” So 'all authority' in the Great Commission means that Jesus has the right, He has the power, He can do anything He wishes. You know why? He has all authority.

            The difference between Jesus and all of us is that Jesus not only has authority, but He has inherent power because Jesus is more than a man. So the greatness of the Great Commission is in who is giving the order. And Jesus is saying “all authority in heaven”. Meaning, in the entire universe, there is no one greater than Jesus including angelic beings and demons.

            If you read the Bible, you will notice the first time that the disciples recognized Jesus and worshipped Him. It happened in the middle of the big, big lake when there was a storm. Jesus commanded the wind to stop. He commanded the sea to become calm. And the Bible says that the disciples said, “What kind of a man is this?” Then they worshipped Jesus. Jesus had all authority under heaven and on earth. Jesus made the blind to see. He made the deaf to hear. He made the lame to walk. He made the dumb to speak. Jesus made the lepers get well. Jesus had all authority over sickness and over death.

            Until we understand that the foundation of the Great Commission is on the absolute lordship of Jesus Christ, we will not be able to implement and we will not finish well. Many Christians today look at the Great Commission as a job to be done. The Great Commission is not just a job to be done. It is a call for God's people to submit to the absolute lordship of Jesus. The Bible tells us that Jesus is coming again because He has the authority to judge. He has the authority to give eternal life and He has the authority to condemn people to everlasting hell.

            Why is the Great Commission so great? Because the One giving it is the greatest Being there is. Jesus is more than a man. Remember when He said 'all authority', what is He saying? It is the divinity of Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God. The Bible tells us that all authority has been given to Jesus. Our job is to share Jesus, to obey Him. It is His authority and it is His power to transform lives. It is not our job to transform people. We must leave the results to Him. Don't be ashamed of Jesus. Don't be afraid of failure. Jesus is saying, “I'm going to be with you. You be my representative.”

            Why is the Great Commission so important? Remember that salvation is by grace. If you trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior today, if you believe that He died on the cross for you, the Bible says that you have eternal life. But this does not stop here. This is the message that Jesus wants us to send out to whole world. The Great Commission is great because it is global. Don't be just focusing in your own small little world your own life, your own family. God loves everybody. And that's why it's the Great Commission.

            It is not enough for you to listen to the Word of God. God is saying that we must all obey. Obedience is not an option. To become a disciple of Jesus is to become more than just a believer. You recognize the absolute lordship of Jesus and then you make a decision to obey Him. It does not mean that you are perfect. But the decision has been made and that is your total submission to the absolute authority to the One who has all authority in heaven and on earth. Until you understand that Jesus is Lord of your life, the Great Commission will not be meaningful to you and you will not finish well.

            Take the example of this runner named Shizo Kanakuri. He represented Japan in the 1912 Olympics. This guy began to run but he got tired. He decided to stop and join a garden party to drink refreshments. He was so excited about the refreshments that it was after an hour before he realized what he had done. In his embarrassment he took a train to his hotel and caught a boat back home, too ashamed to tell anyone he was leaving. For more than 50 years Shizo was listed as a missing person in Sweden, until a journalist finally found him; he had spent the last several decades living a quiet life in southern Japan. In 1966 the Swedish Public Television network called him with an offer: Would you like to finish your run? The 85-year old Kanakuri accepted, and he traveled to Stockholm to finish the race he had started so many years before. This time he did cross the finish line; his final time was 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds.

            Some of us may be like Kanakuri. Many of us began well but we got sidetracked for whatever reason. We need to go back and finish the race. We've got to focus on Jesus. It's never too late to go back and finish the race. Remember that the cause of Christ will ultimately triumph because Jesus has all authority.