What is the mission of the church, and, by implication, of Christian believers? And how does that mission shape our everyday lives? These are the questions that Antony Billington and Mark Greene focus our attention on in the next chapter of their book ‘The whole of life for Christ’.
Right at the start of His three-year period of ministry, Jesus calls the twelve disciples and commissions them: ‘“Come follow me”, Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men”’ (Mat. 4:19). Over the next three years, Jesus taught them, through His preaching, through building relationships with them, through sharing His life with them. After His death and resurrection, He continued to teach them, until they understood that He had to suffer and rise from the dead so that repentance and forgiveness of sins could be preached to all nations (Luke 24:44-46). Only then were they ready to receive what is known as ‘the Great Commission’ (Mat. 28:16-20, Mark 16:14-20).
The first thing to note about the great commission as recorded by Matthew is that it starts with Christ: ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’ (Mat. 28:18). To be a disciple is not just to be converted, but to live your life under the rule of Christ. Since we have so far lived our lives under the rule of sin and Satan, this is a lifelong process of growth and transformation. Slowly we learn to obey all that He has commanded us (Mat. 28:20), realising that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Mat. 11:30). We are re-created in the image of the new Adam: Christ Himself. In this process of re-creation we become part of the new humanity in Christ, commissioned with the task of bringing creation under Christ’s rule, of calling other people to submit to His reign, and to disciple them in turn.
But we do not need to do this on our own. Jesus promises that He will be with us always, to the very end of the age (Mat. 28:20). By His Spirit, He gives us wisdom, produces fruit and transforms us into His likeness.
So what does this all mean for Christians in academia? Does it mean we need to tell our colleagues about Christ and then our work is done? Of course it is important that more people submit to Christ’s rule. But our task does not end there. The converts must become disciples, learners, who grow in love and understanding. And Christ’s rule is not limited to people either – the gospel must be proclaimed to ‘every creature under heaven’ (Col. 1:23), and all of creation must submit to him (Col. 1:16, 20). So our research itself is part of fulfilling the Great Commission! How would your discipline look different if Jesus was recognised as the One who has ‘all authority in heaven and on earth’? And how can you contribute to this transformation? Are there any students (undergraduate or postgraduate) whom you can help grow as a disciple? And is there someone (such as a more mature Christian academic, or other Christian postgraduates) whom you could approach for wisdom and encouragement?
Faith-in-Scholarship currently offers the opportunity for Christian postgraduates to receive mentoring from more experienced Christian academics. If you are a postgraduate and interested in forming such a mentoring relationship with someone in your field, do get in touch with us and we will try to put you in touch with someone who can help you be a faithful follower of Christ in your area of study.
- Evolution and epistemic humility - January 14, 2019
- Jesus, virtue and the university - September 4, 2017
- Welcome to the University of Babylon! - August 21, 2017
