day no. 15,063: men, mission and the great commission

God has given men five offices to occupy and execute:

1 - Conqueror
2 - Cultivator
3 - Savior
4 - Sage
5 - Glory-bearer

God has called men to conquer the earth and have dominion over it. He has called men to cultivate what they dominate and make things better because they have come under our control and custody. Men are called to put themselves between the dangers of the world and the things they love -- those for whom and that for which they have taken responsibility to possess and bless. God calls men to meditate on God's Word and to grow in their knowledge of Who He is in order to do what He says. And men are called to walk as the Son of God, the chief Man among men, walked, imitating His life and doctrine.

So the five offices are associated with five verbs:

1 - Dominate
2 - Cultivate
3 - Mediate
4 - Meditate
5 - Imitate

We see these at work in the final words Jesus gave to the eleven men He called His apostles. This is the battle plan and marching orders to conquer the world for Christ's glory, the world's good and our personal growth.

Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

DOMINATE
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

Jesus says without qualification, "Every square inch of everything belongs to Me. Go make it what it already is... MINE!"

CULTIVATE
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations

Our mission is not merely to flood the earth with our presence, but fertilize the earth for His glory. We are to go out and make things better wherever we go. We are not just to take the land, but to make it fruitful; not not make converts, but disciples. The goal is not just measured by square feet, but by fruitfulness.

MEDIATE
baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

The same way that Jesus left the safety of His home in order to protect those in danger on earth, we leave the comfort of our homes in order to save those in danger. We do this by immersing them in the things of God, connecting them to the one Mediator between God and man, the God-man, Christ Jesus. We do not merely immerse them in water, but into the one thing that saves, protects, perseveres and provides... the grace and mercy of God in the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.

MEDITATE
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you

We are called to teach the nations what Jesus has commanded. We cannot teach what we do not know. And we cannot show them how to do something we are not doing ourselves. To teach them implies knowledge. To show them how to observe implies obedience. We must dedicate our minds to His information and doctrine communicated by His eternal Word. And we must be committed to doing what we read, understanding His commands and applying ourselves to them.

IMITATE
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

We are called to be imitators of God. Just as He lived, died, rose and ascended in order to intercede on behalf of His people until He returns to judge the living and the dead, we are called to live in light of His Law, die to ourselves in repentance, raise to life in faith and be with those God has given us responsibility until death does us part or He returns.