And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matt 28:18-20)We recognize it as the Great Commission, so why don't we practice it?
The premise of the Great Commission is the Risen Lord Jesus. "Because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me ...," He says. "On that basis, do this." Do what? There is only one actual command in this commission: "make disciples." All the other verbs are simply modifiers to that command. There is "go" and "baptize" and "teach" that modify "make disciples," but the singular command is μαθητεύω -- mathēteuō -- to be or make a disciple of one. In this case it is clearly to make (as opposed to "to be") disciples since the rest of the context of the command points out, not in -- going, baptizing, teaching. So our prime directive here is to make others into disciples "of one." Of whom? Not you and me; of Christ. How do we know that? Again, it's in the context. Teaching them "to observe all that I have commanded you." Make them disciples of Christ. Make them followers of Christ. Most literally, make them learners of Christ. Note that it doesn't say, "Make converts." It doesn't say simply, "Lead them to Jesus." It says to make them followers -- disciples.
The command is clarified. Where do we do this? As you are going. Wherever you go. Clearly not just in your home or your neighborhood (by which I mean you do indeed do it there -- just not only there). Go. Maybe you're going yourself; maybe you're sending. But the "where" is extensive.
What is a disciple? First, a follower of Christ is baptized -- baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. "You mean, use those names?" No. We've discussed this before. "In the name of" doesn't mean "using that name." There are no examples in the New Testament of anyone ever baptizing someone "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." It was always "in the name of Jesus" (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:16; Acts 10:48; Acts 10:48; Acts 19:5). More accurately it means to baptize "into" the name. And "the name" means more at "the character." So it is "Immerse them into the character of our Trinitarian God -- into all that He is." That would be a physical and a spiritual baptism. Second, a disciple is taught -- taught not only all what Christ commanded, but taught to obey all that Christ commanded. And if John was accurate -- Jesus was "the Word" (John 1:1) -- then we're talking about all of Scripture; not just the red letters.
Perhaps you can begin see the immensity of this commission. Everywhere you go. Not merely converts. Immerse them into God. Teach them to know and keep the Word. Rinse and repeat. Teach them to make disciples. Continue to immerse them into God. Continue to teach ... it just keeps going. You can see why one pastor told me, "It's just too much work." And, yet ...
Jesus said why. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me." And Jesus said how. "I am with you always, to the end of the age." So, no, it's not a lark, a game, a breeze. It's a lot of work. But it is a command from the highest authority and it is supported by the present Lord Jesus. It's a sure thing.
So, my question is "How is that going for you?" Are you making disciples? Are you being discipled? What's keeping you from it? If it's fear or laziness or false humility, it's time to move on. It is, after all, the Great Commission. Not just some downstream recommendation. And remember, "Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked" (1 John 2:6). That, dear readers, is one of the ways we can know we are in Him (1 John 2:5). Make a difference. Be a disciple. Make disciples. It's not about you, your knowledge, your skills, your abilities. It's about Him.
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