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Millard Kinnison on December 10, 2024

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Together in Christ: 'Make Disciples!' — Matthew 28:18-20

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

— Matthew 28:18-20 NLT

Key Thought...

These verses are known as Jesus' Great Commission. In Matthew's gospel, they are the Lord's last words for His closest disciples before He ascended back to the Father. This message is one clear command with three related actions: [1]

Command: Make disciples of all nations!

Action 1: By going.

Action 2: By baptizing.

Action 3: By teaching new disciples to obey all Jesus commanded. (Of course, we are to follow His example as well as His commands. [2]) .

Today, I fear that we often substitute our definition of a disciple for Jesus' description. We INVITE folks to come to church, but we frequently don't GO into all the world. We tell people to invite Jesus into their hearts but often don't BAPTIZE. Much of the time, we teach facts and impart information about what Jesus said and did but don't train and TEACH folks TO OBEY Jesus' commands and follow His example. [3] We have opted for the easy form of calling people to follow Jesus, which is a form of disciple-making foreign to Jesus or the practice of the New Testament. Then we wonder why so many people claiming to be Christians don't obey God and don't live godly lives but remain lukewarm in the faith.

Going to other places, peoples, and cultures is hard and sometimes dangerous. Baptizing people involves a more public response, including a confession of faith. [4] Baptizing requires us to go personally rather than tell them from a distance. Training people to obey means investing time and significant chunks of our lives in maturing others in Christ, so we rather sometimes settle for teaching them online or in a Bible class. Jesus, however, reminded us that His plan was rooted in the authority that God gave Him "in heaven and on earth." The Lord wants us to know that this is His Great Commission, not just His Great Suggestion. We are commanded to obey Jesus. His call was for us to GO on mission to those here, near, and far away with the Good News, BAPTIZE them, and TEACH them to obey, and He has empowered us with the Holy Spirit to help us with this mission. [5]

You may think, "I'm not a pastor, evangelist, or preacher, so how does this pertain to me? Why is this so important?" As we have seen over the last few days, Jesus wants us to make a difference in people's lives. He cares about those who do not believe, [6] wherever they are, whatever their race, and whenever we are given the opportunity to tell them about Him. The Lord longs to see those who are opposed to Him and to His people repent, turn to Him, and find salvation. [7] He has sent us to continue His work and follow His example. [8] Our relationship with unbelievers is essential! We are God's salt placed in the world to inhibit its decay, and we are His light sent to drive away Satan's darkness. [9]

We must not underestimate the importance of Jesus' mission for each of us. We must not dilute Jesus' method of accomplishing that mission. Gloriously, however, when we embrace Jesus' love for the lost people in our world, God will bless us with all sorts of people who will share eternal life with us [10] and would not have been saved without us!

[1] In Greek, the language of the original New Testament, there is one imperative verb ("make disciples") with three participles ("going" and "baptizing" and "teaching to obey") that emphasize how we are to make disciples.

[2] Luke 6:40; 1 John 2:6.

[3] For over three decades, I spoke in churches all over the world and misquoted the Great Commission leaving out the words "to obey," and no one told me what I left out.

[4] Romans 10:9-10 NASB.

[5] Acts 1:8.

[6] John 3:16-17.

[7] 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Peter 3:13-17; Matthew 5:44-48.

[8] John 20:21-23; Luke 6:40.

[9] Matthew 5:13-16.

[10] Revelation 7:9-14.

Today's Prayer

Father, I know you loved the world so much that You sent the Son to save us. Jesus, please quicken my heart to obey Your Great Commission. Holy Spirit, please empower me as I seek to fulfill it. Open my eyes to see those around me who are hungry for Your grace, O God, and use me to lead them to become disciples and grow in their faith and obedience to Jesus. Amen.