Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:18-20)
I have a confession
to make. Whenever I see an article like this that has the Great
Commission at the top, I am tempted to quit reading as I think, “Here
it comes, another guilt trip about missions. Another exhortation to
go or give to someone who is going. I think I’ll pass.” And the
funny thing is, I have always had a heart for the mission field and
had prepared to go there when I was younger! If I’m tired of
hearing it, I bet there are others who are tired of it too.
So you can rest
assured that this isn’t another pitch for people to go to Africa or
give to the mission board. On the contrary, our focus here will be
upon the promise that seems to be overlooked in most sermons or
writings on this passage – Jesus promises to be with us! Pause for
a moment and let that sink into your heart and mind. Jesus, the One
to whom all authority has been given, is with me! And He is with you
as well! He is with all of us who have put our faith in Him!
This means that
when I bump into my neighbor and make small talk, Jesus is right
there with me to help me find the words to tell my neighbor how much
I love God and the life He has given me. It means that when I’m
locked in a struggle with a contrary co-worker, Jesus is right there
to help me be kind and conciliatory. It means that when I am going
the extra mile by giving someone a ride, He is right there between
us, hoping to be a part of our conversation. Jesus is with me in my
marriage, my parenting, whatever I endeavor to do, Jesus is right
there with me, especially if I am being obedient to what He has told
me to do.
So what, then, has
He told us to do? It’s quite simple, really. We are to make
disciples. That is the central command of the passage. As we are
going, whether it be to the market, our job, or the mission field, we
are to be making disciples who are dedicated followers of Jesus. We
are to be leading people into relationship with Him and His church by
baptizing them and teaching them how to be followers of Jesus. That’s
it. Simple and straight-forward. The Body of Christ – all of us who
follow Jesus – are to be making other disciples who obey everything
Jesus commands us.
Discipleship, then,
isn’t a program or a book where one person sits with another for
one hour a week for a year and then he or she is officially a
disciple and able to disciple someone else. There isn’t a hierarchy
of whose discipling whom. And it isn’t only the clergy who are to
be making disciples – it’s all of us who follow Jesus.
I hope by now that
you are getting the idea that discipleship isn’t optional, for
neither you nor I can say, “Discipleship isn’t for me. I just
want to be a lone ranger Christian, listening to the sermon or
getting my teaching online without getting involved in the lives of
others.” The fact is that we need each other. We need other
brothers and sisters in Christ to speak into our lives and pray for
us and help us out when we need it.
And in like manner,
there are others out there who need our input into their lives. There
are people all around us who need the message of salvation or
encouragement to live for Jesus. We can’t just leave it to the
seminary-trained or the extroverts to get the job done. Jesus – the
One who has all authority on heaven and earth, the One to whom we
will all give an account – commands us all to be making disciples
as we go through this life. We are to be bringing people into
relationship with Him and teaching them to obey everything He taught
us. It’s that simple. No excuses. So let’s get going on what He
has told us to do.
After all, His
command comes with a promise. He will be with us always – in the
coffeeshop, in our workplace, at the supermarket, everywhere we dare
to talk about Jesus – even to the end of the age.
Let’s Pray
Together: Lord, thank you
for your promise to be with us always, even to the end of the age.
Help me to be faithful and obedient to the commands you have given
us. Show me what my part is in the disciple-making process. Bring
people into my life that can encourage me in the Lord and challenge
me to live for Jesus more wholeheartedly. Lead me to people that I
can teach and encourage in the Lord. I pray for this whole process of
disciple-making and ask you to lead me in the following
ways….(continue praying as you feel led)
Action Point:
Begin thinking about who God has put in your life that you could ask
them if they would like to get together to pray and talk about what
it means to be a follower of Jesus. Look for potential mentors as
well as friends who would benefit from your input in their lives.
Take the initiative and call/text someone and set up a time to get
together to have some coffee and talk about these things.
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