And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.—Matthew 28:18–20
To be growing Christians, we must be disciples of Jesus Christ. Why? Because Jesus told us to go into all the world and make disciples. It takes one to make one. So first we have to know what a disciple is so that we can then go and make other disciples.
In Matthew 28 we find what is known as the Great Commission, where Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (verses 19–20).
What has Jesus told us to do? Go. Go where? Into all the world. And do what? Make disciples of all the nations.
There are two things in the original language of the Great Commission that we need to understand. First, it is a command. Jesus wasn’t saying, “If you can work it into your busy schedules, would you mind—as a personal favor to Me—to please go. . . .” Rather, Jesus was saying, “You have submitted your life to Me. I am ordering you now to go into all the world.”
Second, these words are given to every follower of Jesus—young and old, men and women, new believers and older believers.
It is not the Great Suggestion; it is the Great Commission. The commission of the church is not to wait for the world to show up. Rather, the commission of the church is to go to the world. Every follower of Jesus should be doing this.
So here is my question for you: Are you doing this? If we are not making disciples of others, then we are not really being the disciples that Jesus wants us to be.
Radio Program: “So What? — I”
TV Program: “Your Past, Present, and Future”
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 19, 1 Chronicles 7, Psalm 59, Matthew 4
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Used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie, PO Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.
