Before
the Lord ascended to heaven, He gave His apostles the Great Commission. In Matthew's record, Christ's words are given
as follows:
"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 the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
This commission is a brief but full mission
statement for the apostles. It gives the
basis of the mission, which is the all-encompassing authority of Christ. It also gives the goal of the mission, which
is to make disciples of all nations.
Furthermore, it gives the methods of the mission, which are baptizing in
the name of God and teaching the commandments of Christ. Finally, it gives assurance to the mission,
for Jesus declared that He would always be with the apostles.
As we consider the Great Commission, we
realize that this was not strictly a mission for the apostles. The disciples who would be converted by the
apostles were to be taught all that Jesus had commanded to the apostles. This certainly includes the commandments
contained within the Great Commission itself, so this mission from Jesus is
passed down from generation to generation of His disciples. This is precisely the message Paul indicated
to Timothy in 2Timothy 2:2 when he wrote, "The things which you have heard from
me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be
able to teach others also." Therefore,
many generations later, we are the modern disciples of Christ who now carry the
responsibility of the Great Commission, and we will pass it on to the next
generation.
As modern missionaries of Christ, we
know what we must do: make disciples. We
also know how to do this, which is by teaching the word of Christ and baptizing
persons in the name of Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The question is, whom shall we make into
disciples of Christ? Jesus sent the
apostles to "all nations," which indicated that their mission was not merely to
go to the Jews but also to the Gentile peoples.
For us, this means that the whole world is open as a mission field.
This is a daunting task, for how can we
make disciples of all nations?
Obviously, this is a collective effort to be made by all Christians. No single Christian can reach the whole
world, but all Christians together can go to all the nations. To succeed in this mission, each Christian
must do his part within his sphere of influence. If all Christians will do this, then the
mission will be carried out successfully.
Now for you, dear Christian, how will
you do your part? When you think of the
Great Commission as we call it, you may think of grand efforts and missionary
journeys to foreign lands. However, you
can carry out your part of the Great Commission by simply reaching out to those
whom you already contact and influence.
Let it begin with your own family, including your children and your spouse
(1Cor. 7:10-16; Eph. 6:4; 2Tim. 1:5; 3:14-15; Tit. 2:4-5; 1Pet. 3:1-7). Beyond these, speak about the Lord to your
friends, neighbors, co-workers and other people you encounter. In this way, you can "go and make disciples"
without really going anywhere.
When
you are considering whom to teach the gospel, don't exclude anyone. If you disqualify a person from hearing the
gospel because he has too many problems, he doesn't look right, his hair is too
long, he is divorced, he has addictions, etc., then you need to reevaluate your
approach. Jesus said, "It is not those
who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to
call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17).
When you take on the Lord's Great Commission, you must also communicate
the Lord's Great Invitation, which He gave in Matthew 11:28-30:
"Come to Me, all
who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for
I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
If you are looking for the perfect
candidate for a making a disciple and expecting a "just-add-water"
instant-Christian, then you will never convert anyone. In the first century, those who appeared to be
the most likely candidates for becoming Christ's disciples were probably the
Pharisees, but Jesus said their hearts were far away from God (Matt.
15:7-9). Perhaps the chief priests and
elders seemed most suited to be disciples of God's Son, but Jesus said that the
tax-gatherers and harlots would get into the kingdom before they would (Matt.
21:31). Likewise, if you are looking for
disciples only among persons who have the appearance of religion already, then
you will probably have little success.
Turn your eyes to the "desert of sorrow and sin," and there you will
find the greatest potential for making disciples.
Faithful Christians, the Great
Commission is yours and mine. The Lord
has entrusted it to our hands, and it is a stewardship for which we must give
an account. How shall we answer?
