The Command To Make Disciples
They have heard of the Great Commission before. Perhaps some missionary came through their church and referenced it during his presentation, or a speaker of a missions conference spoke from Matthew 28, but most likely Christians know that we are supposed to take the Gospel to others. However, what most people do not realize is that not only are we suppose to take the Gospel to others, but also we are supposed to disciple others. I want to share with you our command to make disciples.
The Bible says in Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The command is to teachin the world today.
The command to tell the world the Gospel is evident in Matthew 28 but what we also see is an explicit command to make disciples. We are told to go and teach all nations. We are told to teach them all things. Jesus told his disciples to go and teach about everything that he had commanded them. We are not told to go and baptize. We are told to teach, baptize, and teach them all things. You see the command to go does not stop with telling someone about Jesus. No, the command to go starts with teaching someone about Jesus and ends with teaching someone about all things that Christ has commanded us. We need to remember that our job is more than to witness to someone. After someone gets saved, we need to teach them the full counsel of God.
The command is for everyone in the world today.
You might be wondering if this command applies to you. You might be thinking, “This would be great for my pastor or a missionary, but I don’t need to do this.” However, I would like to remind you that the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5 that those who are saved have been made ambassadors for Christ. God gave the Great Commission to the church, and if you are saved, then you have a part in this command to disciple. To disciple others, you must first become a disciple so go and learn from a spiritual leader in your life whether that be your pastor or another spiritually mature Christian. Then begin looking for someone that you can disciple and teach about all the things that Christ has commanded.
The command is for everyone in the world today.
This command to disciple is not just some idea that I think would be a good thing. It is God’s idea. It is his idea of how we should take the Gospel to the world. Jesus gave us the example in the twelve disciples. He took these twelve men and taught them all things and these men went on to change the world. God gave us a command to disciple because he knew that the Gospel could reach the world if we are merely willing to teach others about Jesus. If every single Christian were to tell one person about Jesus and then teach them all about what Christ has commanded and that person went and did the same it would not be long before the world heard about Christ, and would be full of Christ’s disciples.
About the Author
Kason and Bethany Bloom are missionaries on deputation to Ecuador. Find out more about the Blooms at reachingecuador.com and connect with them at kason.bloom@gmail.comv
