We carry out the command because there is nothing more important than being disciples who make disciples.
Missionaries have gone around the world for hundreds of years sharing the Gospel. Many are called to the nations to reach the unreached. It is fascinating to hear the stories of missionaries who have taken up this work, and it's inspiring to learn that some have sacrificed lives, health, and family members in order to proclaim the message of Christ.
Today, many are still called to take the gospel to the nations in missions.
The reality of Scripture, however, says that we are all called to this commission. While we may not feel called to foreign nations, we are called to take the Gospel to unbelievers and to make disciples.
This commission is not given only to a select few.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirt, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
Each believer is a missionary in some form.
The mission is to take the gospel to all people, including those in our neighborhoods and communities.
This mission stretches back to the Garden and the mandate given to Adam and Eve. In the Garden, in Genesis 1:26-28, God instructs them to be fruitful, multiply, subdue, and fill the earth:
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping this that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
The Dominion Mandate in Genesis 1 and the Great Commission in Matthew 28 connect us to the call to make disciples, to multiply.
Every believer has a task set before them. It is one we often say no to or view only as an overseas activity. We often list the long reasons why we cannot share the gospel, or we hope someone else will do it for us.
The reality is that the gospel has been passed to us so we can pass it on to the next generation.
The Apostles are an example of how believers should live out their days. The gospel should be their motivator, their call, their focus, and their daily mission. Whether we sit behind a desk or rock crying babies all day, we constantly point others to Christ.
How can we know this? How can we live this out? Matthew 28 tells us how we can multiply believers and be fruitful.
1. Verse 18
Matthew 28:18 says, “And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. He is the resurrected Son of God. For this reason, we are called to do the work of the Great Commission. In His authority, we go out and share the gospel. This also points us to the reality that it is not within our power that this work is done; it is through Him. We may sow the seeds, but God gives the increase.
2. Verse 19
Matthew 28:19 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
This command is given to the Apostles to go and make disciples. These Apostles would carry the gospel's message to the nations in a way we can scarcely imagine. The gospel was their life's work and is our soul's salvation today. They took the command of God seriously to make His name known to the nations. Acts tells us that these same Apostles were turning the world upside down for the gospel.
We, too, are made to carry forward the command of making disciples. We engage in this task because all authority is given to Christ. We carry out the command because there is nothing more important than being disciples who make disciples.
3. Verse 20a
Matthew 28:20a says, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
The work of making disciples is not simply filling the baptism pool with warm bodies. There is an essential action to make disciples that is often overlooked. We are to teach what God has commanded. We are called to disciple new believers to walk holy as God is holy. New believers, once disciplined, properly continue the work of proclaiming the Gospel, and the life cycle of discipleship lives on.
The Great Commission is intended to cause multiplication in the church—fruitful believers, multiplying, subduing, and filling the earth.
4. Verse 20b
Matthew 28:20b says, “And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.”
There is a call to rest in Christ. When we understand that Christ does not leave us alone in this work, we can confidently share the gospel no matter where we are. We as believers are not in the business of changing someone's heart; we are in the business of obediently planting seeds.
The end of the age is coming, when Christ will come again to rule and reign. The Apostles believed it would be in their lifetime, and maybe it will be in ours. Regardless, we know we can continue with the mission of making disciples because Christ’s work is ongoing until the end of the age.
We are called to this work of making disciples. Whether in our homes or across the oceans, our mission is clear: make Christ known to all nations.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Pamela D. McAdams
Michelle Rabon is helping women be disciples who make disciples. Michelle has her MDiv in Ministry to Women from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently serving as Women’s Ministry Director in her local church. She is also the author of Holy Mess. When she is not writing or teaching, she enjoys reading, being close to the ocean, and drinking a lot of coffee. You can connect with Michelle at www.michellerabon.com
