When I was a teenager, there were few things I hated more than cutting the grass, but it was something my father made me do. It was one of his commandments. As the one who paid the bills and provided for our family, it was his right and prerogative to make me cut the grass. It was a Saturday ritual. I was a gym rat and all I wanted to do was to go play basketball, but first came cutting the grass. It was a non-negotiable. I didn’t hate cutting the grass because I was lazy. I have never been afraid of hard work, and am to this day. I hated cutting the grass because it got in the way of what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to obey my dad’s commandment because I didn’t like his commandment. But when all was said and done, I only had two responses to my dad’s commandment: obedience or disobedience. At the close of the book of Matthew, Jesus gives his disciples a commandment in Matthew 28:18-20. It is a very challenging commandment that many do not like. It is called the Great Commission. It’s a commandment that still applies today. And there are only two responses to the Great Commission: obedience or disobedience.
In v. 18, Jesus declares his divine authority. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” He has been “given dominion and glory and a kingdom… an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away…” (Dan. 7:14). The Great Commission is a divine imperative, a mandate from the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus’ authority is supreme. He has authority over everything in heaven and on earth. And it is because he possesses this absolute authority that he can make the following declaration. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20a). Notice the word “therefore”? It links vv. 19 and 20 to what Jesus declared in verse 18. What Jesus is saying is: “Because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, I command you to go and do as I say.” So what does he command us to do? To go and make disciples of all nations. Jesus’ dominion is over all of creation, so the Gospel must go out to the entire creation.
The main command of Jesus’ divine imperative is to “make disciples”. Making disciples obviously involves evangelism. The first step to making disciples is to preach the Gospel. The Gospel is a verbal message, and it is a message that must be proclaimed. “So faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). It is through the preaching of the Gospel that people are brought to Jesus. Then the new believer is baptized in the name of the Triune God, if he has not previously been baptized. The new believer is united to Christ. He now belongs to God and is brought into the covenant community. But it does not stop there. Jesus did not simply say, “Go and make converts.” Sadly, in much of the church today, that seems to be the sole focus. One of the most prominent “celebrity” preachers today constantly brags about how many conversions and baptisms his church has each month and each year. But what about making disciples? Making disciples also involves instructing believers and leading them into a life that is conformed to Jesus’ teaching. Jesus said, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (v. 20).
When someone comes to faith in Jesus, whether they are 10 years old or 50 years old, spiritually, they are newborns. They need to be nurtured spiritually. They need to be brought to spiritual maturity. Jesus gave us the model for making disciples. He invested 3 years in the lives of his chosen disciples. He taught them what it means to be one of his followers. He taught them, trained them, loved them. He rebuked them when necessary. The result was that these men were then prepared for the work Jesus had for them to do. They would be his Apostles who would oversee the birth of the Christian church. They would continue the work that he began. They would make disciples who would then make disciples.
Much of the church is not making disciples today. The emphasis is on making converts, often through emotion-driven means. But that isn’t where it ends. It is only the beginning. And the ramifications of the lack of disciple-making are seen in a church that is largely apathetic and lacking commitment. The lack of disciple-making in the contemporary church has several root causes. One cause is false teaching, a problem that is hardly isolated to today’s church. The New Testament writers frequently address the matter of false teaching and false teachers. Malformed doctrine has always been an issue in the church. Jesus issued warnings against false teachers, reminding his disciples that there would be an abundance of “false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matt. 7:15).He proclaimed that “many false prophets will arise and lead many astray” (Matt. 24:11). So while the problem is not a new problem, to say false teaching and false doctrine is rampant today is a gross understatement. The popularity of the Prosperity Gospel, the Word of Faith movement, and the apostasy of many of the mainline denominations have led many away from a true understanding of what following Jesus really means. Sound doctrine has gone by the wayside, as many have sought to “accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Tim. 4:3). As a result, they have “(turned) away from listening to the truth and (wandered) off into myths” (2 Tim. 4:4). In addition, with the culture’s growing exaltation of self and autonomy, the theme of discipleship, which calls for the denial of self and the complete rejection of autonomy, is not a popular theme in much of today’s church.
So why does all of this matter? Why is answering Jesus’ call to make disciples so vitally important? First, there is the matter of obedience. Obedience is the proper response to grace. Obedience to Jesus’ divine imperative is not optional; the only other alternative is unfaithfulness to Christ. Second, Jesus calls his followers to be salt and light to a fallen and darkened world (Matt. 5:13-14). How can a disciple of Jesus be salt and light in the midst of the world’s darkness if he lives and acts no differently from the world? How can a disciple be a light in the midst of a darkened world when he holds to the same values and pursues the same treasures as the world? How can a disciple be salt and light if he is not himself discipled? What we believe and how we live are inseparably linked. Faithful disciples will be different from the world because Christianity is counterculture. The ethics of the kingdom of God are radically different from the world’s ever-shifting ethics. It was the case in Jesus’ day, and nothing has changed in the 21st century. Nothing speaks more powerfully for the truth of the Gospel than a transformed life!
And there is also the corporate effect of answering Jesus’ divine imperative to make disciples. A church consisting of Christians striving to make disciples and to be disciples will abound in unity and Christ-like character, which will certainly stand out in a pagan land which pursues self and exalts self. A church consisting of Christians seeking to make disciples and to be disciples will be focused on self-denial and self-sacrifice, instead of self-serving pursuits. A church of true and faithful disciples will “with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:6). It will strive to love God and love neighbor in a culture that has exalted self and autonomy to the supreme height. It will be a church that stands out in a culture where sexual ethics and morality are on a rapid downward spiral. It will be a church that stands out in a society where lawlessness is increasing and the love of many has grown cold (Matt. 24:12).
The universal authority of Jesus is the basis for the Great Commission. The emphasis of Jesus’ commission is not solely on the proclamation of the Gospel, as necessary as that is. It focuses more on the arduous, time-consuming task of leading others into the life and pattern of discipleship. To be a disciple means to pursue righteousness as articulated and modeled by Jesus. God’s primary plan for the church is for disciples of Jesus to make other disciples. Jesus commanded that disciples make disciples. Making disciples is not strictly the job of the pastor and the elders. It is a call that falls upon each individual Christian. Time investment in the lives of others is necessary and foundational in making disciples. Jesus expects disciples to invest time in the lives of others to help them grow in discipleship. This certainly requires sacrifice.
The heart of the Great Commission is the imperative to “make disciples.” The investment of time in the lives of others is an inescapable necessity for making disciples. Discipleship does not “just happen.” The church’s mission is to “go… make disciples” which requires an outward focus. True discipleship is the answer to this discipleship crisis that has greatly weakened the church, as well as the church’s impact on the world. Jesus’ disciples are called to deny self in order to serve the One who loved them and gave himself for them (Gal. 2:20). A servant of Jesus is called to give because Jesus gave. Christ is not only our example. He is our motivation. Until the church faithfully and obediently heeds Jesus’ call to make disciples, the church will have no influence on the world. Instead, the church will continue to be influenced by the world.