This passage is often referred to as the Great Commission, and it is the marching orders of the Church. The Church has been given a charge to fulfill. We are to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them for the glory of Christ. But, how do we accomplish this task? I think local congregations all over are struggling with achieving this task. For most of us, it isn't not knowing what we are supposed to do, it's not knowing how to do what we are supposed to do.
First, we must go. We cannot make disciples where the gospel is not proclaimed. This "commission" was given to the apostles, but they turned around and taught to the other 109 people gathered with them in the upper room (see Acts 1-2). Although the book of Acts centers on the ministries of a few, it suggests that the work was done by the many. Christianity spread, because most, if not all, Christians were sharing their faith.
Gospel proclamation is absolutely essential to fulfilling the Great Commission. Paul states,
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 'But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, " Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Rom.10:13-17, ESV).Therefore, we must go, proclaiming the gospel, before we can make disciples. In Matthew 13:1-9, Jesus teaches what has been called the "Parable of the Sower." While the parable deals with different responses to the gospel message (the seed), it is built around the concept of a sower (a gospel witness) going out spreading the seed (the word of Christ). Response is only possible where the gospel is preached. People cannot reject or accept something of which they have no knowledge. Ignorance is no excuse. They will be held accountable for their sins, and this truth adds urgency to the call to go.
Second, we are to baptize them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We are to mark them out through the act of immersion which symbolizes their death, burial, and resurrection. Believers are people who have, through faith, died to their sins and have been raised to newness of life. The baptism of the believer also signifies their entry into the community of faith and covenant with God. They were dead, but now they are alive. They are sealed with the mark, "holy unto the Lord." They are his prized possession, his beloved children whom he adopted.
Third, we are to instruct them in the teachings of Christ. The commands of Christ include more than the red letters we see in the New Testament (if your Bible is a red-lettered edition). It includes everything in the Bible from the first creation to the new creation. We teach them to walk in his ways, to observe what he commanded. Christ Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, becomes their compass, their North Star. He is the fixed point by which they guide their lives. As they mature as they grown in grace and knowledge of their Lord Jesus Christ.
What would a congregation, built on and perpetuating the Great Commission, look like? The book of Acts gives us an excellent picture, "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul. . . And the Lord added their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2: 42-47, ESV). The mission of every true church is to make disciples. The way that they must do this is to go, to baptize those who repent and believe, and to train them obey Christ's commands. If we do this, the Lord will add to our number those he has saved.
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