The Great Commission

Pastor Don Porter

The Christian life is more than just saying a prayer or walking down an aisle and getting “fire insurance,” as it were. The Christian life is meant to be dynamic. It is meant to be exciting. It is meant to have a radical effect on the way you live and your outlook on life, because Jesus Christ not only wants to be your Saviour, He wants to be your Lord. Not only does He want to be your friend, but He also wants to be your God. But I’m afraid that many today are living a substandard Christian experience. You really can’t be a substandard Christian. Yet, there are many who are failing to receive all that God has for them. What has always amazed me is how did a handful of ordinary people living in the first century turn their world, as they knew it, upside down? They did it without television, without radio, without mega-churches, and without all the resources we think are so important today in reaching the goal of world evangelism. How is it that they were able to do it? I think you could sum it up in one word: disciple! They were disciples of Jesus Christ - not fair weather followers - but true disciples. They weren’t living an anemic, watered-down, ineffective version of the Christian life. They were living the Christian life as it was meant to be lived. If we want to impact our culture today, then we, too, must be disciples. Matthew 28:19, called the great commission, says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...” What does it mean to be a disciple? Are the qualifications of discipleship different from those of simply coming to faith? I believe the answer is yes. First, Jesus tells us that if we want to be His disciples, we must deny ourselves. This is a foundational issue. We have a choice in life: we can either live for ourselves or we can deny ourselves. We can either ignore the cross, or we can take it up and follow Him. The great barrier to being a disciple of Jesus Christ is summed up in one word: self. Self-obsession is not something unique to our generation, although the Bible does say that in the last days, people would be lovers of themselves and lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Certainly, we are living in a time of great self-obsession, especially in North America. Yet we can trace its roots all the way back to the Garden of Eden. When Satan came to Eve, he essentially appealed to her selfish nature. That is why Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself ..." Jesus didn’t say, “Love yourself.” He didn’t say, “Have a positive self image.” He said, “Deny Yourself.” That is what we need to do, because that is what gets in the way. What did Jesus want us to teach new converts? In Matthew 28:20 we are told to teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. In Matthew 28:19-20, we find the “marching orders” from Jesus that we know as the Great Commission. There are two things we should remember about it. First, these words are a command. That is why we call it the Great Commission and not the Great Suggestion. Jesus did not say, “Look, if you are in the mood, if it works into your busy schedule, as a personal favour to Me, would you consider going into the world and making disciples?” No. In the original language, this is a command. Second, these words were not only given to the original 11 disciples. Nor were they exclusively for pastors, evangelists, and missionaries. They are for every follower of Jesus Christ. If we are His disciples, then we are commanded to go and make disciples of others. It doesn’t necessarily mean we need to cross the sea. But, certainly, a good start would be crossing the street to talk to a neighbour. Peter asked Jesus what are the rewards for discipleship? Jesus answered, “It will be made up to you, Peter.” This promise holds true today. Whatever you have given up for Jesus, it will be made up to you. Maybe you have lost a friendship here and there. Maybe you gave up a certain lifestyle. Maybe you have made changes in your life, and so you should have. But God will make it up to you! I think, when you look back, it will only become clearer to you that you made the right choice in following Him. You will realize that not only has God made it up to you in this life, but also that He will make it up to you in eternity when you hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Therefore, I want to challenge you today to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, not just a fair-weather follower or simply a churchgoing person.