A Simple Command

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’" (Matthew 28:16-20 NIV)

It is a simple, straightforward command.  There is nothing in the least ambiguous about it, but churches have long struggled to fulfill it and have often totally misinterpreted or ignored it.  

A disciple is one who follows in the footsteps of another, who is devoted to emulating the life of the one he follows.  Jesus commands us to make disciples.  Thus, the goal of the Church is to raise up people who commit their lives to Jesus and follow Him.  And this is achieved when people understand that following Jesus means a complete break from their old life (baptism) and beginning a new life in total submission to Jesus (obedience).

What has often been substituted for this command is an attempt to make converts to a particular denomination or set of beliefs.  Or an attempt to change one’s eternal destination through the “sinner’s prayer.”  The focus shifts from following Jesus to something else. “Teaching them to obey everything I commanded you” becomes “teach them what I said.”  And baptism becomes optional for many, totally inconsequential for others, and for some a religious sacrament divorced from the lives they live.  

Sometimes the devil’s scheme is to make things much more complex than they really are.  An honest reading of this passage would lead almost anyone to conclude that the goal of the Church is to reproduce people who wholeheartedly follow Jesus, who are totally submitted to doing His will.  Yet, the living waters have been muddied by a focus on getting people “saved,” church tradition, denominational loyalty, and religious activity.  The simple command to make disciples has been lost in it all, just as our enemy intended.  

If the Church is to have real influence in this culture and around the world, then we need to obey this simple command.  First, we must become true disciples of Jesus ourselves, separating from our old lives and learning to obey everything He commanded.  Second, we need to understand that the Christian life is about a whole lot more than just our final destination.  It is about leading others into a relationship with the Lord and teaching them to also follow Him.  

Today, understand that Jesus left us with a very simple command: Make disciples.  In order to do that, you have to be truly following Him yourself.  And, if you are, then it will be natural to want to lead others into a similar relationship.  It’s just that simple.  Not easy, but simple.

© Jim Musser 2015