February 23
What Is the Great Commission?
by Tim Chaffey, AiG–U.S.
Today’s big question: what is the
Great Commission?
The most well-known passage describing the Great Commission
is found in the Lord’s words at the end of Matthew:
“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, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew
28:19–20)
This passage is often used as a basis for evangelism, which
is certainly an appropriate application of Christ’s words, but the emphasis is
often misplaced. In English, it seems as though Jesus gave several commands:
go, make disciples, baptize, and teach. However, in Greek, the only imperative
is the verb translated as “make disciples.” The instructions to go, teach, and
baptize explain how the command to make disciples is to be carried out.
Since Jesus told His disciples to teach their followers “all
things that [He] commanded,” the command to make disciples must also be obeyed
by the next generation of believers. As such, the Great Commission was not only
for the first disciples, but is to be obeyed by every Christian.
So how can we obey our Lord’s teaching? Many people
mistakenly believe that the command was only about sharing the good news. In
fact, one of the weaknesses in the church today is that too many people think
church is all about evangelism. Please don’t misunderstand me. Evangelism is
extremely important, and we are definitely commanded to witness to others.
Without evangelism, there could be no discipleship. However, the emphasis of
the Great Commission is to “make disciples,” and this involves far more than
simply leading someone to the Savior. Followers of Christ are supposed to make
more disciples who live in obedience to Christ. We must spend time teaching and
mentoring believers so they will grow and mature in the faith (Hebrews
5:12–14).
Today’s verse from the first chapter of Acts records a
restatement of Christ’s command and functions as a practical outline of the
book (i.e., the disciples were His witnesses first in Jerusalem, then in Judea,
Samaria, and the ends of the earth).
May we have the boldness and wisdom of the apostles to both
witness to an unbelieving world and disciple those who repent of their sins and
trust in Christ.
Today’s big idea: we are commanded to mature in the faith
and disciple others.What to pray: ask God to help you
fulfill the Great Commission.
