- It is God’s will for you to make disciples.
- You are authorized to do so everywhere.
- You are uniquely equipped to do so as a follower of Jesus.
Have you ever been talking with a neighbor and suddenly a suggestion enters your mind, “You should see if that person is a follower of Christ?” Where did that suggestion come from? Was it Satan tempting you? – No. Was it from your own good heart? – No. Was it the Holy Spirit leading you? I suggest it was, because it is God’s will that every follower of Christ be involved in evangelism and discipleship. How can we be so sure that God’s will is for every Christian to be involve in evangelism and discipleship?
It is God’s will for you to make disciples.
The simple answer to the above question is that all followers of Jesus Christ are commanded to make Disciples. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus gives a single command to make disciples. Making a disciple of Jesus is not simply teaching someone to comprehend a particular truth. It is displaying the truth in action before them. It is the difference between a teacher and a coach. The teacher says listen to me. The coach says listen to me and now watch me do it. Disciples are those who hear, understand and ultimately obey Jesus Christ (observing all that He commanded). This is a command to make disciples, not simply watch people make a decision.
So, as a follower of Jesus Christ, you are commanded to make disciples.
Now you may be thinking, “evangelism is not my gift,” or “I have so much to learn, I am not able to help anyone else.” I can understand these concerns. Evangelism is loving people enough to give them the truth, and nobody likes to face potential resistance to the truth. Yet, the question is not of giftedness nor of enjoyment or even skill, the question is the will of God. I can say assuredly, making disciples is the will of God for every believer. And I would suggest your own conscience bears witness to this. When you obey that suggestion from the Spirit and inquire of your neighbor’s relationship with God, is there anything more fulfilling? The last time you shared the truth of the gospel with someone did you go away in your heart thinking, “This really is why I am here.” Or when you were able to help a young believer understand and know how to apply God’s word to their present situation weren’t you overjoyed? Why the joy? Because this is the will of God for you and every follower of Christ.
You are authorized to make disciples everywhere.
But engaging in evangelism and discipleship is frightening. We all sense our personal inadequacies to do this. That is why Jesus includes two other truths that surround this command. One is found in the previous verse (Matthew 28:18) where Jesus makes the statement, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus’ authority has already been noted by Matthew (7:29; 9:6; 10:1) so it is not as if His resurrection established some authority that Jesus did not previously possess. The emphasis is upon the sphere of His authority. “All” in heaven and earth as King. His kingdom has dawned in new power. The Son becomes the one through whom all God’s authority is mediated. This truth motivated the early church to evangelize and make disciples as seen through its preaching. Peter and Stephen noted that Jesus is presently seated in the place of authority at the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:30-33; 7:55, 56), and thus implored people to bow to him. As a follower of Christ, you are authorized to make disciples of Jesus Christ because all must bow to the true King of Kings!
People who do not know Christ cannot understand the compulsion to go and seek to evangelize and disciple others. How does the world respond when we say we are to make disciples of Christ in all nations? The response is, “Who are you to demand that people follow Jesus? Why don’t you just keep your religion to yourself?” The answer is – all authority has been given to Jesus Christ and He alone possesses the universal right that all should bow before Him. In a twenty-first century culture that is given to toleration, this exclusive claim of authority is certainly countercultural. Yet, Jesus’ exclusive claim to have all authority means that all are ultimately accountable to Him (John 5:22-23).
You are uniquely equipped to make disciples as a follower of Jesus.
Jesus’ position authorizes your making disciples, but it can still be a frightening endeavor. That is why Jesus includes the final promise in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always to the end of the age.” You have the promise of Jesus’ comforting presence with you when you engage in the task of making disciples. The Spirit of God indwells believers and emboldens them for the task. This was the only explanation for the change in the early disciple’s demeanor following the pouring out of the Spirit in Acts. Now filled with the Holy Spirit, they were bold to speak the Gospel (Acts 1:8). And Jesus states that this presence is an enduring presence, to the end of the age. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you are equipped to make disciples of Christ!
Every follower of Christ should be involved in making disciples. You are commanded to do so but are also authorized and equipped. So why not engage with the neighbor and follow the Spirit’s leading to inquire of their relationship with God?
Matt Fagan is the Lead Pastor at Heritage Baptist Church of Windham, New Hampshire and serves as an Exchange Trainer. Contact Matt about leading an Exchange Training Event or to discuss this article at [email protected]