S. The Great Commission

The Great Commission

Jesus 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 28:18-20)

One of the greatest responsibilities the Lord Jesus Christ has left to the church is to go and make disciples of all nations. This is not just the responsibility of the pastors, evangelists, teachers and preachers but of every Christian saved by the grace of God. This is not an option but a command. Hudson Taylor, a sacrificial missionary to China, rightly said, “The great commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” THE GREAT OMISSION Not doing what we should is as serious as doing that which we shouldn’t. Omitting this Great Commission is as sinful as committing adultery and murder! In saying this I am not bringing condemnation but a challenge to all so that we would repent and take the task of discipleship as seriously as it was intended of the Lord to be taken by us. Most of our convictions are overruled by minor issues while being desensitized to that which is greater. For instance, if an average Christian of our day fails to attend a Sunday service once or twice he feels extremely guilty; however, he doesn’t feel an ounce of guilt for living a life for years without discipling anyone. Why is it so? There must be something terribly wrong with our present day church system.

Christian Life and Ministry To many believers, Christian life is no more than offering a daily word of prayer, reading the Holy Bible (frequently or occasionally), attending Sunday service, singing songs together, listening to a sermon and giving offerings. The thought of discipling people commanded by Jesus Christ never occurred in their mind. In fact, this is unknown and even untaught to many. Believe me, it will be quite a strange question to many Christians if they are asked, “Are you making disciples?” This does not at all exist in their dictionary.

Besides, even the pastors and preachers are neglecting this Great Commission. To some, ministry is no more than preaching from the pulpit or perhaps praying for those who request or sometimes visiting houses. Generally, there is no personal discipleship happening on a relational level. I hear some ministers say, “I go to preach in various places; I baptized so many people and I planted so and so churches.” Seldom do I hear them saying, “I discipled these many people.” Jesus didn’t say, “Go and preach every Sunday to the people and have good services”; He said, “Go and make disciples!”

Arise and Go Being an itinerant teacher, man of prayer and a miracle worker, Jesus still took time to personally disciple. He made disciples and taught His disciples to make disciples. He knew this is God’s way of bringing His kingdom on earth. God is seeking for disciples and disciple makers, not for church goers and mere preachers in the church. If a survey is taken today, I suppose, 95% of the Christians, including the pastors, will be found neglecting the great commission. What a pathetic state the church is in! Oswald J. Smith hit the nail right on the head when he said, “Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist.”

Dear Christian, you are not called to settle down as a passive believer in the pews. You are God’s priest and His mighty instrument to impact the world (Matthew 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:9). Therefore, rise up, go and make disciples for Christ. You don’t need a special calling (for you are already called); you don’t have to have a formal training (for you can learn without necessarily going to an institution); you do not have to leave your job or studies (for you have to support your family, yourself and the needy)—to fulfill the great commission. Remember, the command in the Great Commission passage is not "go" but to "make disciples." Therefore, wherever you are and whatever you do—you are God’s witness to fulfill His commission.

Dear pastors, make disciples and encourage your people to do likewise. Desire that your people would do greater works than you. Have an attitude that you would descend and they would ascend. I urge you in Christ not to control and lord over their lives but as a servant and facilitator assist them to be used by the Holy Spirit. If the pastors encourage the people on making disciples as much as they motivate them to attend Sunday service, the church will be on fire for God.

QUOTES FOR CONTEMPLATION!

“The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed” – Hudson Taylor, a sacrificial missionary to China.

"Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist." -- Oswald J. Smith.

“The Great Commission was given to every follower of Christ” -- Rick Warren.

"I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light" -- John Keith Falconer

"People who don’t believe in missions have not read the New Testament. Right from the beginning Jesus said the field is the world. The early church took Him at His word and went East, West, North and South." -- J. Howard Edington

"In our lifetime, wouldn’t it be sad if we spent more time washing dishes or swatting flies or mowing the yard or watching television than praying for world missions?" -- Dave Davidson

"Missions is not the ’ministry of choice’ for a few hyperactive Christians in the church. Missions is the purpose of the church." -- Unknown

"The Bible is not the basis of missions; missions is the basis of the Bible" -- Ralph Winter, U.S. Center for World Mission "The mission of the church is missions" -- Oswald J. Smith "Only as the church fulfills her missionary obligation does she justify her existence." – Unknown

"The command has been to ’go,’ but we have stayed -- in body, gifts, prayer and influence. He has asked us to be witnesses unto the uttermost parts of the earth ... but 99% of Christians have kept puttering around in the homeland." -- Robert Savage, Latin American Mission

’’Go ye’ is as much a part of Christ’s Gospel as ’Come unto Me.’ You are not even a Christian until you have honestly faced your responsibility in regard to the carrying of the Gospel to the ends of the earth." -- J. Stuart Holden "The best remedy for a sick church is to put it on a missionary diet." – Unknown "The Church must send or the church will end." -- Mendell Taylor "We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God." -- John Stott

"Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. It remains an abstract idea, a myth which has a place for the Fatherhood of God, but omits Christ as the living Son. … There is trust in God, but no following of Christ." – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God" – William Carey, who is called the father of modern missions.

"The great mark of a healthy church is not in its seating capacity but in its discipling audacity" – Stephen David C. THE GREAT DIVISION

Now how can we make disciples? Did Jesus give us a basic pattern? Of course, He did. He said, “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” (Matthew 28:19-20). It is important to note here that the command to make disciples is followed by, connected to and contingent upon two participles—“baptizing” and “teaching.” It is obvious here that making disciples is done by baptizing the people in the name of Trinity and by continuously teaching them to obey Christ’s commands.

Regretfully, the Great Commission has not only become the great omission but also the great division. In fact, I must say the Great Commission has become the great omission because of the great division. Why do I make such an assertion? When I take seminars on the New Testament Ministry, I often ask the pastors and the believers, “Do you believe the Great Commission applies to every Christian?” All of them would undoubtedly respond, “Yes”. I continue to ask them, “Do you believe every Christian has the responsibility to preach the gospel and to make disciples?” Again the people would assuredly respond, “Yes”. Still further, “Do you believe every Christian can baptize others?” Now there would be almost absolute silence! Finally, I ask them, “Do you believe that every Christian is called to teach others?” Again, no certain response!

Baptize

I come across many who teach on the necessity of carrying the Great Commission by every Christian without specifically addressing how it can be done (perhaps they are afraid of disturbing or may be ignorant themselves). One of my friends testified of attending a wonderful conference on “The Great Commission”. Many ministers happened to be present and were greatly challenged. I asked my friend, “Did the speaker mention that every Christian can make disciples, baptize and teach them God’s word?” He replied, “No”. Well, it troubles me when this is ignored. How is it that the one part of the command, i.e. go and make disciples, applies to all Christians yet the other part of the command, i.e. baptize and teach, does not apply to all! Where in the Scripture does it say such ministerial activities ought to be constrained only by the “separate class of ministers”?

Indeed, the Holy Bible reveals that the purpose of God to raise some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors-teachers is to equip God’s people for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12). Praise God for these equippers of the church! We are called to the ministry of equipping the believers for ministry. Sadly, due to this negligence, the believers are only focused on being ministered to rather than also ministering to others; they have become passive rather than active; they have become church attending members, not the ambassadors of God’s kingdom. But blessed are the ministers who pray, “O Lord, give me men and women who can exceed my ministry.” In one of the theological forums, when the question was asked, “Who has an authority to baptize?”, the response was, “Some believe it must be a pastor or priest, but I don´t think the Bible supports that. I think anyone who is a born again follower of Jesus Christ can baptize another new believer. Personally, if I had to do it all over again, I think it would be neat to have the man who led me to Christ baptize me instead of the pastor.” Yes, I agree with this response. When a believer leads a person to Jesus Christ, why can’t he baptize and disciple him? There is no need of man-induced ordination when God has already given the commission to all His children to go and baptize. The church today is shackled by a lot of traditional teachings, missing the freedom of living according to God’s word. Sadly, what was simple in the early church we made it too formal and complicated!

Moreover, it is intriguing to see some preachers being crazy to baptize people when in fact Jesus and Paul allowed even other disciples to baptize (John 4:1-2; 1 Corinthians 1:14-17). How many preachers boast and take the credit of baptizing so many people without even personally leading at least few souls to Jesus Christ! To witness the effective fulfillment of the Great Commission, I believe, believers must be released and motivated to make disciples by baptizing and teaching. For further reflection, you may give careful thought to the questions below:

1. Is there a single Scripture wherein a pastor or an elder giving baptism? Note: Apostles are different from local pastors.

2. Is there a single Scripture wherein a pastor or an elder was exhorted to baptize? In his leadership epistles, i.e. 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus, did Paul delegate the responsibility of giving baptism to the elders or pastors?

3. Does the Bible give prominence (anywhere) to who should give baptism or to the importance of baptism itself?

4. Does Great Commission apply to every Christian? If yes, according to Jesus’ exhortation in Matthew 28:19-20, how do we make disciples?

5. Acts 8:1-40 : Philip gave baptism to Eunuch? Who was Philip? At that time was he chosen to help in feeding the widows or to any higher ecclesiastical office?

6. Acts 9:1-43 : Who gave baptism to Paul and what was he? Remember, the term disciple and believer are used interchangeably for the followers of Christ.

7. Did Jesus give baptism or did he allow his disciples (who were still trainees) to baptize too? Read John 4:1-2.

8. In Acts 8:1; Acts 8:8 it is said that except the apostles all the people were scattered and preached the word? Do you suppose the scattered believers preached the gospel without giving baptism to those who believed? When thousands of believers were coming to the Lord do you think only the selected few had the responsibility to baptize them?

9. 1 Corinthians 1:16 - Was Paul passionate to give baptism or to lead people to repentance? The church of Corinth was founded by Paul, so how many people were baptized by Paul in Corinth?

10. According to the Holy Bible, which one is a challenging responsibility? Leading a person to repentance or baptizing people?

11. If a believer comes to know that the person who baptized him in the past was not really a born-again person (not everyone who is doing church ministry is really born-again), is the baptism still valid or should he be re-baptized? This question is posed to understand whether the significance is in the baptism itself or the person who gives. (Note: This question is not intended to be stretched too far, implying that anybody, i.e. even a person who is not born-again, can give baptism.)

12. Finally, which one is more effective in the fulfillment of the Great Commission—only the pastors giving baptism & making disciples or even the believers doing the same? Note: True, pastors and leaders have a greater responsibility in the church and we need to hold them in high regard because of their work; nevertheless, no where does it say that giving baptism and discipling people belong to that class alone. The Great Commission, its exhortation and pattern, applies to every Christian.

Teach

Jesus Christ had given the commission to His disciples to teach people to obey everything He had commanded. He said, “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” (Matthew 28:19-20). If the task of fulfilling the Great Commission applies to every Christian then every believer has the responsibility to teach and equip others. Discipleship includes teaching and this is not confined to the professional ministers only. In the early church of the New Testament every person was a functioning member, not a mere attender (1 Corinthians 12:27; 1 Corinthians 14:26). It wasn’t ‘one man over others’ but ‘one another church’. They were teaching and exhorting one another (Colossians 3:16; Romans 15:14). In the epistle of Hebrews, the inspired author rebukes the Jewish Christians, “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” (Hebrews 5:12). The author meant to say, “You have been disciples long enough to be able to teach others, but still need some one to teach you.” Now this is not to say all should become gifted teachers, involving exclusively in teaching, for according to Romans 12:7; Ephesians 4:11 & 1 Corinthians 12:28-29 there are some who are specially gifted with intense teaching, functioning extensively for the edification of the body of Christ.

However, all must reach a certain level of maturity wherein all will be able to generally instruct and teach one-on-one. For example, God has given evangelists to the church who function extensively in evangelism (Ephesians 4:11), yet all Christians are generally required to personally preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). Jesus said to make disciples by teaching people to obey everything He had commanded (Matthew 28:20). Well, how many Christians do we find, who obey their Lord in making disciples by teaching His word? Oh, how many are still babes in the churches for years!

We are deeply entrenched in such an ecclesiastical system that even though we believe the Great Commission pertains to every Christian, it is still difficult to practically witness that along with the preaching of the gospel—every Christian can make disciples, baptize and teach them the word of God. It is sorrowful that we have divided the Great Commission—delegating the responsibility of preaching the gospel by all Christians but confining baptism and teaching to a special class of people who are called ‘leaders’ ‘pastors’ or ‘fulltime ministers’. Where did Jesus make such a distinction?

Priesthood of All Believers

I read elsewhere, “It seems that a layman (i.e. a believer) cannot baptize, because to baptize belongs properly to the priestly order (i.e. the clergy).” This is a faulty notion. The unbiblical concept of clergy and laity has done great damage to the body of Christ, thereby producing passive Christianity. The believers are paralyzed in the pews without knowing their great responsibility in Christ Jesus, whereas the ministers have become overly active in the pulpit (I am speaking against the system, not people).

Believers are not ordinary people; they are chosen by God to declare His Excellencies. They are kings and priests of God (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6). All believers are clergy. Though not all have the same function, yet every person in the body of Christ has some contributing function (Romans 12:4-5). Ironically, we believe in the doctrine of priesthood of all believers without the priestly functioning of all believers! The Reformers, during and before 16th century, fought against the church authorities of their time to restore the doctrine of priesthood of all believers. A believer at that time cannot even personally possess and interpret the Holy Bible. It was an abomination and heresy to the church authorities then to count all believers as priests of God and even to read the Holy Bible themselves.

I wonder how many would count this teaching in our day a heresy if the believers are motivated to make disciples, baptize and teach others God’s word. We need another reformation today to reinstate the right of God’s people to completely fulfill the Great Commission by every genuine Christian. Imagine what would happen on this earth if every member of the body of Christ passionately function to fulfill the Great Commission! Oh, I look forward to seeing the glorious days where every Christian—filled with the power of Holy Spirit—will lead the people to Jesus Christ, baptizing and teaching them what God had commanded!

Final Words My dear people of God, no matter how many gospel meetings we conduct, pastors’ conferences and seminars we hold, churches we plant—if the responsibility of personally making disciples is not taken by every Christian or at least by the most, the world would still remain unreached. As long as ministry is restricted to the “pastoral class”, the people of all nations would still be spiritually starving to death without being thoroughly discipled. There is no other effective method for world evangelization than personal discipleship. May God revive His children to take the task of discipleship seriously!

“The great mark of a healthy church is not in its attending capacity, but in its discipling audacity.”

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