“Then Jesus came near and said to them, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ Matthew 28:18-20
Whether someone is leaving on a trip, or saying their final goodbyes, the last thing they say is usually what is heaviest on their heart. The last words Jesus spoke to His disciples on earth is what is known as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus told His followers He had the authority to rule the heaven and earth. Therefore, as Christ followers, we have been given the charge to Go and make disciples by teaching them what Jesus has taught us.
This is the growth strategy of the church! Several years ago, Janey travelled to South East Asia with a team of eight. Their purpose for the trip was to support a brand new mission work among a minority people group in a restricted country who only had about 6 known believers among them. This team helped the missionaries serving this group by prayer walking the city and the local universities, and sharing their Christian culture in the university English classes. During that short period of time, many more people were added to God’s Kingdom. This was the beginning of a great awakening that is still occurring among this people group with several hundred, if not thousands placing their trust in God. As you can imagine, teaching the new believers is important to the exponential growth of the church. What are the new believers taught as soon as they trusted Christ for the forgiveness of their sins? They are instructed to:
- Read God’s Word daily. It isn't just a reading exercise, rather they purpose to hear from God! They begin each session with prayer asking God to teach them through His Word and they pay close attention to every detail.
- Be Obedient to what they learned. As they read the Word of God, they are instructed to consider their lives to see if there is anything that need to be changed in order to follow Christ more fully. Perhaps it's some habit that displeases God. If so, they confess it as sin, and turn completely from it…Immediately. Or perhaps they discover something they need to do, but haven't yet. They start doing whatever it is…Immediately.
- They share what God is teaching them. These new believers immediately go and make disciples by sharing what Christ is teaching them, thus being obedient to Jesus' command to go and make disciples.
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