“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 28:19–20
It was said that Helen of Troy was so beautiful that her face launched a thousand ships, as her angry husband fought to get her back from the man who had stolen her heart. Some of Jesus’ final words on earth are known as the Great Commission, and it is the command that launched untold millions of missionaries. These words have been the marching orders for believers ever since Jesus spoke them.
There are four action verbs for us to focus on in this special directive in Matthew:
- Go. How can all the ethnic groups of the world know about Jesus if someone doesn’t go tell them?
- Make (disciples). So many Christians live like their work is over after the prayer for salvation. Without spiritual depth (discipleship), it is far too easy to fall away from the faith.
- Baptize. Just as Jesus was immersed in the water to demonstrate the Father’s work, so too should we take this symbolic act to show how we have died to ourselves and have emerged alive in Christ.
- Teach. The directive is to continuously help new believers learn how to grow spiritually and obey God.
We can carry out all of this with confidence because God is with us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This was the promised gift that Jesus mentioned in His final words in Acts 1:5. He also gave the disciples, and subsequently us, some geographic guidelines as to where to spread His lifesaving message. Specifically, He told them to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth (1:8). We believe He is also telling us to be His witnesses in our city, state, nation, and world.
So, as the Gospels transition to the book of Acts, the Gospel transitions full swing into reaching all people groups. Then, and only then, He will return and establish His kingdom forever (Matthew 24:14). Does this mean that a portion of every ethnic group must know at the same time or just at some time through the ages? We can only contemplate His thoughts and ways.
The point is, only God knows when this evangelistic task will be brought to fruition. We can only guess. And so we press on with whatever He puts in front of us to do. God has given an order: we have to be involved in spreading His Word.
What has He told you to do that you haven’t done yet? Has He told you to go somewhere? Who do you have a relationship with that isn’t saved? Prayerfully take action today.
