Discipleship (2)

Matthew 28:18–20 NIV18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus’ last words were a command. The primary command here is to make disciples. While it’s not as clear in English, the original language makes it clear that all the other verbs accompany the primary one. In other words, Jesus’ main command is to make disciples. As we make disciples, we are to go, we are to baptize, and we are to teach. All of this is to be a part of making disciples, not addition to. We need to ask ourselves a couple of questions:What’s a disciple, and how do I make them?What’s a disciple?Merriam-Webster - one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of anotherProfessor Talley at Biola University - A disciple is one who follows Christ, trusting in him alone for salvation, worshiping his person, loving him with whole heart, imitating his life, and obeying his teaching, living dependently by abiding in Christ, walking in the Holy Spirit, meditating on the word of God, engaging in communion (prayer), and partnering with the body of Christ (local church) resulting in the transformation of the mind, the heart, and the life and leads others to do the same.Pastor Jim Putman - A disciple is one who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and committed to the mission of Jesus. What I like most about this definition is that he defines what a disciples is based on Jesus’ own invitation when calling his disciples. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in chapter 4, Matthew records the account of Jesus calling his first disciples, and I’d like read it for you and expand on this a little bit.

Matthew 4:18–19 ESV18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of me”As Pastor Putman describes it, there’s a head-level change (the decision to know and follow Jesus), there’s a heart-level change (someone who is being changed by Christ), and then a hands-level change (someone who is committed to the mission of Christ). For my purposes this morning, I’ll be referencing this definition. There might be better definitions out there, and you might have one that you like better, but I wanted to get us started on the same page.Jesus says we are to make disciples. I would argue that in order to make disciples, we need to be disciples ourselves. Qdoba story about making burritos?Have I decided to follow Jesus?Am I being changed by Jesus? (not have I been changed, but am I consistently being changed by Jesus?)Am I committed to the mission of Jesus? (serving somewhere, using my gifts and abilities, etc.)This is where we have to start. We need to be disciples of Jesus before we can make disciples of Jesus. It’s more than just believing in Jesus. It’s more than showing up to church on a weekly basis. Being a disciple is a way of life, not a program to attend. Jesus has clear expectation for his disciples. Fast forward to the end of Matthew. After Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection; Jesus appears to his disciples one last time 40 days after his resurrection. While the actual words “Great Commission” don’t show up anywhere in this passage, this is what we know it as. Jesus’ last words to his disciples, picking up in Matthew 28:16.

Matthew 28:16–17 NIV16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

All throughout Scripture we see important things happening on mountains, and this is one of them. jesus is meeting his disciples on the mountain, and Matthew describes for us how the disciples reacted. What’s comforting to me is that while some of the disciples worshiped him when they saw him, and some of them doubted. The disciples in the Bible, the ones that got to live and experience life with Jesus personally for 3 years still had moments of doubt. They’re not perfect. While there was always high expectations for them, we read about mistake after mistake. But Jesus still loves them. And he still values them. And He still speaks to them and expects them to continue His mission; fully recognizing that they’ll mess up along the way. This is what he says

Matthew 28:18 NIV18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Matthew 28:19 NIV19 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,

Jesus’ commission to disciple all nations includes 2 activities: baptizing and teaching. Baptism - a public declaration of faith in Jesus Teaching is a central aspect of discipling. In the Jewish context