com·mis·sion | \ kə-ˈmi-shən \ – an authorization or command to act in a prescribed manner or to perform prescribed acts.

There are several definitions in Merriam-Webster that would probably fit the Great Commission Jesus gave us in Matthew 28:18-20, but I think the one above is fitting. It includes behavior and action. In other words, a disciple has a personal responsibility to represent <re-present> Jesus to others and to give of himself in some specific activities that will incubate their spiritual lives.

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. | Matt. 28:18-20.

The Urgency of Last Words

I love grave yards. 

My kids think I’m a little deranged in that area. Sometimes I just walk through and read the snippets written on the head stones and imagine the stories of the lives represented by those engraved memorial stones. Here’s one I saw a couple weeks ago.

Mary Elizabeth – Wife of W.S. Hurt. Born April 8, 1836. Died March 19, 1916

“Through all pain at times she’d smile”

What pain did she suffer?  

What gave her the courage to smile? 

Then I wondered about her last words?  Who knows – maybe Mary Elizabeth said, “The pain is a grain of sand compared to the ocean of love my life has known.” 

Last words for those who are fortunate enough to die with a clear mind carry so much weight. They are the culmination of all the things one would want to say to the people who are most important to them – a last chance to leave a legacy. 

The Great Commission was the final word of the Savior of all humanity and the answer to every problem we’ll ever face. It was His final instruction to those who had adopted a life driven by His heart and abandoned to His purpose.

It’s a BIG DEAL for His followers!

We Don’t Need Another Voice

Jesus was clear in the commission that His Word was the final word on the subject. He had ALL AUTHORITY to commission this new faith movement – and he was careful to remind us. Not just authority here on Earth, but even the authority of the heavens. We should not be waiting on an initiative given to us by our church leaders or some other organization to know how we are to walk out this radical life with Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, we can gain some clarity on the how-to’s of disciple-making. That’s when instruction and guidance becomes helpful. 

But, we do not need a new…

• innovative plan
• trendy organization
• flashy church program
• robust budget

Everything we need to fully live into the commission He has given us is available.

Now, it can be helpful to partner up with a group that is training in methods and providing tools to fulfill our commission. There are some wonderful networks of leaders and churches totally focused on the effort of making disciples. But, at the heart of fulfilling the final directives of Jesus, we have all we need.

The Directives 

Jesus very rarely – VERY RARELY – gave us a detailed outline of how to live out our faith. Even His closest followers could get frustrated with his abundance of circular parables. And he loved to challenge his disciples to figure truth out from his meaningful stories, when all they wanted was a bullet-point list. 

These last words, however, were important enough to Him that ambiguity was off limits. He actually left us action points in a clear list of directives.

Go (best translated “as you are going”) 

This is a lifestyle statement. It suggests that, wherever we find ourselves, we are to be about the efforts of leading others to Jesus and strengthening their relationship with Him. You can (or should) make disciples:

• At home among your family
• In the place where you work
• Among the place where you gather for worship
• At the places where you recreate

Others will be compelled to live among other cultures or in other countries. The place and the people are irrelevant. The lifestyle of intentional disciple-making is paramount. 

Make Disciples of All Nations

How do we “MAKE” disciples? Great question.

First, we have to understand what a disciple is.

Disciple – a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another.

A disciple of Jesus is a person who has accepted Jesus as the True Word of God and has committed to yield his or her own desires, understanding, behaviors to the desires, understanding and behaviors of Christ. Therefore, he or she is one who works to have the mind of Christ as taught in Philippians 2:5.

Although discipleship comes in many forms, the function never changes. How we make disciples can look different, but if those forms are not leading to a reformation of mind, discipleship is not taking place. 

We also find that the function of disciple making is directed toward all people with no exceptions. If someone is drawn to follow Jesus, no cultural, social, economic, or any other factor excludes them from discipleship.

Baptizing Them

Baptism is a reference point for a decision to follow Christ. God looks for a clear decision from us to follow him. He/she must turn and follow Jesus into discipleship. This point of decision is critical for conversion. And it is a moment marked by decision when a person determines to yield his life to Christ. Decision is the cornerstone of a life with Jesus.

Teaching Them to Obey (observe my commandments)

Teaching is a process. 

It cannot happen in a day or a month or a year. Teaching never ends, in fact. 

Learning is the fruit of teaching and we learn until we die. 

There are many teaching styles, tools and techniques, but the goal of teaching is a change of mind and/or behavior. Teaching always has a goal. The fruit of teaching when it comes to disciple making is OBEDIENCE.

In order for disciples to obey the teaching of Jesus, they must know what those teachings are. God determined to leave His teachings in the form of a book. The Bible is the source of knowledge on the teaching of Jesus. With all that said, it is important for us to understand that our primary curriculum for making disciples is the written Word of God. 

The Final Word 

So, that, my friend, is the final Word of Jesus to his followers. It is the climax and purpose of all His teachings during his days among us. Anything we add to or take away from the great commission depletes the resources available to us. We must do the work commissioned to us by Jesus himself. 

Let’s get busy, but let’s focus our busyness on doing the RIGHT things.