Unpacking Christ's Last Command
One day I took a student evangelizing on the campus of Western Michigan University. We met a guy named “Bob” and asked him questions about his soul. Bob had the right answers. He articulated the gospel like he was John the Apostle reincarnated. But Bob’s unwillingness to fellowship with believers, commit himself to a local church, and forsake bi-weekly sex with his girlfriend demonstrated the mass confusion today over what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
The word “disciple” can be defined both by it’s meaning in the Greek and by how Christ used it. In the Greek, it literally means “learner.” And Christ said,, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt 16:24). Put them together and you have someone who learns the Word (the Bible) and follows the Word (Jesus Christ).
When most people think “discipleship,” they see a super-Christian fanatically committed to Christ with Red Bull® zeal. But a disciple is simply a Christian. Believers were called “disciples” long before anyone called them “Christians” (see Acts 6:2, 7; 9:24-26; 11:26; 13:52; 14:20-22, 28; 5:10; 16:1; 18:23; 19:9; 20:1, 30). Dallas Willard said:
The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian—especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation into the kingdom of God.
Three Codes. One Commission
In this article, we will unleash three codes for unpacking the Great Commission.
Code #1: Instead of urging unbelievers to ask Jesus into their heart, call them to trust and follow Jesus.
If we are trying to make disciples, then our goal is not just to produce professors of Jesus but followers of Jesus; people who no only claim Christ but live for Christ.
Christ did not say, “Make people say the sinner’s prayer,” or “Get someone to say, ‘I accept Jesus.’” He said “Make disciples” (Matt 28:19).
Becoming a Christian is far more than “accepting” Christ, it is casting your whole self upon Christ—your money, your career, your thoughts, your ambitions, your salvation from God’s judgment—all of it upon Him. An unbeliever once criticized me for being a Christian.
“It’s a crutch!” he said.
“Oh, it’s a crutch and more than that!,” I said. “Jesus is my stretcher. My whole life now rests upon Him.”
May your heart burn to see people move from confessing Christ to proclaiming Christ, from trusting Him to living for Him. The goal is far higher than confession. It’s life transformation. And when the church loses grip of this vision, she has unleashed a titanic tragedy.
Decisions Does not Mean Disciples
“In 1991, a major U.S. denomination was able to obtain 294,000 decisions for Christ. Unfortunately, they could find only 14,000 in fellowship, which means they couldn’t account for 280,000 of their decisions—and this is a normal, modern evangelical result.”
Those are the words of Ray Comfort in his gripping sermon, “Hell’s Best Kept Secret.” When the end goal of evangelism is to get people to repeat a canned prayer instead of offering a sin-broken heart to God and a self-denying decision to forsake one’s sin and follow Jesus, we reap a crop of false converts.
Just in the last century, countless statistics have demonstrated that 80-90% of people who “prayed the prayer” at a crusade or a “walked to the altar” had no significant change in their life. They kept sinning like normal, did not join believers in fellowship, and did not care about reading the Bible or praying. What happened? They were never saved. I could get a parrot to pray the sinner’s prayer, but that does not make my parrot a Christian.
And here’s the most tragic component: millions of people today, convinced they are on the path to heaven, will one day breathe their last and stand guilty before a holy God with no one to defend them!
When someone is truly saved, their life changes (2 Cor 13:5; Gal 5:15-24). That’s why Paul wrote, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:24). Earlier in this same letter he wrote,
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:19-21, emphasis mine).
When the Corinthian Christians started suing each other, Paul soberly reminded them that those who indulge in unrepentant sin will not go to heaven:
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-10).
Spiritual Transformers
Of course, a changed life does not mean a sinless life, otherwise we are all doomed! Nor does this mean that one gets saved by good works. Salvation is by grace alone (Eph 2:8) and good works are its byproduct (see James 2:14-26). But if the person claiming salvation habitually indulges in sin with no guilt, repentance or change of direction, then he perfectly fits the description John the Apostle gave:
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother (1 John 3:9-10).
Again John writes…
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked (1 John 2:3-6).
Paul E. Little said, "If they claim to be Christians and live the way the devil does, the New Testament says they are not Christians and do not have life."2 Though you cannot read people’s hearts, you can read their actions. Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit” (Matt 7:16-18). So who is a disciple of Jesus? Jesus answered that question 2,000 years ago: "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8). If an apple tree in my backyard produces spongy apples with whopping chunks of black flesh, I can make an accurate assessment on that tree’s condition.
So what does this imply for you when you share your faith? Do not only call people to trust Christ but to follow Him. In the New Testament, trusting and following were synonymous. Stalwart theologian and defender of the faith, J. Gresham Machen, wrote, “It was as clear to Paul as it was to James that men who had been saved by faith could not continue to live unholy lives.”3 Yes, all Christians fall, but the real ones keep getting up (see Prov 24:16).
When someone claims to have trusted Christ as His Lord and Savior but thinks that he can continue to live for himself, he has completely misunderstood the gospel. God forbid that we send the wrong message when calling people to Jesus!
The End of Evangelism is Not Evangelism
Code #2: Measure all ministry by a single question: Are my activities saving the lost and growing the saved?
Dan Bowman, the Adult Ministries Director at our church, wisely stated, “Any activity we do that is not either evangelizing the lost or growing believers, needs to be taken out behind the barn and shot.” In the end, this is all that the Great Commission cares about: saving the lost and growing the saved. This means it is vital that we see evangelism as the first step of the Great Commission, not the Great Commission itself. The word evangelist comes from two Greek words, angel and good. The word angel means “messenger.” So an evangelist is a messenger of good news. He is a good news-proclaimer, someone who leads people to Christ by proclaiming the good news.
But to “make disciples” includes more than evangelism. Our goal is not only to see the unbeliever converted to Christ, but to baptize and teach him:
…baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you… (Matt 28:19-20a).
Mark Cahill wrote,
When I speak, I do not do two minute altar calls. If I didn't give a salvation message, I don't do an altar at all. If individuals want to come forward and talk to someone about salvation, they are free to do so. I explain that with Christianity one cannot drink beer, use drugs, have sex, cheat on tests, and disobey his parents. I just can't find that in the Bible.4
When a person is born again, his life changes. It certainly doesn't mean that we become perfect when we get saved; there is definitely a sanctification process, as we grow in our faith to become like Christ. But there must be a desire to change or there won't be any change.
Many believers have isolated evangelism into one little corner of Christian ministry, reserved for the virtuosos of gospel-sharing. But Scripture is clear that evangelism is the duty of every believer, not a select few.
On the other hand, some believers have reduced the Great Commission to evangelism only, as if that’s the only mission of the church. “Get them saved and move on!” is the motto, almost like catching bugs and putting them in a can. The number of decisions for Christ becomes the benchmark for ministry success, and converts to Jesus are never trained in theology, Bible study, biblical worship, and church leadership, nor are they plugged into ministries where they can use their gifts and serve. You can see how a bloated view of any one part of the Great Commission can lead to deadly deficiencies in other ministries.
Evangelism is only the first step of the Great Commission because making disciples includes the entire process of salvation in a sinner’s soul, from conversion to glorification. Baptism, teaching, discipleship, preaching, small groups, ministry training, applying one’s gifts, evangelism, serving—every ministry of the local church is to fall under the great theme of making disciples.
This is why I believe that in these three brief verses of Matthew 28, Christ’s command encompasses the whole of all ministry like no other. The quality of every ministry of the local church should be measured against a simple question: is this activity making disciples? If not, it’s time to pull out the rifle.
The Power of Community
Code #3: Serve just as God designed you to.
Don’t try to do the work of the Great Commission all by yourself.Christ’s command in Matthew 28 does not make you personally responsible for every step of the discipleship process in someone’s life. It is the responsibility of the entire church.
George the Neighbor leads Max to Christ.
Sue, the Bible study host, invites Max to her small group.
Jack, the Electrician, meets Max for prayer.
Bill, the Pastor, feeds Max the Word through his Sunday
sermons.
Jill, the Mom, notices Max’s knack for
ministering to children and recruits him to lead a small
group for 5th graders.
God used five believers, each with unique strengths, to help Max trust Christ and grow as His disciple. Read Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12-14 to see how God uses entire Christian communities to make disciples. Making disciples is not the job of the Lone Ranger Christian. The local church must harness all the gifts of her people and pour them into the single purpose of the Great Commission which is discipleship. When every believer serves selflessly, ready to be poured out for Jesus, the load becomes pleasant and the work a thrill!
View yourself as one piece to a larger puzzle and suddenly your gifts, personality, resources, and skills can become critical pieces to fulfilling the Great Commission. You don’t need to be an expert in everything. Just find where you’re gifted and use that gift with all your heart. It doesn’t matter if you’re the most introverted human on the planet, God gave you a gift on the day of your salvation, and He’ll enable you to use it to grow the saved and save the lost if you just surrender to His strength.
Many believers ask me, “How do I know what my spiritual gift is?” It’s really quite simple. What do you both love to do and do well? That’s your gift and God can use it in ways you can’t even imagine. At the least, this is a liberating discovery for the burned-out believer.
Back Pew Sam
Back Pew Sam attends a conference on evangelism and gets convicted by world-class Evangelist Eddie who tells mind-boggling stories about witnessing to the lost. Back Pew Sam walks out, struck with conviction but discouraged. He could never witness like Evangelist Eddie because he doesn’t have Eddie’s gifting. Regardless, he tries, crashes, and almost burns, and then decides that evangelism is for the extroverts. Back Pew Sam returns to his favorite pew on Sunday, nodding off to sleep.
But those snoozes are cut short when Courageous Chris challenges Back Pew Sam to forsake his cozy pew and join the front lines of ministry. After sampling several ministries, Back Pew Sam discovers that he has the gift of service. Mention a broken pipe or sluggish toilet and he’s on it. Before you know it, Back Pew Sam has become Super Serving Sam, and he’s organizing leaf-raking teams, snow-shoveling crews, and chair-stacking squads. In short time, Super Serving Sam has edified numerous believers by recruiting them to serve, and he finds himself flooded with opportunities to witness to neighbors when his team shows up to fix their broken windows. What happened? Back Pew Sam found his gift and is being used just as God designed him.
So what’s Evangelist Eddie’s job? Should he quit calling people to hurdle the fences of comfort and share their faith? Not at all! But Evangelist Eddie needs to realize that his job is to equip Super Serving Sam in how to share his faith so that when those opportunities to share do arrive, Super Serving Sam is ready to open his mouth. And the best part is Super Serving Sam doesn’t need as much skill in witnessing as Evangelist Eddie does, because his acts of service have already created natural bridges into the gospel.
When believers compare their evangelism activities to men and women extraordinarily gifted in sharing the gospel, discouragement and frustration can result. But remember that evangelists like D. L. Moody, Billy Graham, and Ray Comfort have been gifted by God to equip the local body in evangelism. The fact is, 99% of all believers will never have the evangelism ability they have, but that’s okay. That’s their career. They should be able to do it better because that’s their full time living and that’s how God wired them. Their job is to train you so you know how to share your faith in every opportunity. If you want to make the most of your abilities, then serve in your area of strength and let that naturally produce evangelism opportunities.
Follow-up Freedom
While teaching at a seminary in Ukraine, a missionary wife admitted to me that sometimes she shies away from evangelism because if someone does trust in Christ, she feels responsible to meet with that convert and disciple her. And as a mother of three children with church functions and a seminary professor for a husband, she didn’t have time to follow up.
“You’re right,” I said, “but don’t let that keep you from witnessing. It’s not your job to do everything. You do your part of giving the gospel. And if the unbeliever converts to Christ, give her name to a godly lady in your church and ask her to disciple this new believer.”
The truth is, each of us cannot do everything, nor are each of us equally good at doing everything. Christ’s church is one body, but that same body is made up of many individuals with specific gifts (1 Cor 12:4-12, 15-18). When you see yourself as part of a team of believers living and dying for the same cause, the results are phenomenally greater and you don’t suffer burnout!
Endnotes
- Go, baptize, and teach are participles, which grammatically bend the knee to the cardinal imperative of “make disciples”.
- Paul E. Little, How to Give Away Your Faith (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 88.
- J. Gresham Machen, What is Faith? (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans, 1925), 206.
- Mark Cahill, One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven (Rockwall: Biblical Discipleship Publishers, 2005), 135.