My 15 Acres

 

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

When we lead someone to the Lord, we cannot just have them say some magic words and then say, 'Welcome to the family.' Jesus said to make disciples. So, what does it mean to make disciples?

Disciples: mathéteuó
Definition: To make a disciple, to teach, to instruct.
Meaning: I make a disciple of, train in discipleship; pass: I am trained, discipled, instructed.

We are to instruct them on what it means to be a born-again believer a true Christian.  
Verse ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

We need to tell them the salvation story how Christ was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died on the cross and rose the third day.

John 3:16 (ESV)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

But we must explain to them what is meant by “believes” and what its true meaning is.
believes pisteuó
Definition: To believe, to have faith, to trust
Meaning: I believe, have faith in, trust in; pass: I am entrusted with.

We need to show them the difference between have faith in, trust in and giving our whole life to Christ. Versus just knowing that there is a God.

James 2:19 (ESV)
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

One thing I think is very important is that we must get them to understand that they must count the cost of being a follower of Christ. That we must die to self so that we become more like Christ.

The Cost of Discipleship
Luke 14:25-33 (ESV)
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. ³³ So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Now, Christ is not trying to tell us that we should hate anyone, but rather that our focus should be entirely on God and not on this world. If we love this world, we cannot be one of His disciples.

One thing I find interesting in verse 27 is the phrase 'bear his own cross.' We must remember that the people Christ was speaking to at the time did not yet realize that He would die on the cross. They were looking for a Messiah who would free them here on earth. However, they did understand that picking up their cross meant dying a slow and painful death.

What Jesus was trying to show them here is that they must begin dying to self and start living a new life in Christ—giving up this world and worldly desires for a total desire to be like Christ and follow Him.

In many churches, at the end of the sermon, the preacher will have everyone close their eyes and bow their heads, sometimes even asking the piano player to come up and play a song. Then, they give an emotional altar call, asking if anyone wants to accept the Lord as their Savior to raise their hand. After that, the preacher will pray a sinner’s prayer, asking for forgiveness of sins or for repentance, and then end the service—sometimes without even having people come forward.

I have asked why they do it this way, seemingly dumbing down salvation. I have been told that they want to make it as easy as possible for people to come to the Lord. We need to remember:
Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV)
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

I know I have posted about this more than anything else because I believe it is that important. We need to be careful when giving altar calls and not lead people into a false sense of security by having them simply say some magic words.

This is also important when we are out in the world witnessing and trying to lead people to the Lord. We need to emphasize the true meaning of being a follower of Christ and help them understand that they must count the cost of being His disciple.

I have warned about preachers like Joel Osteen, who teach people to 'live your best life now.' But are we not just as guilty when we try to lead someone to the Lord without showing them that they must count the cost of being a disciple of Christ?