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.” Matthew 28:18-20
Welcome, Young Believer! Yesterday, we began our discussion of what your life as a Christian should look like with producing the Fruit of the Spirit. Today, I want to return to that subject of what it means to live your everyday life as a Christian. If you're a fan of fantasy literature as I am then you might recognize today's subject as the Christian's "Quest" in service of the King. The Great Commission as it has come to be called is our calling here on earth.
After Christ's resurrection, He appeared to various groups of people including His disciples. Before ascending into Heaven, He left His disciples with one last command...
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, Matthew 28:19
We've brushed on this briefly in our posts on What is Baptism and Why You Should Seek Out a Mentor in the Faith. The first part of living a Christian life is to be in discipleship first by being discipled then by making disciples of others as you share the Gospel. This is that mentorship relationship where you study God's Word together, pray with and for one another, and hold one another accountable for the way in which you live your lives encouraging and building one another up as we await Christ's return.
The second part of this command makes it pretty clear that as Christians we are to be baptized. Which we talk about more in-depth in that Baptism post so if you missed it be sure to go back and check it out!
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Matthew 28:20a
The final part of this command is to teach those that we disciple to observe all that Christ has commanded His disciples. This is an active commission! It's not enough simply to study and pray, we must put into action what we're learning and the growth that the Holy Spirit is fostering in us. We must observe the commands of Christ and teach those we disciple to do the same. The great news that we find at the end of this verse is that we are not left to our own devices to complete this quest alone!
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b
Jesus promises to be with us as we go out into the world to live for Him and obey His commands. I don't know about you, but I find this incredibly comforting! Where our leaders, mentors, and other human examples will inevitably fail us in one way or another just as we fall short in our own walks; Christ will never leave us!
If you have any other questions about the Great Commission, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. I highly encourage you to find a mentor in the faith who can help personally walk you through many of these issues as you grow into a mature believer. This is one journey you were never meant to take alone!