“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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:19,20
![]() Do you know what the Great Commission says? Christians often mistakenly believe that Jesus’ command was to go and preach the Gospel to the whole world, but in fact, that was not His mandate as recorded in the book of Matthew. Instead, He said to go and make disciples. Far from being a directive to design a perfect believer who looks and acts the way we think they should, making disciples simply means to invite others to follow the Rabbi Jesus by observing our lives. In other words, as we seek to live like He did, we lead people naturally and teach them more about our Savior without having to say a word. Even better, anyone can be a disciple, whether child, adult, senior citizen, or sinner. Any person with the slightest interest in knowing more about the Light of the World is welcomed to follow the path He illuminates. When Jesus says to make disciples of all nations, the Greek word is ethnos, and it means all ethnicities, people groups, and languages. No one is excluded from the gift of believing in God’s only Son, and you are called to the awesome work of making Him known, in both word and deed. Friend, you don’t have to evangelize everyone you come in contact with in order to be a disciple-maker. Doing the Lord’s work means that you model the light and love of Jesus by immersing each and every person you encounter in His undiscriminating and extravagant love. Live your life before people, give their hearts a safe place to dwell, and opportunities to share more about your Savior’s sacrifice will abound naturally. |
Prayer
I receive my call, Jesus, to be a disciple-maker. May I model you to everyone I encounter.
Reflection
How can you put the Great Commission into practice?