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¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ 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, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matt 28:18-20 NIV

The Great Commission has been the calling card of evangelists and missions leaders for centuries. Rightfully the above verse should propel us into great works in the Kingdom of God, but should they be abandoned from the every day, and every week conscience of the Church and the disciples of God? No, they should guide us every day, in large ways and in small ways.

We need to elevate our esteem for this commission, while minimizing what it takes to actually accomplish it! You probably are already accomplishing much in the Kingdom of God to forward this commission in your own way!

This entire series of teachings are to help grow the importance of some key verses that stimulate revival, while at the same time reduce the individual steps taken to accomplishing what we learn.

Revival is about God’s Kingdom being an ever-increasing reality in our church and our daily lives. Revival, however, requires a response. Although God has great tolerance for our failures, he does expect us to try to obey him. Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey his commands (John 14:23). The Gospel according to Matthew has Jesus giving one last command: the Great Commission. Today, we will explore this command in light of the five leadership offices of the church.

I doubt many people have a low esteem for these guiding verses that our Lord Jesus gave His disciples (which includes you and me), but usually the size and scope of this command seems too daunting for any regular disciple to handle, and this is the roadblock that I want to tackle.

Individuals don’t need to accomplish the whole commission on their own, it was given to a whole company of disciples!

If you don’t get further into this article, just ask God what one small portion of the Great Commission He has specialized you to undertake, and how maybe the rest can be accomplished by the larger fellowship of believers you are apart of. Just to the bottom for some practical questions that might help guide you.

Making Disciples in 5 Parts

When I lived in Irvine, CA a traveling evangelist was invited to our church and he said these words ‘You are all soul-winners!’. He was exhorting us to get out there and share the good news that leads to salvation, and frankly I was a bit offended. When I teach people, I tell them we are all disciplers (or disciple makers). At this time I was deep in my shepherd/teacher identity, and it showed. But God spoke to my heart and said I and the evangelist were both right, because an evangelist share the heart of God differently than a shepherd would share the heart of God.

The Great Commission in 5 Voices

Eph 4:11 speaks of the five main voices or ministries in the churches (apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers), and I want to trace how these five voices can speak into a company or fellowship of disciples, breaking down into smaller pieces how we together can accomplish this Great Commission.

Greek scholars have argued at length about how the interpretation of the first few words should be. Should it be ‘Go’ a command, ‘Go, into the nations and make disciples’, or ‘As you are going, make disciples’. The apostolic or missionary speaker will emphasize, and train into the first, while the evangelist will emphasize and equip towards the second. Let’s look at both approaches, followed by how a prophetic voice might preach these verses, along with a shepherd and a teacher.

Apostolic/Missionary Focus

Laying foundations and starting new works are heartbeat of this voice, and she will exhort us for the need to leave our old sphere of influence and comfort to reach a new nation of people. Sacrifice, change, obedience will be key words to spur us on, for the Kingdom of God is built Going, the other stuff falls into place once we go.

Possible calls to action:

1. Actively seek going, and prepare yourself to go
2. Or, if you can’t go encourage and support those who are going

Evangelist’s Focus

The ‘As you are going’ construction will be emphasized by the evangelist. At the store, in the school, on the job, walking your neighborhood, in the every day actions of life, be prepared to give a defense for your hope (1 Pet 3:15 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”). He will equip you for short encounters where you can scatter the seeds of the gospel, and share your testimonies of Jesus, and how to help someone pray for salvation. “You can’t have disciples without converts, so let’s get out there and save a generation!” might be her exhortation, but a little less focus on teaching and obeying what Jesus taught.

Possible calls to action:

1. Be prepared with your testimony (30 second, and 10 minute versions)
2. Be able to give your hope of salvation. Lead them through Bible truths that lead to the saving grace of Jesus the Christ.
3. Schedule regular outreaches for your cities or neighborhoods

The first two viewpoints or emphasizes are good, and should be taught. The apostolic and evangelistic voices will always affirm that there is more to disciple making than their exhortations, but they just don’t have room in their sermons to get to the other poinst.

Are there more ways to contribute to the Great Commission?

Teaching Focus

The teacher is the one who will focus on the next few words ‘and teach them’. There is so much to teach these new converts. About the Father’s love, the saving work and new life through Jesus, and the gifts and power to live the new life through the Holy Spirit. And then the foundational truths from Heb 6, and then, and then and then. We will be reminded that learning is a key (the key??) component in becoming a true disciple of Christ. And they are right, but maybe not completely right.

1. Read and study your Bible daily
2. Make sure you are continually taught by leaders
3. Then see how you can extend what you know to new believers (become teachers yourself)

But the shepherding voice takes more notice of the next few words ‘to obey’ all the Jesus has commanded. The shepherd and teaching voices stress that disciple making doesn’t end with a salvation prayer but is a continued process of growing into Christ likeness. But this doesn’t happen merely in the knowing of truth, but the learning to live it out, the obeying the commands. And this is where the ministry of shepherds kicks in.

1. Join a small group and live life with others (learn to live out the truths you were taught)
2. Find a mentor to help challenge you in the Lord
3. Be a mentor, to help those younger in spirit
4. Look for the Fruit and the Gifts of the spirit

Prophetic Approach

1. Learn to hear the voice of God, first for yourself, so pray with Jesus a lot
2. Then hear the voice of the Lord to encourage others
3. The disciple making process we should be prophetic (prophetic evangelism, prophetic teaching, insight to encourage all believers)

With so many approaches, and with them all seeming ‘right’, not wonder many of us normally feel like the Great Commission is a huge rock, immovable for any one of us.  If we can’t do all these actions items any given week, might as well not try.

But the good news is that Jesus gave this commission to the community of disciples to accomplish, not to just one disciple to do individually.

Be encouraged, you probably are already contributing to God’s Kingdom.

1 Cor 3:7-9 gives us the example that one plants, and another waters, but God gives the growth, so similarly, we can join together to accomplish the commission together, each doing a part. So be encouraged, you probably are already contributing to God’s Kingdom, and fulfilling the Great Commission, but look for more ways that God is calling you into this great work (Eph 2:10, we were created for good works).