The Great Commission to Make Disciples

What this episode covers

The mission of Grace Clovis states: “We exist to transform the people of Clovis by finding, equipping, and multiplying followers of Jesus Christ for the glory of God.” This mission really comes from a combination of the Great Commission to make disciples and Paul’s instruction in Ephesians 4: 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ… A lot of mission statements include things about renewing the culture, beautifying the city, or pursuing social justice. Some are quite specific (i.e., reduce poverty, promote racial equality, etc.). These additions are largely a distraction. It’s not that they’re unbiblical, but they tend to pull the leadership of the Church away from their primary calling. On the other hand, some focus so much on making believers, that the mission becomes nothing more than evangelistic endeavors. The seeker-sensitive movement was faulty in that it never sought to grow mature followers of Christ. There needs to be a balance. Packing too much into the statement is distracting, but saying too little is misleading. Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert suggest: The mission of the church is to go into the world and make disciples by declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit and gathering these disciples into churches, that they might worship and obey Jesus Christ now and in eternity to the glory of God the Father.What Is the Mission of the Church? p.241 We could point to plenty of commands that believers are to follow, but the mission of the church is not meant to be all-encompassing. It is meant to highlight our purpose as an institution established for the glory of God. So, in formulating that mission, we must consider the last words of instruction given by Christ to his disciples before ascending into heaven. In this Great Commission, he calmed their fears and gave them a purpose. It can do the same for everyone who worships Christ as their risen King. 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV) I. The Recipients of the Great Commission (16-17) A disciple is literally a follower or a student. They learn from and obey their teachers. But, in this passage, these disciples also worship. This wasn’t just any teacher, and they weren’t following him like typical students. They didn’t merely respect Jesus, they were willing to live and die for him. At the same time, we also see that some of them dealt with doubt. It will be telling to consider how Jesus deals with doubting disciples and how those same disciples recover their faith. Disciples Who Obey Let’s begin by noting the obedience exemplified by the eleven who followed and learned from Jesus throughout his ministry. The eleven disciples obediently went to the mountain that Jesus directed them to go so they could meet (16). This was the instruction that the angel, as well as Jesus, gave to the women earlier (vv 7, 10). Galilee was the location Jesus chose to begin his ministry (Matthew 4:15). It was a Gentile region that perfectly represented the kind of people Jesus was calling them to go among and make disciples. Disciples Who Worship Upon seeing the glorified and risen King, “they worshiped him” (17b). Just as the women worshiped Jesus from a posture of humility and faith, so the disciples did the same. Seeing Jesus sparked an immediate response of worship. It is an emotionally powerful scene. I am moved by th

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.