Matthew 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 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.”

This week, we are reminding ourselves of the overarching purpose of our church. This passage has come to be known as the “Great Commission.”

We looked at the…

I. The Power (Authority) of the Great Commission

And now, we look at…

II. The Activity of the Great Commission

Verse 19 begins, “Therefore go and make disciples…”

There is only one action word (verb) in the Great Commission. Much to many people’s surprise, the verb is not “go.” “Go” along with “Baptizing” and “Teaching” are all participle in a verbal form which means they complement the one action of making disciples. These three participles explain the process of making disciples. We will look at that next time.

To make disciples is not only the activity, but it is the only command.

Before we can make disciples, we must know what a disciple looks like.

Imagine this: a guy buys a warehouse and stocks it with all kinds of material, buys all kinds of machinery, and has the electricity turned on. He hires a lot of laborers and then tells them to go to work. As they stand behind the machinery, they ask, “What do we make?” The owner responds, “It doesn’t matter, just make something!”

Now, I’m sure you would say that’s absurd. Yet, many church leaders have no idea what it is they are trying to make that is called a disciple.

If we don’t know what we are making, then we won’t know how to make it.
If we don’t know what we are making, then we won’t know when we have made it!

So, what does a disciple look like?

A DISCIPLE IS A LEARNER

The root word for disciple means a learner. Some people once they graduate from school have never had a learning attitude since. But, a true disciple has a learning spirit.

A DISCIPLE IS A FOLLOWER

The standard definition of “disciple” (noun) is someone who adheres to the teachings of another. It is more than just learning for head knowledge. It refers to someone who takes up the ways of someone else. Applied to Jesus, a disciple is someone who learns from Him to live like Him — someone who, because of God’s awakening grace, conforms his or her words and ways to the words and ways of Jesus.

A DISCIPLE IS A WORSHIPPER

Most fundamentally, to follow Jesus means to worship Him exclusively. It means that nothing and no one is more important in our lives than Him. Remember, just before Jesus gave His commission, the disciple were worshipping Him.

A DISCIPLE IS A SERVANT

To be a disciple of Jesus means to serve like Him. It means to serve from the motivation of love, primarily, by looking at your brothers and sisters with steadfast acts of love, even when it’s an inconvenience to yourself. Making disciples of Jesus means making servants who love one another.

John 13:35 (ESV)
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

A DISCIPLE IS A WITNESS

To be a disciple of Jesus means to point people to Him. It means to tell others of Jesus and His love so that others would know Him and worship Him. At the heart of our mission is the reproduction in others of what Jesus has produced in us: faith, obedience, growth, authority, compassion, love, and a bold, truthful message as His witnesses.