Matthew 28:16-20
16. Then
the eleven disciples went away into
17. And
when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18. And
Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is
given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19. Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20. Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with
you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
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he Lord is
increasingly impressing upon His people to accept their responsibility to make
disciples. In these last days, with so little time left and so many falling prey to the absurdities of the devil, He is simply trying to
get us to be unselfish enough to reach the lost.
We often act as
if we have an option whether or not we want to live "right" enough to
entice anyone else to be saved, as if it is an option to care whether anyone
else is saved. Well, just as salvation is not an option, neither is producing
disciples once we are saved. The fact of the matter is that we have been
commissioned (or given an assignment) to reach the lost. That is, we are to
tell them of God's plan of salvation.
What happens when
we attempt to witness to someone who then does not agree with us or our views
of salvation? Somehow, instead of concentrating on our commission, we become
"almost persuaded" that this person has a right to his own
beliefs—particularly, if that person is supposed to be "saved." God
will not accept anything less than His righteousness and neither can we.
To be a disciple (that is, a follower) of someone, we must observe all that we are taught. This is the only
way disciples are made. Followers are followers because they adhere to a
prescribed set of beliefs. This is largely the problem in our society. Man does
not want to be told what to do or how to believe. In our chaotic society, we
can plainly see that "marching to the beat of one's own drummer,” means
certain destruction—for man, for society, for the world, for saint and sinner
alike.
In the academic
world, teaching does not involve a final authority. Supposedly, a teacher's
responsibility is to lead and guide his students, but not necessarily to lead
them to truth. Therefore, if his students do not accept all that he says, this
is O.K. Now, no matter what one believes or wants to believe, there is a truth
to be taught and there is a Final
Authority that we must accept if we will be saved. Jesus is truth, His word is
truth, and it must be accepted because truth is life. Outside of truth is
death—and there is no "in between."
One of the
biggest controversies among those who are supposed to be on one accord is the
issue of offense. While we might all
agree that we must tell people the truth, some believe our biggest concern is
that we learn not to offend. Yes, scripture does teach not to offend, but not
at the expense of the truth. Truth cannot be sacrificed. We can never be
brainwashed to believe that there are circumstances under which we cannot
present truth. Without truth, those we claim to love so much will be eternally
damned.
We have no choice
but to completely understand the concept of being "born again" if we
are ever to understand our job of begetting disciples, and being disciples. We
cannot allow others to continue in the deception that being "born
again" involves just being baptized and filled. The concept is a much
broader, life-changing, life-bringing, complex issue. God's true church is
dying for lack of knowing what salvation is really about.
Missing in the
ministry of most apostolic churches is the priority of wanting to influence
people to change their lives. This is hard to understand in that we have the only life-changing Power that there is.
Many churches and organizations may have programs that are life-altering but stop short of changing
the life of the individual. At this point in spiritual history, it would seem
as if the nominal and apostolic churches have switched orientation. That is,
the apostolic church now seems to have become content with stressing a
supernatural experience while underemphasizing any resultant change.
Conversely, the nominal church is now luring families and singles by stressing
the importance of morality and stability. They have learned to sell themselves
by presenting their commodity as both attractive and practical.
So, where does
that leave us? Way behind, with most of our people living beneath their
privileges, physically and spiritually ill and infirmed and, worst of all,
making excuses for everything! Having the power of Christ (the power that
formed the world, called light and darkness into existence, and grants
salvation) affords us what? All too often, nothing.
Adherents (followers) of anything embrace the power of that which they follow.
Being a disciple of Jesus gives us His same power—no more, no less.
Perhaps one of
society's greatest problems comes from power-playing among individuals,
organizations, corporations and countries. This trick is played upon husbands
and wives, as well, who too often, find themselves
struggling to prove who is the most powerful. As people who try to prove that
God is greater than Jesus show they don't know who Jesus is, so husbands and
wives reveal their ignorance of their relationship. Being one (as stated in scripture), how can either be greater than the
other?
In response to
those who (after coming to salvation) believe a teacher is unnecessary, let us
notice that our text scriptures command us to teach. The indication? That learning is
not to be left to chance, but guided to truth. Of course, we will be most
successful in accomplishing this if others are able to witness the power of God
that we profess at work in us.
One first becomes
a disciple through accepting fundamentals. The command to baptize in the name
of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, involves physical action and
revelation, not just repetition. Repeating the words used in
Matthew 28:19 is not performing the
command. First of all, "name of" is singular. There is only
one name. Secondly, neither "Father," "Son" nor "Holy
Ghost" is a name. All are positions, or titles. We were not commanded to
baptize in those titles, but rather the name
which identifies them all.
Notice all that
our commission involves: teaching all nations (the truth of the word of God),
baptizing them in the name of Jesus, and teaching them to do as God commands
us. With guidelines this stringent, it seems as if it would be hard for those
not "born again" to meet them. In point of fact, it is impossible. In
order to be baptized in Jesus' name, you have to accept that it is necessary;
in order to know what God requires and to teach it to others, you must be born
again (saved). Therefore, the currently popular notion of all churches coming
together and finding "common ground" is not spiritual. God has a
standard of holiness that all must meet and which is impossible for anyone to
meet unless born again. Therefore, God's redeemed church is not called to
compromise, but rather "commissioned to make disciples" of these
other "nations."
Just as we have
our commission, the devil also has his. If we are to begat disciples, Satan is
to hinder us. Every time we yield to our professed weakness or forget who we
are and act beneath our station, he is that much closer to immobilizing us.
Being "commissioned
to make disciples" takes many things out of our control. It is not up
to us to choose our job or decide what we will and will not do. Whether we
want to accept the responsibility or not, we have that responsibility to fulfill.
If we choose not to meet our task, we will be charged with negligence. So,
why not embrace it wholeheartedly and enjoy the help the Lord freely gives?
After all, someone's soul is at stake.