Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 28.18-20
This is the Great Commission, the plan to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
But sometimes when people describe it they say that the way we make disciples is by going, baptizing and teaching.
And that’s right, but not complete. It’s the great omission.
The thing that is most often omitted, not just in what we say but in what we do is “teaching them to obey everything I (Jesus) have commanded you.
It’s not just teaching. It’s teaching to obey.
To follow Jesus means to obey Jesus. To make disciples means leading others to also obey Jesus.
Not just pray a prayer.
Not just get baptized.
Not just go to church or get in a Connect Group.
It’s about obeying the Lord.
Have you been taught to obey?
As you call others to follow Jesus, are you likewise calling them to obey?