The great commission of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, “When Jesus came near, he spoke to them. He said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. "And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” (GW)
This was the commission that Jesus gave to His disciples before He ascended into heaven. In verse 18 Jesus explained to them that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him, and in verse 20 He encouraged them with these beautiful words which holds true for us today as well, that He will always be with us even until the end of the age. We are a blessed people because the one who is with us until the very end is the Lord Almighty Himself, who is endowed with all power and authority, one that supersedes all human authority. But what we need to understand is that the foremost reason the Lord is with us is so that we should go and make disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them all that He has commanded us.
We studied in the previous message that the huge crowds who followed Jesus did so for several reasons, many to have their sickness healed, some to see the wonders He performed, others for the miraculous food Jesus provided and the some with the intention to make Jesus king, so as to be freed from the Roman rule. The majority who followed Jesus did so to have their personal needs met by Him. This was the fan following that went after Jesus. There was a minority who followed Jesus most sincerely, and they were His disciples.
We too may have begun our journey with Jesus for our personal needs and benefits, but as we grow in our walk with Jesus, we must follow Him for who He is to us, and not for what we can gain from Him. One person told me that the ones who need Jesus are those who have nothing and are in want. He said, ‘I have everything in this world and I don’t see the necessity to have God in my life.’ Sadly, there will come a day when he will realize that his life is meaningless and worthless without God. Even today there are great number of people who are content with being fan followers, who only seek Jesus for their own personal gain. The call of the Lord today is for us to be His disciples, who will acknowledge Him as Lord and ruler of our lives. His desire for us as His disciples, is that we go out and make others disciples of Jesus.
Who is a disciple of Jesus?
We read in Mark 3:14-15, “And he chose twelve to be with him, whom he would send out to preach, and who would have power to heal the sick, and to cast out demons.” (Murdock)
1. A disciple is one who is with Jesus
The reason Jesus chose the twelve disciples primarily was that they would be with Him. It was essential for the disciples to be with Jesus, so that they could see all the miracle He performed, hear all that He taught, and then put them into practice.
If we want to get to know someone really well, we can do so if we spend a day or few days with them. Our true witness is not what people see of us on Sunday, but what we are all through the week, and what those closest to us perceive of us.
The question is how can we be with Jesus today just as the disciples were when Jesus was here on earth?
• Firstly we must discipline ourselves to read the word of God daily
• Secondly, we must understand and meditate on God’s word
• Thirdly, we must obey the word of God, and put it into practice
Unfortunately we live in a day when many have no time to read the word of God. A lot of people find social media so entertaining, but consider the Bible to be boring. If we are disciples of Jesus, and desire to be with Him, then we will spend time with the word of God, for only then we can understand who He really is. Many people read the word, but are unable to understand or comprehend its meaning.
If our child got home from school, and informed us that he or she did not understand Mathematics, as parents we will never ignore it, but rather go out of the way to get them tutored so they can understand and pass in Math. That’s exactly the kind of effort we should take, if for some reason we cannot understand the word of God. It is only when we read the word of God, understand and put it into practise can we become true disciples of Jesus.
2. A disciple is one who is available for Jesus
We read in Luke 10:1, “After this the Lord chose another seventy-two men and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go.” (GNB)
Secondly, a disciple is one who is available, willing and able to give time for Jesus. In the above mentioned verse when Jesus called the seventy they were willing, and available to go where He wanted them to. He sent them ahead of Him so that they would go, and prepare the place for His coming.
John the Baptist was also sent by God for that very same purpose. He was sent as a fore- runner of Jesus, as the voice to announce Jesus’ coming, and the one who would make straight paths for Jesus’ ministry here on earth.
Most of us are so busy through the week we don’t have time for anything that pertains to God. At the beginning of the year we all gathered together on New Year’s Day, and made several decisions, and commitments to the Lord. As the months roll on, we have even forgotten those resolutions we made before the Lord. A disciple must be available to go where the Lord wants him or her to go. If you are wondering where God wants us to go, He wants us to be His ambassadors to all those who are around us. He wants us to be those who are willing, and available to carry the good news of the gospel of Jesus to everyone w meet. When we enter the house of a friend or neighbor, our sincere prayer should be that they too would come to know Jesus as their savior, that God would intervene to bless their family, heal their sickness, and change their difficult situations. We must be those instruments whom God can use to make way for them to have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only when Jesus enters a home that there will be genuine transformation, and for that to take place we must be those available channels whom the Lord will use to make way for that to happen.
We are called to be disciples who are willing to give, and not fans who are always on the receiving end. Rather we must be readily available to go, and do all that the Lord wants to accomplish through us.
3. A disciple is one who prioritizes his relationship with Jesus over everyone else
We read in Luke 14:26, "Those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me
more than they love father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and themselves as well.”(GNB)
Many are still hesitant to be a disciple of Jesus because they are more concerned about the opinion of their parents, their family, relatives and society. The challenge that the Lord sets before us is to love God more than we love any other family member on earth. A disciple is one who has utmost love for God that far outweighs his or her love for the family and relationships on earth. He gives the Lord top priority, because He realizes that it was God who gave him all these earthly ties and relationships.
A great example in the Bible if of Abraham. God promised Abraham that he would bless him, and make him a great nation at the age of seventy five, and at the age of a hundred God blessed him with his son Isaac. However, when God tested Abraham, and asked him to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, he did so willingly with no hesitation whatsoever. Most of us would shudder and shun such a thought away, but Abraham was a disciple, and a lover of God who without questioning laid his son at the altar. God not only stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, but because of Abraham’s faith, those of us who have believed in Jesus are now made children of Abraham.
That is the call to each one of us, to love God more than anybody else on this earth, more than our life itself. If we become a slave of Jesus, and love Him as we should, nothing in this world can enslave us.
4. A disciple is one who is willing to carry his cross
We read in Luke 14:27, “Those who do not carry their own cross and come after me cannot be my disciples.” (GNB)
To be a disciple of Jesus, one must be willing to take up his cross and follow after Jesus. Most of us would have seen images of Jesus carrying the cross. When a person carries a cross they cannot look back or be distracted about anything, but must move forward with it. As Jesus carried the cross he went forward with the only goal to fulfil the purpose of God the Father, and lay down His life as a ransom for many.
To carry the cross means to focus on the main purpose for which we were created, and chosen by God, and move towards fulfilling that plan of God in our lives. To carry the cross means everything else that distracts should be put out of focus, and Jesus should become our central focus, and His purpose should becomes ours.
The apostle Paul was used mightily by God, and he wrote most of the epistles in the New Testament. The reason for this was on the day he encountered the risen Lord the first thing he asked Him was ‘Lord what would you have me to do?’ and God’s purpose became Paul’s mission for life. Paul was a learned man, but when he decided to follow Jesus he went through all sorts of trials and hardships, but he persevered because his only goal was to complete the purposes of God for his life. He considered all that was gain to him earlier as total rubbish when compared to getting to know who Jesus was, and accomplishing His will.
We too need to ask God to show us what His purposes are for our lives. Instead of running daily for our own whims and fancies (our education job, marriage, family etc.,) expecting God’s approval and provision, we must truly desire to do His will, so that He can fulfil His purpose in and through our lives. May we too desire like Paul to find out what is God’s purpose, and make every effort to fulfil it. Jesus should become everything for us, the One who fills our thought first thing in the morning, and the one who guides us through the day in all we do.
5. A disciple is one who is willing to give up anything
We read in Luke 14:33, In the same way," concluded Jesus, "none of you can be my disciple unless you give up everything you have.
There are two metaphors Jesus used just before this verse. One is of a man who began building a tower, but was unable to complete it, and so became an object of scorn to others around. The other is of a king going to war, who did not count the strength of his army in comparison to his opponent, and by so doing was bound to encounter defeat at the hands of his enemies.
A disciple is one who has to count the cost before he decides to follow Jesus. Today there are many followers of Jesus, but very few disciples. We must decide to be a disciple of Jesus, and be willing to give up everything no matter what it may cost us.
We are called to be true disciples of Jesus, but are also commissioned to go out, and make disciples of others. Let us analyze ourselves to see if we are true disciples who give Jesus topmost priority, who truly desire to be with Jesus, are always available for His service, love Him more than anybody or anything else on this earth, are eager to do His will alone, and are willing to pay the cost no matter what. Only those who are ready to do so, can we be those effective disciples who can make disciples of others.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
