There are 4 aspects to making disciples mentioned by Jesus in Matt 28:16-20:
1. Obedience
The ‘Great Commission’ is a command, not an optional extra. Our love for God is proved by our obedience to actually doing what He says (see John 14:15, 1 John 2:3-4). We need to understand that we are not our own, but have been bought at a price (1 Cor 6:19-20) and therefore have an obligation towards God.
2. Be Filled with the Holy Spirit
We are not called to make disciples in our own strength. There are many things that we are good at doing, but making disciples on our own isn’t one of them! The disciples were radically transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit which enabled them to be the witnesses they were called to be (Acts 1:8). Only as we are filled daily with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18) will we too be radically transformed.
3. Be Baptised
Baptism in water is the outward sign of the inward change God has made in our lives. Paul says to the Romans ‘We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.’ (Rom 6:4) Baptism in water is a sign of our allegiance to Christ and a sign of our obedience to Him.
4. Teach Others to Obey
To be a disciple of Christ is to be involved in a lifelong learning experience! We learn, not simply to have head knowledge, but to grow in obedience and in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Being able to give a reason for the hope we have means having some understanding of what Christ has done for us! We have hope because while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8) and brought us into a relationship with the living God, giving us eternal life and showering blessings upon us. Although it is good to seek to understand more about our faith and to be able to defend what we believe, a witness is someone who reports what they have seen and heard. All who are called by Christ have a testimony of His transforming power and saving grace to share.
Everyday witness is part of our everyday lives. Being a disciple of Jesus means that we live to please Him. We take His commands seriously and so we don’t ignore this final command to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything He has commanded. Instead of believing that this means forcing our beliefs onto other people, we ask God to s; we work for Him form His character within us and ripen His fruit in our lives; we work for Him with all our might; we look for opportunities to minister grace and love to people because we know that mirrors His heart. We evaluate everything we say and do according to His word, not being squeezed into the world’s mould, but allowing God to re-mould our minds. (Rom 12:2, J. B. Phillips) We pray for the courage to be mouthpieces for truth and justice because we know He is a God of truth and justice and we ask for opportunities to give a reason for the hope we have. One of the most amazing reasons we have for hope is found in this final verse. ‘And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Matt 28:20) Jesus doesn’t ask us to go forth in our own strength, on our own. He promises to be with us always: ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ (Heb 13:5) However daunted we may feel, however inadequate we may feel, we can have confidence because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus and He is the One who is with us always, empowering us by His Spirit. The resurrected Jesus who defeated death is the very One who accompanies us on our journey to go and make disciples of all nations. We’re not on our own.