Title Make Disciples
Contents Also, we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We confess that Jesus Christ is the head of our Adventist church and the Lord of the Adventist church. This means that the Lord rules our Adventist church. Our church is a church led by purposes based on the words of Jesus.
What is the purpose of the Lord who governs our Adventist Church? The first is worship. Glory to God soon. This is the ultimate purpose of the church. The second is education. The third is friendship. The fourth is service. Fifth is missionary work. Our Advent Church is being organized into ministry committees centered on these goals. The Worship Committee, within the church, has the Education Committee, the Fellowship Committee, and the New Believers Service Committee. For the world, there are service committees, especially for missions, there are domestic missions committee, overseas mission committee, and evangelism committee.
Dear saints, mission is one of the main purposes of our church's existence. We believe that Adventist Church exists for missions. Today's text, Matthew 28:16-20, also testifies to this fact.
Today's text consists of Jesus' authority in verse 18, mission command in verse 19, and the promise of presence in verse 20, except for the background of verses 16-17. As we examine the text, we want to engrave in our hearts the purpose of the mission the Lord gives us. I pray in the name of the Lord that it will be a blessed time to confirm your calling in the missionary call.
1. We have a solid missionary foundation. (verse 18)
What is the basis for our missionary work? On what basis can we tell people of other religions to forsake it and come to Jesus? By what authority can you encourage people to abandon their centuries-old religion and come to Christianity? The reason is that Jesus has all authority. Verse 18. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me; therefore, make disciples of all nations.”
Jesus has been given all authority in heaven. All authority on earth has been given. I have been given authority over all tribes in the world. He became the Lord of all. Our missionary work is based on this authority of Jesus. Therefore, we can boldly take the gospel to all peoples. You can ask us to forsake our traditional religion and turn to Christ. Because Jesus Christ has been given the authority of their Lord. I hope you believe this.
2. We must make disciples of all nations. Verses 19-20
Look at verses 19-20. “Go ye and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” The central command here is to make disciples of all nations. This is the Lord's missionary command. Go and baptize and teach are verbs that explain and aid in the command to make disciples.
Dear brothers and sisters, a disciple is one who believes in Jesus as Lord and follows Him. Those who follow Jesus and learn about God while trusting. Making disciples is the work of those who first follow Jesus. We cannot make other people's disciples of the Lord unless we first become His disciples.
Who Should I Disciple? It is to make disciples of all nations. Here is the basis for overseas missionary work. However, the basis for domestic missions is also here. Not all ethnic groups include other peoples. All nations must include both Jews and Gentiles. From our point of view, our nation, North Korea, and other ethnic groups are included in all tribes. Therefore, it is wrong to discriminate that only overseas missions are particularly important and domestic missions are less important.
So, how can you make disciples?
First of all, in order to make disciples, we must carry the Gospel with us. “Go ye and make disciples of all nations,” he says. The meaning of “go” here is that we should not just gather together. Of course, we can gather for worship, training and fellowship. But we must go into the world. We come together to go out into the world. We need to receive grace through worship, be trained for missions, and be encouraged by each other through fellowship to be sent into the world. You must go to make disciples of all nations.
Brothers and sisters, when we finish our worship service, we are sent out into the world. Soon we must go to the world mission field. Every time we go to school, every time we go to work, every time we meet an unbeliever friend, we are sent to a mission field. As a missionary sent out into the world, I hope that you will make disciples of all nations.
We can make disciples by baptizing them. Those who hear the gospel and want to know and follow Jesus as Lord must be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Baptism is a sign of God's grace and a mark of belonging to God's people. Baptism is a public confession to live as a disciple of the Lord.
Finally, we must teach us to obey everything the Lord has commanded us to do. What should we teach? Everything the Lord has commanded. The Lord taught about the kingdom of God in the Gospels. The central theme of Jesus' teaching is the kingdom of God. Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God, taught about the kingdom of God, and showed the presence of the kingdom of God visibly through signs, wonders and miracles. All the authors of the Gospels expect this to continue.
This is also true of the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 4:23 and 9:35, Matthew records that Jesus preached and taught the gospel of the kingdom and healed all diseases and infirmities. In between, Matthew 5-7 contains the preaching and teachings of Jesus, and Matthew 8-9 contains Jesus' miracles. In chapter 10, when Jesus sent out his 12 disciples, he gave them the authority to preach and heal like himself. In Matthew 10:7-8, he commanded, “As you go, preach and say, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give.” He gave the authority to proclaim the kingdom of God and testify of the kingdom of God with signs and signs. In the last part of the Gospel of Matthew, he gave us the authority to teach, “Teach them to obey all that I have commanded you.” Therefore, this command of Jesus included not only his moral teachings, but also his early commissions. That is, it includes the command to declare the kingdom of heaven, cast out demons, and give the authority to heal the sick and send them out.
This pattern is also true of the other Gospels. In the book of Acts, from the first to the last chapter, the manifestation of this power continues. These signs and wonders are central to Paul's ministry. Romans 15:18 says, “I dare not speak except that which Christ worked through me in word and deed, the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring the Gentiles to obedience.” The pattern of Paul's ministry is consistent with the pattern of Jesus' ministry. That is, the proclamation, the teaching, and the manifestation of the signs and wonders of the Holy Spirit.
Dear saints, our ultimate concern should not be on wonders and signs, but on the Lord Himself. But even today, we can and should expect the presence of the kingdom of God and the supernatural manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit as a confirmation of the good news.
3. We have the promise of the Lord's presence. (verse 20)
Based on his authority, Jesus commanded the missionary to make disciples of all nations. The disciples who received this command were not a great group. It was a small group. They didn't have great abilities either. Compared to them, the mission the Lord has entrusted to you is to make disciples of all nations. That's a huge demand. So the Lord promises them the assurance of His presence. Verse 20. “Look. I will always be with you until the end of the world.”
It is a promise that the Lord who died on the cross for our sins and rose again the third day is always with us. It says that the Lord, who has all authority in heaven and on earth, will not leave us as orphans and will be with us. That's right. When we try to make disciples of all nations according to the missionary command of the Lord, we are not just talking about them. We are going to the world with the risen Lord with the Gospel. Because the Lord lives in us and with us through the Holy Spirit.
Look again at Romans 15:18, a summary of the apostle Paul's ministry. “I dare not say anything except that which Christ worked through me in word and in deeds, in the power of signs and wonders, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring the Gentiles to obedience.” Who is the subject of the sentence here? Are you the apostle Paul? Are you Christ? Christ is the subject. Paul's work is what Christ did through the apostle Paul, through his words and works. It means that Christ worked through the Apostle Paul by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ, who worked through Paul, is with us. He is with us in the Holy Spirit to make disciples of all nations through us.
Dear brothers and sisters, mission is the mission we must do. May the missionary mission be recognized and loyal to the purpose of our church.