Matthew 28:16-20 ESV
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore 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. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Making Disciples
Jesus commanded his disciples to make disciples of Christ of
people of all nations. For, Jesus didn’t have just 12 disciples. His disciples
were all people who followed him with their lives in obedience to his will and
to his ways. And we are his disciples if we deny self, take up our cross daily
(die daily to sin and self), and if we follow (obey) him (Lu 9:23-26; cf. Rom
8:1-17).
So, how do we make disciples of Christ of people of all
nations? Or, let me ask first, what does it mean to make disciples of Christ of
people?
Well, a disciple is a follower, a student, and an adherent
of the teachings of Jesus and of his NT apostles. A disciple is one who is
progressively learning about Jesus, and about the Christian faith, and about
walking in holiness and purity of devotion to the Lord. And he is one who is
growing in his faith to maturity in Christ through putting into practice what
he is learning.
So, if we are going to be making disciples of Christ of
people we need to be sharing with them the truths of Scripture, but not cherry
picked Scriptures which sell the message of the gospel short and which don’t
require walks of obedience with the Lord. We need to be sharing with them the
Scriptures which talk about putting the word of God into practice in our daily
lives.
So, how can we do this? Well, in this present age, I believe
one of the best ways is by getting on the internet, on Christian discussion
sites, on social media, and on blogs, etc. where we still have a voice, and
where we can share the truths of Scripture with people.
But don’t just quote Scriptures, especially if they are quoted
out of context and could take on a different meaning. Talk about what the
Scriptures mean, and share their context, and talk about ways in which we can
apply the truths of Scripture to our daily lives.
But first of all lay the groundwork of the gospel that Jesus
taught, but not this diluted gospel that many are presenting today which doesn’t
even mention repentance, or at least not in the proper context, and which does
not talk about the necessity of walks of obedience to our Lord.
Tell them what Jesus taught and all that the apostles taught
about the gospel and our walks of faith in Jesus Christ, and make the gospel
message clear, for many are following after lies and are being promised heaven
as their eternal destiny, but they are still walking in sin and are not saved.
And talk with your friends and your family members and pray
for divine appointments with people out in public where you can share Jesus
with them, but make certain, if time permits, that you let them know the
essentials of becoming a follower of Jesus, which are that we deny self, die
with Christ to sin daily, and that we follow him in obedience in his power.
Baptizing Them
When we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our
lives, by God’s grace, through God-given faith in Him, we die with him to sin,
and we are given new lives in Christ Jesus to be lived for his glory. This is
our spiritual baptism where we die with him to sin, where we are buried with
him, and where we are resurrected with him to newness of life in him (Rom 6).
And we must teach this, or we aren’t teaching the true
gospel. For, Jesus died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and
live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for
ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us. And he shed his blood for us
to buy us back for God so we would now honor God with our lives (with our
bodies).
Jesus had a water baptism, true, but he also talked about a
baptism he had yet to undergo, and this was his death on a cross in putting our
sins to death so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin, but so we can now
be slaves of God and of his righteousness. And he said his disciples will baptized
with that same baptism (Mk 10:38-39; Lu 12:50; Rom 6:1-23).
Our water baptism, thus, symbolizes this dying with Christ
to sin, and us being buried with Christ in death to sin, and us being
resurrected with Christ to newness of life in him, created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness. And if it is possible, it is good for new
believers to go through water baptism as an outward testimony of their inward
faith.
But if our ministry is on the internet, and the people we
are mainly sharing the word with are on the internet, we can’t physically
baptize them in water. But most important is that we teach them about dying
with Christ to sin and living to Christ and to his righteousness, and if they
are able, they can find a way to be physically baptized in water, too.
Teaching Them
And we are to teach them to observe (to obey) all that our
Lord commanded us, and his commands are not just his teachings he taught on the
earth, but they are the teachings of the apostles, too, and they are the
teachings of Scripture, as a whole, where they apply to us under the New
Covenant. For Jesus is the living WORD. He is the author of the Scriptures.
For, faith in Jesus Christ means walking in obedience to the
Lord. But way too many people professing faith in Jesus are ignoring those
teachings in favor of a gospel which gives them permission to continue in
deliberate and habitual sin against God and other humans.
But the word of God makes it clear that if we live in sin,
if sin is what we practice, and if we walk according to the flesh, that we will
die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life. For, we are all going to
reap what we sow. If we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap
eternal life. But if we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap
destruction.
Many people are professing faith in Jesus Christ but are
still living under the control of sin and the flesh, still deliberately,
habitually, and premeditatedly doing what they know is wrong while they ignore
God’s commands which teach that those who do such things will die in their
sins.
So, they keep on in their sinful addictive lifestyles, going
around in circles, repeating all the same sinful patterns over and over again,
lying about their sinful activities, making excuses for them, and plotting and
carrying out evil against others, including against spouses and children, while
claiming faith in Jesus and heaven as their eternal home.
But it will come back and bite them. It is not a matter of “if”
but of “when.” They will reap what they sow. What goes around comes around, and
it will come back to those who sow to the flesh and not to the Spirit.
What Goes Around Comes Around
NewSong
Dig a pit and you will fall
in it
Roll a stone and be hit
with it
The seed you plant in time
will grow
You're gonna reap just what
you sow
The deeds you do will come
back to you again
The circle never ends
What goes around comes
around
Full circle it comes back
to you
It's true in everything
that you do
The seed you plant is gonna
grow
What you reap is what you
sow
What goes around comes
around to you
Round and round and round
it goes
Where it stops no one knows
Just one thing I know is
true
Soon it will come back to
you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yblB4SZsBms
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