How to Live Out the Great Commission

Matthew 28: 16-20 is a passage of Scripture known as the Great Commission where Jesus tells all of his followers to “go into all nations and make disciples of Jesus, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” We know that as followers of Jesus this is our calling, but we often fail to live into this calling.  Really, most of the time we simply just refuse to pay any attention to this command by Christ. Why is that?

As Christians we make excuses for why we refuse to go and make disciples. Here are five common excuses that we make in response to the Great Commission. We often say to God:

I’m not qualified. God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called. He does not call us to do something that he does not also give us what we need to accomplish it. God does not expect us to do anything, but be faithful and willing to step up and be obedient. When we are obedient He does the work through us and accomplishes what He wants to accomplish.

I don’t have the resources. Maybe we think we don’t have time. However, it is not a matter of not having enough time. It is a matter of how we use the time we have. We all get 24 hours a day or 168 hours a week. Are we using that time to do what God wants us to do or are we using our time to do what we want? It is a simple choice.

I don’t enjoy it. We might feel embarrassed or shy when we share our faith or maybe it is just generally uncomfortable, but Jesus never said it would be easy. After all, He told us to “pick up our crosses and follow him.” Is the work of making disciples of Jesus Christ important enough to rise above the discomfort and be obedient anyway? I think it is.

It is not my job. We often convince ourselves that it is our pastors job to make disciples or maybe other people who have been given that specific responsibility, but let’s do some math here. Let’s say that your pastor works very hard focusing 100% on making disciples and he or she is able to invest into the lives of a new person every week all year long. Over the course of a year 50 people would come to saving faith in Jesus. After all, our pastors should get at least a two week vacation right? Now let’s figure that the average congregation is about 200 people. If every lay person in the church was committed to making disciples over the course of a year and each one brought one new person to church where he or she could develop a relationship with Christ then over the course of a year 200 people would come to saving faith in Jesus. Which do you think would give God more glory, 50 saved souls or 200?

What’s in it for me? Not many of us would admit to asking this question of Jesus when given the mandate to go and make disciples, but if we are honest, this is often what we do indeed tell Jesus. Well, let me tell you. When I get to heaven I don’t want Jesus to sit me down and ask me why I wasted all the resources and opportunities he gave me to share my faith. That conversation would not be fun. Instead, when I stand before Jesus I want him to say to me “Well done good and faithful servant!” This praise does not come automatically from Jesus, but only after a life lived in faith and obedience. These are the eternal rewards we can look forward to if we commit to living out the Great Commission in our lives.

But there are also temporal rewards we can benefit from as well. When we are committed to God’s will and obedient in living out our faith in a tangible and evangelistic way, then God’s power comes over us and fills us up. Do you know the feeling we get when we do well at our jobs or at school or any area of our lives, like when we knock the ball out of the park, figuratively speaking, that is? Can you imagine the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that God will bless us with when we help Him accomplish his plan for the world in saving lost souls? That is an amazing feeling you can’t get any other way in this life.

HOW DO WE DO IT?

“Well that’s great Pastor Mike, but how do we make disciples? We all know we are supposed to be faithful to the Great Commission, but it is easier said than done.”

I have a very simple four step process for accomplishing the Great Commission in our lives. It is so simple and easy that anyone can do it if they decide to.

Step One – Make friends with someone who is not a believer. 

Step One is that simple. We all know someone who does not have a relationship with Jesus. They are all around us, at work, in our neighborhoods, even in our families. Simply strike up a friendship with one person. We can all do that can’t we? We all know how to make friends. Simply be a friend to someone.

Step Two – Live your life in a way that proves you are a Christian.

This one is a little more difficult and intimidating. After all, we know that we goof up from time to time or even all the time, but if we can live our lives in response to who we are in Christ even when we goof up then our new friend will notice that there is something different about us. When they notice that we are different, at some point they will ask us about it. When they do we should be prepared to…

Step Three – Answer the question.

Be prepared to tell your unbelieving friend why is it that you act the way you do. Why did you treat that person that way, or why did you react that way in that business meeting, or why did you refuse to give on that particular issue. When we live our lives for Christ, people will notice and they will ask us why. When they ask, simply be prepared to share your heart with them. Use your own words. There is no need to use fancy theological words or even a bunch of scripture. Just tell them, in your own words, what Jesus means to you and what he has done for you. However, sometimes you may need to be a bit more proactive.

Step Four – Ask the question. 

There is a chance that the person with whom you have developed a friendship will never ask you about your faith. If this is the case then we need to be prepared to be the one to ask the question. In a natural and appropriate context, simply ask your friend what their thoughts are on God or faith or the after life, or whatever. Simply get the conversation started. No pressure! No need for a sermon here. Simply test the waters and allow the conversation to develop over time. If you are indeed friends with this person then they are not going to get mad and yell at you. An effective “God” conversation is not a one time thing. It is a conversation that takes place over several months or even years. But it is a conversation worth having.