Zambia Hunt

Your Place in the Great Commission — Matthew 28:16–20

Second in a three-part series on the Great Commission. In Part 1 we saw that the mission rests on the King’s authority, not our adequacy: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore…” Now we turn to the task itself.

The Process of the Mission (vv. 19b–20a)

The command is to make disciples. Every other verb in the passage — going, baptizing, teaching — is a participle that explains how disciple-making happens. The singular imperative is: make disciples. This is what the King requires of His people.

Notice also that the word “go” is a present participle — literally, “while you are going.” The commission is not addressed only to those who will cross oceans. It is addressed to every disciple, in every moment, in every context. We have a task to perform as faithful stewards of the King. Every moment we live and breathe on this side of eternity, God’s people are to carry a singular focus, an uncompromising allegiance, and a sacrificial mindset.

Consider the Boston Marathon. Each April, the city of Boston hosts this grueling 26-mile race through eight towns before finishing in the city. At mile 20 stands the infamous “Heartbreak Hill.” In 2011, Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya ran it in 2:03:02 — up until that time, the fastest time ever recorded on that course. Marathon runners dedicate countless hours to training, cross-training, and recovery. The commitment involves sacrifice that touches personal life, health, finances, and relationships. Despite the personal cost, many people willingly dedicate themselves to the sport.

Every one of us makes sacrifices for what we consider a priority. The problem is that our priorities do not always align with God’s. Paul’s declaration in Acts 20:24 defines what a properly ordered priority looks like:

Acts 20:24 — But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Make Disciples by Preaching the Gospel

Jesus came for sinners. We have separated ourselves from God and stand under His just judgment. Jesus came to die, to bear the punishment for sin, and rose again to gain victory over the death that sin causes. He calls us to repent and believe. We are to carry this glorious news to the world — to every ethnos. The gospel is not merely a private benefit for those who receive it; it is the royal proclamation of the reigning King, and it demands a response.

Make Disciples by Baptizing Them into Local Churches

We preach the gospel and initiate believers into the body of Christ — the local church. Baptism is an ordinance granted exclusively to the local church. It is the public identification of a believer and the affirmation of the church to the credibility of their testimony that they are disciples of Jesus Christ.

It is easy to be a Christian in Zambia. It could cost you your life to identify as a Christian in Algeria. Baptism indicates that we have counted the cost. It is the declaration: I am committed to following Jesus Christ, if need be, to death.

Make Disciples by Teaching Them the Word of God

All the commands of Jesus are to be faithfully taught to all who believe. Disciples are expected to know doctrine. This is not optional. The expectation is that teaching will result in obedience, and obedience will produce disciples who themselves make disciples. We are each to entrust to other faithful believers the doctrinal truths that have been entrusted to us — disciples forming disciples, to the ends of the earth.

Next: Part 3 — the promise that carries the whole mission: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”