MAKE DISCIPLES Matthew 28:18-20
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” (vv 18-19)
The final words of Jesus recorded in Matthew’s gospel concerns the source of Christ’s authority and include His final command to us based on that authority Jesus exercised only the authority that He received from the Father. In the same way, we must operate only within the authority we have received from Jesus Christ. The Lord’s final words to the church through the disciples constitute a dynamic, action-based, military – style commission or decree. After His resurrection from the dead, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me,” and it applied to both realms – heaven and earth. Our assignment came next, and it was brief and to the point, it was our kingdom – building mandate. “Go therefore and make disciples” Only a few of us have gone, and nearly none of us have made disciples. We prefer to take a short-cut and do the “onetime convert” thing. It takes time, commitment, and incredible patience to truly make disciples. You can build church attendance with quick converts, but to build the kingdom requires discipline. You can bequeath a denominational title or religious stereotype on a quickie convert, but only disciples can receive an impartation of authority based on relationship. Short – cut Christianity, has to go. God wants nothing less than a kingdom of disciples, not a collection of skin-deep, name only, greasy – grace converts.
PRAYER LINE: Lord Jesus, teach me how to reproduce in others what You did in my life. Show me how to share Your heart with the hurting and demonstrate Your love to the unloved. Help me make true disciples throughout my life for Your glory, in Jesus’ Name. Amen (CTC)
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Choosing to love people will make disciples of people