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. - Matthew 28:19-20
The words of Jesus above are known as The Great Commission. They serve as the church’s marching orders and have for over 2000 years. Though methods vary in different times and contexts, the essence of the task remains the same. On the front of our bulletin each week, we declare that Grace Community Church exists for this purpose of making disciples. However, this raises an interesting question. What is a disciple? What is it we are seeking, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, to make?
“Disciple” is not an exclusively Christian word. There are disciples of other religions. There are disciples of political parties. There are disciples of particular social media influencers. There are disciples of particular philosophies or schools of thought.
This is because the heart of being a disciple is following. A great diagnostic question to ask to discern our own hearts or to understand another is: Who are you/they following? Everybody is following somebody or something. As Bob Dylan sang, “You’re gonna have to serve somebody.” “Serve" is simply another word for “follow". This means everyone is a disciple. The question isn’t: “Are you a disciple?” but “Who or what are you a disciple of?”
This connection between being a disciple and following is clearly seen in the ministry of Jesus. Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a new into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little further, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him (Mark 1:16-20).
Jesus invited anyone and everyone to become his disciples (student in learning), to follow him. Over the last two thousand years, those who have accepted this invitation have in turn extended that invitation to others. Millions of people have said yes to following Jesus. It changed not only individual lives but the course of human history. Saints, let us give thanks that Jesus extended this invitation to us and, by His grace, we accepted it. And let us recommit ourselves to inviting others to come and follow Jesus.