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Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:16-20)

Just about all of us have heard the term, “THE GREAT COMMISSION.” It has to do with a direct commandment from Jesus to “go and make disciples.” Clearly, Jesus had something in mind when He spoke these words and clearly His disciples knew what He meant by them. The question is, “Do we understand what He meant?” and perhaps even more important, “Can we do again what the early Church did?”

When we look at the early church we see boldness, clarity, and power. We see a dynamic faith that impacts individuals, communities, and nations. We see a Gospel that transforms, and we long for that same power and presence in and through our churches today. They were dealing with a lost pre-Christian culture where the Gospel was unknown. We are dealing with a lost post-Christian culture where the Gospel is often unknown. Perhaps we can live out the Great Commission in our times as it was so powerfully in their times.

So, what did the early church do and how did they understand the Great Commission? As we look at the biblical account and the accounts of their acts in the pages of recorded history, we can quickly identify four major components.  

1.            DISCIPLESHIP

2.            EVANGELISM

3.            HEALING

4.            CASTING OUT THE DEMONIC

A friend of the American Anglican Council, The Rev. Alan Hansen relayed a conversation he had with the beloved Bishop from the Diocese of Jos in Northern Nigeria, The Rt. Rev. Ben Kwashi, where he said, “Alan, if you cannot evangelize, heal the sick, cast out devils, and disciple others, you simply cannot minister in my diocese.” He further said, “I no longer send my clergy to England to be trained. They come back learned but useless.” Bishop Ben went on to explain that ministry without power is irrelevant in his country. Unless the Gospel of Jesus Christ has power over the spiritual darkness of the occult, it will never impact the people of his land. Unless the Gospel can heal, deliver, set free, and transform lives, it is simply ignored.

As we look at the landscape of the Church today, we face a very real crisis. In essence we largely lost the ability to actually “DO” the Great Commission. Over the course of three articles, we will look at and begin to live out each of the four major components listed above for the sake of the lost in our times.

Discipleship

Let’s begin with looking at how Jesus brought along His early followers. When Jesus called the Twelve, he simply said, “Follow me.” Peter left his nets, Matthew left his tax booth, and the others laid aside their earthly vocations to become “fishers of men.” Jesus asked them to watch, listen, and learn.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  Matthew 9:35-37

Initially, they were passive while Jesus taught and ministered the kingdom of God.  But that was soon to change. Eventually, he turned to the Twelve and commissioned them to go out two-by-two. 

When Jesus called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  (Luke 9:1-2):

•              Jesus gave them “POWER AND AUTHORITY”.

•              Jesus told them to drive out DEMONS.

•              Jesus told them to CURE DISEASES.

•              Jesus sent them to PREACH the Kingdom of God.

•              Jesus told them to HEAL the sick.

These men watched, listened, and learned for a season. They were being “discipled” through teaching and ministering. They observed a direct connection between the “proclamation” and the “demonstration” of the Gospel. They learned they were to teach and preach the Kingdom of God as well as minister in the power of the Kingdom of God. The teaching without the power is merely another “philosophy” of man. Jesus had been showing them how to minister and now it was their turn. Jesus was making them disciples. But Jesus did not just stop with the Twelve. He expanded the group, and, in Luke 10, Jesus sent out 72 (some translations say 70).

In our Baptismal Covenant, we are asked, “Will you continue in the Apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers?” and we respond, “I will with God’s help.” Agreeing with God’s help to continue in the Apostle’s teaching implies not only being taught but putting what we’ve learned into practice. Just as Jesus made them disciples both learning and then doing, we must both learn and do ourselves. And in our churches both teach others and have them put it into practice too.

Talk is cheap. Power is always recognized. When the Church fails to minister in power it becomes another “philosophy of man” or “empty religion.” When the Church does minister in power it becomes a source of life, hope, and Good News to those who are earnestly seeking God. And in our post-Christian culture that so regularly rejects truth claims, our ability to back up the truth of the Gospel with demonstration of that truth with power could be so much more effective.

How are you doing at personally being made a disciple by Jesus in your life? There are a few questions you can ask yourself and contemplate (or journal about) to better think this through.

• Are learning by doing what you’ve learned and not just growing in head knowledge?
• Are you practicing both proclamation of the Kingdom of God with words and demonstration of the Kingdom of God with power?
• What can you do this year to become even more fully discipled, and thus better put into practice the Great Commission in your life?
• Does your church have processes in place to help its members be made disciples in order to fulfill the Great Commission in both proclamation and demonstration?
• Is there a plan, like Jesus had, to take people from “Follow me” and learn to later, go and do with God’s help?

May we individually and in our local congregations see the Great Commission fulfilled in both word and deed for our sake and for the sake of the desperate world around us! If you’d like help to lead your church in more effectively in fulfilling the Great Commission, we have resources that can help. Schedule a call today by going to www.churchrevive.org and click on “Schedule a Call!”