Exodus 29-30

Matthew 21:23-46

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising 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.” 
—Matthew 28:18-20

After Jesus’s powerful resurrection, He met with His disciples and gave them what is commonly known as The Great Commission. He said to them and to us, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising 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 28:18-20).

Did we notice that Jesus began the statement with “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me”? In other words, all authority is His and we operate with delegated authority. Jesus is the Head of the church, directing people as He sees fit. We do not have to have it all figured out by ourselves, we simply need to fix our eyes on Jesus, abide in His presence and walk in His strength, His authority.

Afterwards, Jesus gave the goal of the mission, which is to go and make disciples, baptizing and teaching them to obey everything. We are not supposed to sit around waiting for people to come to Jesus, we need to actively go to the people. When these people believe and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour, they are to be baptized. Baptism is twofold: not only is baptism immersion in water, it is also to be immersed in the truth. It is an outward symbol of an inward reality of the life of Christ indwelling the believer.

Then, we are to teach them to obey everything. There is a difference between teaching to know doctrinal statements and to believe the correct things, and teaching to live into the goodness of Jesus’s teachings. James 2:19 tells us, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” Even demons believe in God and have good doctrines, but they are not obedient to them. We are to teach people with an aim towards transformation through Spirit-filled formation.

Hence, it is crucial to our Christianity that it begins with being reconciled to God through Christ and being filled by His Holy Spirit before we can live into the teachings of Jesus. Why? Because He is the means by which we live the Christian life. We need to be filled with Him before we can live out His commands. He is the righteousness at work within us.

May we not forget that we go about making disciples under Jesus’s authority, life and Spirit.

Lord Jesus, it is by Your authority, life and Spirit that I go making disciples. I ask for Your righteousness to work within me as I represent You to those around me. Thank You, Lord.