Matthew 28:16-20

     As I am trying to follow Jesus, He is repeatedly and forcibly sending me back to Matthew 28:16-20. He tells the disciples to meet Him on the mountain in Galilee. They travel from Jerusalem, the place of his betrayal, arrest, torture, crucifying, and resurrection northwards. They know that He died yet they see Him alive. They worship but some doubt. How human they are. Jesus speaks to them. What we have recorded is a very short but very strong message. Jesus has received ALL authority in heaven and earth. This is the basis and foundation of what He then tells them, and us, to do. GO!  Make Disciples! Baptize them! Teach them to OBEY everything He has commanded.
     So don't sit around waiting for something to happen. Go.
Make disciples. This is action, purpose, intentionality. It means that those who are disciples are to make others.
Baptize them. Unregenerated, unsaved, unconverted people cannot be disciples. Baptism is the first act of obedience.
Teach them everything. Don't expect people to learn by osmosis. If someone had personally discipled me, and I had been willing to receive it, I would have been spared decades of pain and suffering. As humans we tend to learn things the hard way through prolonged, painful personal experience. Be humble and teachable so God can use you to give to others.
     Obey. This is the ultimate test of whether we are truly a follower of Jesus Christ. Are we willing to learn the commands of Jesus and obey them? This seems like an impossible standard to follow. As with things like husbands loving their wives like Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25) how can anyone do this? The promise lies in the last sentence of Matthew 28. "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (NIV) Only through the immediate and ongoing help, grace, and strength of Christ is it possible to be a true disciple of His.