Why Are We Here? | Are You Willing to Rethink It?

Summary:  Jesus commanded His Church to “go and make disciples,” not just to make new Christians—as important as that is. The word “disciple(s)” in the King James Bible occurs in 256 verses. “Christian(s)” occurs in only 3 verses. These are some truths for us there to ponder that may cause a radical rethinking of just why we are on this earth and how we should direct our efforts.
 

Matthew 28:16-20  Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go… [18] 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.”

As disciples (vs. 16) we are commanded to “make disciples” everywhere, getting them baptized/immersed into the fullness of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded us to do.

Jesus’ Great Commission command is not to “make Christians,” but to “make disciples.”

As noted above, the word “Christian(s)” occurs only 3 times in the Bible. But the word “disciple(s)” occurs in 256 verses of the King James Version, all but one of those in the New Testament. In the vast majority of instances, the word referred to a dedicated, obedient follower/student/apprentice of Jesus Christ, who listened to His teachings and was committed to obeying them.

Strong’s concordance defines disciple as a learner, a pupil. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words defines the disciple as a learner, one who follows someone’s teaching. Vine’s adds that “a disciple was not only a pupil, but an adherent; hence they are spoken of as imitators of their teacher.” Both in Jesus’ time on earth and in our day the disciple was/is intended to describe one who hungers for and receives and attempts to put into practice the Lord’s teachings.

Sadly, in our 21st century the word “Christian” has often come to describe someone who has gotten saved, who has been born again by repentance for sin and faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21)—period. Too often there is no further pressing into the Word of God, no further seeking of spiritual maturity. This may explain why the word Christian occurs only 3 times in the Bible, but disciple occurs over 250 times.

Jesus’ Great Commission command was not to “make Christians” simply so that they could go to heaven when they die. Of course it included that indescribably great blessing. But Jesus called us to “make disciples,” to lead people to saving faith in Jesus, yes, but also to “teach them to obey everything” He has commanded us to do. Let’s do a quick review of what Christ’s Great Commission says, then take a look at a few more Scriptures which, I hope, may cause many to radically rethink why we are here on this earth.

• Jesus spoke the Commission to “disciples” (Matthew 28:16). It is dedicated, obedient learners and followers of Jesus Christ who are the most capable of fulfilling Christ’s charge. As committed, obedient disciples ourselves, we are called to bring the world to faith in Christ and then on to spiritual maturity. How can we do that if we’re content just to remain “babes” in the Lord (Hebrews 5:12-14)?

• Our ability to fulfill Christ’s commission flows from the fact, as He stated, that Jesus (the “Commissioner”) has been given by God the Father “all authority in heaven and on earth” (vs. 18). In light of His unlimited authority, coupled with His delegation of authority to us, He says “Therefore [you] go” and fulfill His world-reaching charge.

• His command is to “make disciples” (vs. 19) — dedicated, growing, maturing students/apprentices/learners of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is far more than just being a Christian happily looking forward to one day going to heaven. Like Jesus Himself, the disciple is committed while on earth to “being about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49).

• New disciples are to be baptized (immersed) fully into the name [not the titles!] of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (19). Beyond simply a command for water baptism, open your heart to the thought that Jesus is saying disciples will “immerse” themselves deeply and fully into the Persons and the presence of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Their lives will be given over entirely to serving the Triune God.

• Existing disciples make new ones (always disciples of Jesus, not of us). And they succeed in doing this by “teaching them to obey everything” Jesus has commanded us. It seems that in many Christians’ minds in our 21st century, obedience has unfortunately become an option because of an incomplete understanding of God’s grace. By contrast to laxity in this regard, the Bible speaks of “the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32).

Hopefully we have a fuller, clearer picture of the Great Commission now in our minds. Let’s go forward to some Scriptures that will motivate us even further into successfully participating in the making of disciples unto the Lord Jesus Christ, along with being such disciples ourselves!

Acts 2:36, NKJV  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Acts 10:36, NKJV  …Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all.”

I’ve heard Christians—no doubt well-meaning, but biblically in error—say things like, “I accepted Jesus as my Savior, then months (years?) later I made Him my Lord.” To the ear not attuned to Scripture that may sound acceptable, but it is not. The Scripture says (Romans 10:9, NLT): “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Salvation comes (Acts 20:21) by repentance from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ’s saving death on the cross for us.

In his great sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached that God the Father had made “Jesus…both Lord and Christ.” When we turn from our sins and receive salvation in Jesus, we are receiving Him as Lord and Christ. It’s not simply a great man, even a great religious figure, who saves us. It is Jesus Christ the “Lord of all”! And it is that very same Lord-of-all Jesus to Whom we are called to submit as obedient, ever-learning and maturing disciples.

His Lordship is one of the things that distinguishes the Christian faith as the one true religion, the one and only way of reconciling lost sinners to God the Father. Do the followers of, say, Hinduism, Islam, or Buddhism acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord of all, as the One with “all authority in heaven and on earth”? No, they do not. In fact, neither does Judaism. That’s why the Jewish apostle Paul said, “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge” (Romans 10:1). As zealous for God as his non-Christian Jewish countrymen were, the apostle was still praying for them to “be saved.” Why? Because zeal does not save; Jesus saves! Paul went on to explain that we become righteous before God by our faith in the crucified, resurrected Son of God, Jesus Christ the Lord, and that (vs. 13) “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”—that is, the Lord of whom Paul wrote in vs. 9: “Jesus is Lord.”

Luke 6:46  “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

John 8:31-32  To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jesus rebuked those who called Him, “Lord, Lord,” but did not do what He said. It would be a good thing for each of us reading this right now to stop and ask ourselves, “Do I just call Him ‘Lord,’ or do I make effort every day to obey His teachings as the Lord of my life and my conduct?”

While on earth Jesus was surrounded by many Jews who had believed Him. But He didn’t let them stop there. He plainly told them, “If you hold to my teaching [King James: ‘if ye continue in my word’], you are really my disciples.” Jesus was the preeminent Teacher ever to walk the earth. By virtue of His Deity (John 1:1, et al.), He spoke and taught infallibly the very words of God. The urgent importance of us being disciples dedicated to following Christ’s teachings is emphasized by this Bible fact — in the NIV New Testament Jesus is called “Savior” about 16 times; He is called “Teacher” about 44 times! As eternally important as salvation in Christ is for each of us, His role as Teacher to His disciples (us!) also has strong emphasis in the Bible. Again, a self-examining question: “Am I learning from Jesus and obeying what I’m learning?” I should add here that a “yes” answer to that is practically impossible if you are not often (I suggest daily) reading His Word the Bible. How can we obey Jesus’ teachings if we don’t take the time to study what they are?

John 17:3  Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Luke 6:40  The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

In His great personal prayer to the Father in John 17, Jesus reveals the essence of eternal life: knowing God the Father and Jesus His Son. God desires that we know Him and His Son Jesus personally, not just intellectually. I had mental knowledge of God and Jesus since my early childhood. But it was not until age 25 that I had a genuine, life-changing conversion experience and came to know the Father and the Son personally. And we are helped in this pursuit of knowing Him by the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, who is given to the born-again believer to enable us to know the Lord better (Ephesians 1:17).

The apostle Peter urged us to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, KJV). And as we grow in our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, we “are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The more we know our Lord and Savior, and the greater our knowledge and our doing of his matchless teachings, the closer we come to full discipleship to our Lord—“…everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.”

That is a noble and entirely biblical goal: to be like our Teacher Jesus. From the beginning God has predestined His born-again sons and daughters “to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). By now I trust it is abundantly clear: Jesus Great Commission is not simply to “make new Christians” [that is good], but to “make disciples” [that is the deeper calling]. Fully trained, like their teacher, conformed to his image, full-bore disciples. Those noble goals—not just getting saved, then cruising through life waiting to go to heaven—are what our Lord and Savior Jesus has called us to and has commanded us in his Great Commission.

Do you love Jesus? He said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). And one of His many always-perfect commands is that we become full-fledged disciples, obeying everything He has commanded His followers to do (Matthew 28:18-20).

Hebrews 5:12-14  In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

The inspired writer 2,000 years ago was seeing something that is still widespread among today’s believers in Christ. That is, despite perhaps even years in the faith, they were still “infants” in their knowledge of God’s Word, when they should have been teachers able to help others also to grow into disciples of our Lord Jesus. This should not be so! And the solution is not hard to discover. It’s in verse 14. Those who know and partake of the “solid food”—of God’s Word, in context—are those who “by constant use have trained themselves” in these things. My believing friends, determine unswervingly to be men and women of the Word, of prayer, of worship, of godly character. In a word, do whatever it takes to allow Jesus and those He has helpfully placed in your life to make you into one of His “disciples indeed.”

Develop a godly perspective: “Fix your eyes on Jesus [KJV: looking unto Jesus]” (Hebrews 12:2). “In your hearts revere Christ as Lord” (1 Peter 3:15). Let Him be the motive and focus of all that you do: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). Don’t let down, don’t give up, keep pressing forward every day “until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). With God’s ever-present, gracious help, that true disciple of Jesus Christ will be you!

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