²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. – 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

Why are we here?  A question every person ponders at some point.  For the person without faith, this can be a troubling, even scary question to consider as one can look at the cold, dark universe, the state of the world and the short comings of fellow citizens, and feel hopeless.  From this perspective, it is completely understandable to see why a faithless person would have anxiety, despair, fear or something worse.  However, for the Christian, this question has been answered for us.  We have a lot of causes and a calling, however our united purpose in the body of Christ is to make disciples.  This purpose was given to us by Jesus after He rose from the dead.  Known as the Great Commission, we read the following in Matthew 28:18-20:

¹⁸ And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

It is not uncommon in the church today for people to think of the Great Commission as a special task for those called to be missionaries.  Most church-goers have not ever considered the personal duty they have to carry out the Great Commission.  Many have also never considered what a privilege it is to be salt and light to a bitter and dark world.  Though we have ample opportunity, those who actually carry a burden for the gospel limit themselves to inviting people to church.  Though that is a good thing, I want to draw attention to the opportunities we may be missing in our lives daily.

In doing so, it is important to understand that evangelism and discipleship are inseparable.  Evangelism and, even pre-evangelism, are the beginning stages of discipleship. The church in America has largely kept these two separate, I believe because we have reduced the gospel to the four (4) spiritual laws and have given little to no attention to spiritual formation, spiritual disciplines, the life long faith journey and the parable of the sower.  In short, many people have been sold a fire insurance policy that will not provide the necessary coverage once they step into eternity and attempt to file a claim.  As a church, as well as individual believers, we need to take on the role of a “spiritual actuary” to assist believers, new and old, in reducing risk by cultivating a strong, genuine faith.

In Matthew 13, we read the parable of the sower in which four (4) different people hear the gospel message, but only one of the four has genuine saving faith, while the others abandon the faith for various reasons.  Jesus gives us a warning in Matthew 7:21-23 stating that some will come before Him and He will declare that He never knew them.  It is evident from the text that these people were church-goers, active in doing church stuff, were fans of Jesus, and perhaps even gave intellectual consent to the gospel, but Jesus casts them out.  It is also evident from the text that they placed their faith and hope in the things they were doing for church, hoping that their good deeds would get them a ticket to heaven.

I believe that we have been given these texts as a guide and a warning to not take the grace of God lightly and to pursue true transformation through formative discipleship.  When Jesus said to go an make disciples, He was giving a command to the church, not just the Apostles, not just those called to be Missionaries, not just Senior Pastors, it was a call for all disciples because part of our discipleship is making disciples.  We are to continue to be Ambassadors of Christ in whatever place we happen to be, ” as though  God were making an appeal through us on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Go in Matthew 28:19 is best understood as going, or the literal translation means, “wherever you happen to be going.”  The message is that we are to make disciples wherever God has placed us.  We must be sensitive to the people who come into our paths and recognize that God has given us a work that requires us to step into their faith journey.  That work could be to share the gospel, but could also be to remove a barrier to faith through dialogue or to provide some type of service or care.  The witness may not be verbal, but rather an act of loving them.  For those who make a confession of faith in Jesus, we must also carry out verse 20, to “teach them to observe all that He has commanded us.”  Herein lay the cornerstone of discipleship.  We cannot simply leave the spiritual newborn to fend for themselves, we must invest in them to grow up into their new found faith.  They must know that their confession of faith is the beginning of a life long journey and to finish that journey, they must be prepared to give up everything for Christ’s sake.  It cannot be understated that God is not seeking to make them a good person, but rather to be transformed into His image.  This is not a remodel, but a demolition to raise up a new man where the old man once stood.  The good news is that Jesus promised to be with us every step of the way (Matthew 28:20b).