Coney Hill Baptist Church

Demonstrating God’s Love Together

Missionary Disciples

Matthew 28:16-20

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Intro:

In most of our thinking about discipleship so far we’ve been concerned with definition. Distinguishing ‘disciples’ from ‘Christians’ as people who are committed to following Jesus, into the future, filled with his Spirit.

But, if it is to mean anything it has to cause us to do something. It can only be said that we are disciples if we are doing the work of a disciple. Learning, according to the model of Jesus means walking with him, it’s active.

So what do disciples do?

There’s no better place to go to answer that then to the end of Matthew’s gospel. The so-called ‘Great Commission’ is Jesus’ own job description for disciples.

In the context of both worship and doubt, praise and perplexity, (v17) in other words in the messy business of ordinary, everyday life where people try to seek God even when it’s difficult – there task is given to them.

As Jesus bursts from death to life, he briefs his small, dispirited band of followers on their life-changing mission – he commissions them to turn the world upside down.

Discipleship – A Call to the Unlikely

‘All nations’ – it means everywhere, everyone. The near and the far, the known and the unknown, the easily understood and the misunderstood. There are no no-go areas for the gospel, no-one is excluded, no situation hopeless.

Discipleship – A Manufacturing Industry

There is only one verb in the ‘commission’ and it’s not ‘to go’. Literally the sense of the verse is ‘as you are going…..’ in other words, in your daily business, your inevitable travels, movements and encounters … ‘make disciples’.

Manufacturing is the key, our task, in all places, always, is to produce followers of Jesus. It will involve teaching, introducing to the church (baptising), but it will also be about mentoring, encouraging, supporting, challenging, sharing … building one another up … everyone. That is the task of mission.

Conc.

It’s a tall order but the challenge is sandwiched between two words of encouragement. Being granted the very authority of God (v18) we go with confidence. And being certain of the presence of God always (v.20) we go with hope.

Office Address:

Coney Hill Road

West Wickham

Kent

BR4 9BU