“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)
by Pastor Patrick Cho
Growing up in church I remember whenever the pastor announced the morning’s sermon was going to be about evangelism, my heart would sink a little. The truth is that a message on evangelism is almost always convicting because of how much more faithful most believers could be in their witness. Sadly, there aren’t too many Christians who would say they have a problem with evangelizing too much. Most often it’s the other way around and the average Christian knows they should be telling others about the good news of Jesus more.
The Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 is probably the most fundamental passage we could turn to in regards to Christ’s command to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. It could be said that there is a form of the Great Commission in all four of the gospels and the book of Acts (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47; John 20:21; Acts 1:8), but the Matthew passage gives the most detail. Jesus issues the command with His full authority (v. 18), so it is imperative that His followers understand and heed His words. The main command of the Great Commission is to “make disciples,” and this is supported by three participles: going, baptizing, and teaching.
Discipleship is a great word to describe the Christian life. It is about following Jesus. Being a Christian in the everyday, ordinary, normal sense means submitting to the Jesus Christ as Lord and following Him wherever He might lead. The command to make disciples essentially means that every believer should seek to reproduce themselves. As followers of Christ, our responsibility to help others know likewise how to follow Him.
“Going” is necessary if we are going to make disciples of all nations and we are going to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (cf. Acts 1:8). It doesn’t necessarily mean that every believer must pack up and go (though obviously some must go and surely all must be willing to go if the Lord so leads). It does necessitate, however, that no Christian is exempt from this command. The participle implies that wherever a believer goes or finds himself, he is to live in obedience to this Commission. In other words, there is no place where the Great Commission doesn’t apply. A Christian can never rightly say, “Well, I just can’t devote myself to evangelism and missions right now.” Whether you are a student or working, single or married, young or old, busy or free, you are called to make disciples of Christ.
“Baptizing” refers to the ordinance of immersing people as a picture of their new life in Christ. It is the first act of obedience that believers are called to upon being saved, but this part of the Great Commission involves more than putting people underwater. It includes everything that baptism signifies – dying to your old self and being raised in newness of life identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. In other words, being committed to baptizing is being committed to helping people understand what saving faith is all about. It involves helping them understand who God is, what sin is, why salvation is necessary, and how to attain it by faith in Christ. Importantly, it also involves helping people to understand that true saving faith calls for a changed life in obedience to Christ since we are baptized according to the command of Christ. True Christians are those who have been radically transformed by the power of the gospel and the Spirit in their lives so that they turn away from sin and walk according to the truth of Christ.
The participle “teaching” helps us to understand that Great Commission work is about more than just making converts. It is about helping people come to saving faith, but then committing to helping them grow in their understanding of God’s truth. If I traveled to South America to preach the gospel to a group of Argentines and some trusted in the gospel and were saved by God’s grace, how devastating would it be for me to abandon them and return home without ensuring that they have any means of growing with respect to their salvation? The Great Commission ensures that those who are saved are able to continue to grow as believers in Christ because they are being taught all that Christ has commanded. If I am going to fulfill the Great Commission, I need to be willing not only to share the gospel with others, but also either to remain with them to help them understand the whole counsel of God or ensure that they find a local church that will continue to nurture their infantile faith to maturity.
As believers, we are not to be ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16). Rather than fearing men and others’ opinion of us, we are called to boldly proclaim the truth of Christ in love. Didn’t Jesus teach that if we are ashamed of Him before men in this sinful generation, He would likewise be ashamed of us in the end at His return (Mark 8:38)? Yes, the message of the gospel will be rejected by most. People may mock or scorn you for your proclamation of what comes across as a narrow, exclusive, judgmental, and offensive message. But we must also remember and trust that God works through the message preached to transform hearts and lives and to reconcile sinners to Himself.
Faithful evangelism also involves living a holy life as a testimony to the life changing power of the gospel. Those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior should notice the difference in genuine believers, that they live for something different and hope in something different. John Piper once wisely said that if non-Christians don’t ask you about the hope in your life, perhaps it is because you are hoping in the same things they are. Unbelievers should see a marked difference in the way a Christian lives in desiring to be set apart from this world and to live ultimately for the glory of God.
Helping others understand the gospel goes beyond lifestyle evangelism, though. The gospel is a message that must be proclaimed. Unless people hear the gospel, they cannot become followers of Christ (cf. Rom. 10:17). Too often believers are committed only to “lifestyle evangelism” without ever telling others about the salvation God offers in Christ and calling people to turn from their sins. We need to remember that unless they hear about what Christ accomplished on the cross and through His resurrection, they cannot be saved. They might be impressed with the way you live your life. They might tell you they respect you for the faith you possess as your own. But they need to be told that apart from Christ they have no true and lasting hope. All men will stand before God one day and give an account for their lives, and the only question that will matter on that day is, “What did you do with the gospel?” Those who turned away from the truth of God will suffer an eternal judgment, but by the grace of God, those who trust in Christ for salvation will enjoy eternal life. Since we possess the message of life and the remedy for sin, let’s strive to be faithful in our proclamation God’s truth in love.