What I’ve written about in my last two post (I am not your rabbi, and Ancient Rabbi + New Disciples) adds a lot of clarity to the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20. Please read those two post before proceeding. OK, finished reading them? Now look at the great commission again:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

We are to make disciples of Jesus by baptizing people and teaching them to obey “all” that he commanded. Jesus wants more disciples, people who know and obey all that he said. Any form of evangelism that doesn’t do this is probably not creating disciples (i.e. Christians).

• Does praying with someone to receive Jesus make them a disciple? Did you baptize them? Did you teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded?
• Does inviting someone to church make them a disciple? Did you baptize them? Did you teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded?
• Does a new member class, a study series, or a set of truths like Romans Road make them a disciple? Did you baptize them? Did you teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded?
• Does talking with someone about some of the things in the Bible that are important make them a disciple? Did you baptize them? Did you teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded? 

To take part in the disciple making process I have decided that from now on I am going to do things the Jesus way. I am going to simply baptize people and teach them to obey “all” that Jesus commanded. For too long I have edited down the teachings of Jesus and only taught the “most important” ones, or the ones I understood well. But who am I to not teach something if Jesus thought it was important enough to say.

Here’s what I’m doing now. I get with people who want to be disciples and I baptize them, and we read everything Jesus said, line by line, and we try to follow the rabbi. This is not a short term process, but when I’m done, God willing, I will have made a disciple of Jesus. Nothing less.