The Vitals of a Disciple

Mission

Sunday, November 30^th 2025

Matthew 28:18-20

Introduction

Our Mission: To Make Disciples

1. The Call: We ARE Disciples

The Authority of Christ (Matthew 28:18)

“Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”

The Great Commission does not begin with a command—it begins with a claim.

The Great Commission is not a command to go in our strength, but in Christ’s authority!

1. The Mission: We MAKE Disciples

The primary command is “make disciples.” This shapes everything about Christian mission.

A disciple is a person who follows Jesus, learns from Jesus, obeys Jesus, becomes like Jesus, and helps others do the same. Jesus’ commission is essentially a call to multiplication.

“We have people who call themselves followers of Christ but aren’t actually following Christ. The church has turned into a place where people sit and watch a performance instead of actively making disciples.” Francis Chan

III. The Scope: We GO or SEND to All Nations

Jesus commands us to “make disciples of all nations” (Greek: panta ta ethne). This does not simply refer to geographical countries—but people groups, ethnicities, cultures, and language groups.

Jesus gives us two essential components of disciple-making:

1. Baptizing
2. Teaching to Obey

“We have taken Jesus’ command to make disciples and turned it into a comfortable call to make church members. We’ve reduced Christianity to a ‘pray this prayer’ transaction instead of a ‘take up your cross and follow Jesus’ transformation.” David Platt

To obey the Great Commission, we must recover the biblical vision of discipleship: life-on-life, relational, sacrificial, intentional, and obedience-driven.

1. The Promise: Christ’s Presence (Matthew 28:20)

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Great Commission began with Christ’s authority, and it ends with Christ’s presence.

His presence gives us: Courage in persecution, Endurance in difficulty, Hope in suffering, Perseverance in mission.

“Churches are filled with people who will never go out and make disciples because they don’t really believe Jesus is with them.” Francis Chan

1. Distortions of the Great Commission: Where the Modern Church Goes Wrong
2. A Commission Without Mission

“Making disciples isn’t a calling for a chosen few; it’s a command for every follower of Jesus.” Francis Chan

2. Decisions Without Discipleship
3. Activity Without Obedience

1. Discipleship at Abundant Grace

The call to make disciples begins in our homes first and then the world.

1. Conclusion

The Great Commission is not fulfilled by the gifted few—it is carried out by the faithful many. Every Christian is a disciple. Every disciple is a disciple-maker. Every church is called to be a disciple-making movement.

So go. Make disciples. Teach the gospel. Jesus is with you.