An Apostolic Resource for the Body of Christ

Helping the Body of Christ to fulfill the Great Commission
"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). In this text there are three Greek participles and one command. The mandate of the church is centered on Jesus' teaching in what we know as the great commission.


One Command - Make Disciples
Jesus taught us that everything we do is for one primary purpose: To "make disciples". Every program and activity must be evaluated based on this one command. A healthy church is a church that is successful at making disciples.


Participle #1 - Go
This Greek word is in the present tense which means, properly translated, "as you are going". Jesus is teaching us that evangelism is for every member of the Body of Christ as an active part of their daily lifestyle. This is the first step in making disciples. Every believer is called to be active in this part of the disciple-making process.


Participle #2 - Baptize
This Greek word means "to immerse". There is more to this process than the event of water baptism. God's intention is to bring each believer to a place where every aspect of their lives is immersed in the presence of Christ. This means that our identity comes only from Christ and His presence in our lives.


Participle #3 - Teach
When Jesus taught, He did not simply lecture His followers; He equipped them with the skills necessary to be effective in the call to make disciples. Teaching involves ministry development and imparting whatever is necessary to an individual for their success in the call that God has on their lives.


Summary
The great commission is not defined by going, baptizing or teaching. It is defined by "making disciples of all nations". To be effective in the command of making disciples, we must be effective in the three non-negotiables (go, baptize and teach) that Jesus gave us in His final words to the church.

Steve McEvoy Ministries is called to the work of Helping the body of Christ to fulfill the great commission.