All authority has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
You must understand several things about this commandment. First, fulfilling The Great Commission is not an option but a command. That Jesus gave this command just before He left His disciples tells us that it is very important. In fact, it should be every Christian’s life goal. That means that if you are not actively involved in this Great Commission, you are certainly not walking in God’s will.
Second, the most important word in this passage is “make disciples.” In Greek in which this passage was originally written in, “make disciples” is the main verb. Everything else in this passage serves to explain the content of this main verb “make disciples.” To make someone a disciple of Jesus, you must preach the gospel to him. But Jesus does not only want this person to be a Christian who can enjoy eternal life, our Lord wants him to be a Christian who will honour, love and serve God fervently in his life. In short, our Lord wants good Christians. It is only when a person has become a faithful and good Christian that you have fulfilled The Great Commission.
About half of the Christians worshipping in our church are new Christians. A few received the Lord only about a month ago. It is the Lord’s greatest desire that they not only receive the guaranteed hope of heaven, but that they also enjoy the eternal life that they obtained at the moment they received Jesus as Saviour. The Lord desires them to live holy lives, enjoy God’s peace that surpasses understanding, be people with godly and practical wisdom—to enjoy abundant life.
First, every Christian should and can fulfil the Great Commission. Be good testimonies at work and in your homes. Attract people to Christ by your godly and loving behaviour. When new friends come to our church, talk to and care for them. When you first came to church, someone cared for you. It is now your turn to show kindness to new friends.
Second, you must help Christians who are younger than you to grow spiritually. A Christian who is one month old can help a Christian who is one day old. A Christian, who is two years old, can help another who is 6 months old. Your life must be used to build lives: Your life must overflow to another life.
Consider training a new Christian systematically. The church will come up with a system to help you make disciples for the Lord. But if you hope to be used by the Lord, you must be spiritually matured and exemplary. First, be disciplined in your Quiet Time, Sunday Worship and Adult Sunday School. Learn to interpret the Bible—The teachers teach you that. Learn humbly. Be grounded in Bible doctrines and knowledge.
Second, the most important thing is to deny yourself. Stop being so concerned about your feelings, your hurts, etc. It is not that these things are not important. But if you learn to put self interests aside and just be concerned about doing the things that please the Lord, He will use you in great ways, and you will experience peace and joy (Luke 9:27). Be exemplary in your Christian walk. Ask yourself: Do I want my disciple to be like me? You must be able to say “yes.” Then pray that the Lord will send someone whom you can disciple for the Lord. The Lord will use you if you sincerely desire to be used by Him.