Disciple People
by Ross Ward, Jr.
“Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I've commanded you. And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20 ISV).
Jesus’ teaching here has a couple of aspects.
- Disciple people
- Baptism by the authority of all of the Godhead
- Teaching
- Companionship of Jesus
Let's consider these aspects:
Disciple People
I like the ISV here, which translates as “disciple people.” This is the idea of making disciples—converting people to follow Jesus—also known as Christianity. It is bringing about the belief that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God, thus having the authority and ability to prescribe righteous living.
Baptism
At this point, baptism was an integral part of the new era, the New Testament (which was being unveiled). John the Baptist was baptizing believers and teaching them to believe in the one to follow (Acts 19:4). In Matthew, Jesus commands that they baptize believers in Jesus. Which I submit includes that He is the Messiah (anointed one of God), The Son of God (on equal standing with God), the resurrected Jesus (a living being, not a decaying body), and likely other concepts. We find similar teachings in the other Gospels. Luke bridges this account with his book of Acts. Compare Luke 24:45-49 with Acts 2:1-13, 36-41
Teaching
It is troublesome to leave off with disciple people at either of the previous points. There is a process. The beginning of which is believing in Jesus, then baptism. Then “the rest” the rest of our lives. The results of our belief in Jesus leave us lacking righteousness; we need to be transformed. Yes, sins are forgiven, but we are the same person until we begin to put Jesus’ teachings into practice. Yes, there are all those worldly things we need to stop doing, but there are also attitudes that we must learn to engrain in ourselves. At the highest level, consider Romans 12:2 and Galatians 5:1-6:10. The writings from Romans to Revelation are all letters to baptized believers on how to be the Christian Jesus calls us to be. It’s a lifelong journey. Yet, we are not left alone on this journey.
Companionship of Jesus
We find that, though we are accountable for changing and becoming new people, we have help and support for this process — God. It is not a journey we can complete on our own. We also find support through the church and other disciples. This could be significantly expanded, but know that we cannot succeed on this journey by ourselves. We need the help of God and other Christians.
It is a new way of life.
