Matthew 28.18-20 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Here is the will of God for the church of Jesus Christ. Go, teach, baptize and make disciples. Your mission today as a follower of Jesus rests on Jesus’ authority as Lord of all. We go in His Name and in with the assurance of His presence. The glorified God- Man has given these marching orders to His children.

This commission is part of the armor of God. Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. But the daily mission of the church is to be primarily a teaching one. Making disciples. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. The teaching ministry is not a group of people sitting around, sipping coffee and telling one another what a passage means to them. That may be a testimony. But the teaching ministry is the proclamation of what God’s Word means. Salvation does not release Christians from obedience, but provides solid doctrine from which we are set free from sin and selfishness to a life of obedience to Christ’s commands.

Let’s not turn the great commission into a great convention. Let’s not replace the need of teaching into a Christian social club where we simply express our feelings. Making disciples is like raising children. It is intentional. It is methodical. It is a priority that should be held by every local church. The goal is not inclusion into our local “club”,  but instruction that releases a saint to make a difference for Jesus Christ wherever His Spirit leads them.

Investing in your fellow saints and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ is the result of sound bible teaching and is as daily and normal as breathing. Paul told pastor Timothy, Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. That is the great commission. That us how disciples are made. Don’t change the commission into a program, please.