16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)

With this month’s newsletter I am beginning to share some thoughts with you on discipleship. Over the next several months, I want us to look at Scripture passages that teach us what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This month we begin with The Great Commission, Part 1. We mostly think about The Great Commission as Christ’s Commission to His Church, and every member of it. It is certainly that, but in it, Jesus also has a lot to say about discipleship.

Why am I writing about Discipleship now? It is a topic that I have briefly written about in the past, I have preached a sermon or two on it, and I have often spoken about it during Bible Study, but right now seems to be a good time to go more in depth about discipleship with everyone who reads our Newsletter. It doesn’t take a lot of searching to know that the Christian Church in America is in decline. Before Covid-19 most congregations across the board had attendances of less than 75 parishioners a week, few visitors, and even fewer new converts. Many congregational members no longer attend any congregation, and Sunday School attendance continues to decline. Most Americans have never stepped foot in a congregation. We are failing to make disciples and to evangelize. Look at the state of our nation’s culture and the behavior of her citizens and we see the result of the Church’s failure to make disciples. One author called it, “The Great Omission”.

“The Great Omission” has called people to be misled by Satan and his human antichrists. It has caused people to have no faith in Jesus and for some to openly rebel against Him and His Church on earth. Our nation now consists of amoral people that are living in chaos and some of them are bringing that chaos into politics and even out onto the streets.

So, let’s look at what Matthew wrote. The Great Commission starts with verse 18 but I think that it is significant what Matthew writes about the eleven disciples who would soon be Apostles, “And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.” We first read that the Eleven worshiped Jesus just as the Magi did and the women did on that first Easter Day. We do this as well. In response to who Jesus is, what is He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do, we worship Him. We do this by living Sanctified lives, walking with the Spirit and bearing the Fruits of the Spirit in our daily lives. In the Divine Service worship is our response to the Holy Spirit gathering us together, Jesus forgiving us of all our sins, the Scripture Readings and the Lord’s Supper. It is certainly the one thing we do here on earth that we will also do in heaven. Here is just one example of what occurs there, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:12)

Matthew then tells us that some of the Eleven doubted. What did they doubt? It could not have been Christ’s resurrection. He had appeared to them on two Sundays in a row in the Upper Room along with other times. Thomas was missing on the Resurrection Sunday when Jesus first appeared, so he doubted, but from the Gospels we know that he believed when he and the others were present on the next Sunday. Maybe they were still confused about the “What Now?”. Where was the ministry heading after Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave? Understanding their doubt in the context of what Jesus said next we can know that Jesus’ answer to their confusion and His clarification of what they would be doing for the rest of their lives and what the ministry would look like “to the end of the age” was the Great Commission.

How many of us have doubts from time to time about the true ministry of the Church or the ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church on Mercy Boulevard? The answer is probably many of us do. We might be confused about the lack of faith, the role that we are to play in the ministry of TLC, the failure of members to remain in the congregation, the failure of members to be involved not only in the Divine Service, but also in Sunday School and Bible Study, in evangelism, or in any other ministry. We might be confused by some visitors living the area who come once or twice and then we never see them again. We might be confused that out of all of the contacts that we have made with people in our neighborhood we have not seen the vast majority attend a Divine Service, or if they have it has been only a few times. Our doubts and confusions are right there with the Eleven. Jesus’ answer to them is the same answer that He gave to the Eleven on that day- The Great Commission.

The Great Commission applied not only to the Eleven but also to any other disciples who might have been present at that time as well as to all Christians throughout the ages until Jesus returns. Just as the Means of Grace (God’s Word and the Sacraments) applies to all Christians so does the Great Commission. God’s Word has been given to not only the singular Church and her clergy, but to every Christian to read, learn, and grow in their faith. God has given the authority to baptize not just to the clergy but also to every Christian. When Jesus commanded the Eleven to Go, to Make Disciples, and to Baptize He was not only speaking to them who would be Apostles but to all Christians just as when He told Peter that “Upon this rock I will build My Church”. The confession of faith that Peter had given was not just meant for Peter but to all believers who make that same confession of faith and proclaim it to all nations.

In next month’s Newsletter we will dig deep into The Great Commission, especially our calling to be Disciple Makers. I look forward to bringing this Good News everyone and the results of Disciple Making that we will experience as we grow in our faith of Jesus’ authority, grow in our own discipleship, and begin by God’s grace, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the Gospel to Go and Make Disciples.

~ Pastor Webb