By Larry Guido
There are 1,052,010.5 words in the English language. And, if you were to search for a dictionary on the Amazon site, you will find that 100 are available. Furthermore, in most dictionaries, there are several different meanings for the same word depending on how the word is used, and what, in most instances, it means. So, if we thought that we could discover the precise meaning of a specific word in a certain dictionary, we may come away with the wrong definition and never understand the meaning and message of a word we do not understand.
To further complicate matters, David Berlo, Ph.D., a professor of communication at the University of Michigan, once said, “Meanings are not in words, they are in people.” If we take 1,052,010.5 words, 100 dictionaries with the possibility of multiple definitions for almost every word, and then factor in that it doesn’t matter, because we may have our own definition, what are we to believe? Or, does it matter what a specific word means to us?
Well, it depends on “who” uses what word or words to say or write what. For example, if I were to write you a prescription for a migraine headache and signed it, “Dr. Lawrence Guido,” a pharmacist would look at it and say, “Well, he’s a doctor, but not the right kind of doctor, and his words don’t mean anything to me because he’s not a medical doctor, so this prescription is worthless.” So the “who” - or the source of the word - the person who says or writes a “word” - is critical.
Christians speak of God’s Word as “inspired and inerrant.” That means two things: the words in Scripture are “God-breathed” and are free from error. Inspired “God-breathed” means that they were carried through “God’s breath” to and through those who were chosen by Him, in turn, to write His words on His behalf for us. Secondly, “inerrant” means that there are “no errors,” or mistakes, in the words His “writers” wrote. Therefore, what we have in scripture are “God-breathed words from God Himself that have no errors.” And, if we accept that as fact, then what we find in Scripture is what we are to believe and then live.
In Matthew 28:18-20, we hear the risen Christ say, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples.” If we accept Scripture as inspired and inerrant, and if we believe that Jesus was given God’s authority to direct our lives, and if we accept Him as our Savior and Lord, then we are obligated to execute His command to “go and make disciples.” To “go and make disciples” then is not a choice, but an order that comes from the Christ Who was empowered with the power of the Creator of the universe. We, therefore, as His disciples, are honor-bound to make disciples.
There are several words in these verses that seem to be overlooked because of the magnetism of the Great Commission: “Go make disciples!” However, prior to the “Go make disciples,” the risen Christ said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” These few words have tremendous significance for every believer.
“All authority in heaven and on earth” means that our Sovereign God, Creator of all things seen and unseen, delegated His Son or endowed His Son, with the same authority - or power – over all things to do anything! So, the risen Christ, from that moment to this very moment and on into eternity, had the liberty – and the authority and power from the Sovereign Creator of the universe - to do anything! How very amazing! The risen Christ is now co-equal in power and authority to the Creator God!
And, with the power He received from His Father, and the authority that is included with it, He gave a command – His first - to His disciples: “Go make disciples!” We know the command, but what about the authority behind and beyond the command?
Because of His authority and power, when Jesus commanded His disciples to makes disciples, there was no middle ground. They were to “make disciples!” Now, here’s the issue. They could choose to either make disciples or choose not to make disciples. The choice was theirs to make. He, their Sovereign Lord, gave a command to them! And with that command came the freedom of choice, the decision was up to them. But remember, the Risen Christ, with all the power and authority of the Creator of the universe, said, “Make disciples!” If they made disciples, they obeyed His command. If they didn't make disciples, they were disobedient to His command. Simple choice. Not easy to fulfill. But, there is no alternative – only a decision to obey or not to obey.
That command declared at that moment in history has not been canceled or rescinded. It is in full force, with the same power and authority today as it was the moment it was declared. As it was then, so it is today: “Go make disciples!” If we are indeed His disciples, we will be involved in making disciples.
So, it’s simple to understand, but not easy to do. But within those verses, along with the command, are the reassuring words, “And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Making disciples may not be easy, but if we make the effort, that authority and power of the risen Christ is in us, with us, and will work through us. The choice is simple. The work is not easy. But Christ will empower us to make disciples with Him if we are willing to work with Him and submit to His sovereignty.
August 2019
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