Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Jesus Christ was crucified, dead, and buried so as to put our sins to death with him so that we can, by faith in him, die to sin. And he was resurrected from the dead in victory over Satan, death, sin, and hell, so that by faith in him we can live for him in walks of obedience to his commands, no longer as slaves to sin, and all in the power of God at work within us. And then he appeared to his disciples, and he instructed them in what they were then to do. They were to make disciples of Jesus Christ of people of all nations.

But these instructions were not for them only, but for all followers of Jesus Christ. All of us who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ are to be spreading the good news of the gospel of our salvation to the people of the world. And we need to be telling them that Jesus taught us that to come after him we must deny self, die to sin daily, and follow him in obedience to his commands. For if we hold on to living in sin, and we do not obey our Lord’s commands, in practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

But this is not just about getting people to “pray the prayer to receive Christ” and then to promise them that all their sins are forgiven and now heaven is their eternal destiny. We are to be making DISCIPLES of CHRIST of people of all nations. And how do we do that? By teaching them what Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught us as “the gospel,” and by sharing with them the teachings on repentance, holy living, and obedience to our Lord’s commands, as necessary components of biblical faith which saves.

For to be a disciple of Christ is not to be just someone who made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ who does what he requires of us in the way of thought, word, and deed. We die to sin and we now obey God, in practice, in the power of God. And we go with God wherever he leads us and calls us in doing whatever body part he has assigned for us to do within the body of Christ, the church, and to utilize the spiritual gifts he has given us, too, all for his glory.

When we become disciples of Christ, our lives are no longer our own to be lived however we want, but they belong to the Lord to do whatever the Lord has for us to do with our lives. And so we seek to know and to do his will. So, we get in his word, and we listen for his voice, and we then follow his leading. And he shows us the gifts he has for us and his calling on our lives, and so we follow him wherever he leads us. And this may result in us being forsaken, forgotten, rejected, and persecuted because we walk with God.

But Jesus said that is what we should expect to happen if we become his followers. He did not promise any of us a life of ease and comfort or popularity and wide acceptance by the masses. He said we would be hated and mistreated and persecuted as he was for the sake of the truth of the gospel of Christ. So, if we are looking to be liked and widely accepted, we are looking in the wrong direction. Our goal is to obey our Lord and to share his gospel, no matter how we get treated in return, even by “the church.”

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Your New Life

Based off the Gospels
An Original Work / May 15, 2014
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Go and make disciples of peoples,
Teaching them to obey their Savior.
Do not fear, but go where He sends you.
Tell them all of what you have heard.

The kingdom of God now is upon you.
Come, and follow Jesus, your Lord.
He will make you fishers of man.

If the people Jesus desire,
They must die to sin and to self-life.
If they want to hold on to their lives
They will lose them forevermore.

Surely you heard that coming to Christ
Means a new life in Jesus, your Lord.
Follow Christ wherever He leads.

Love the Lord with all of your heart, and
Love your neighbors as you would yourself.
Preach the gospel to all the nations.
Do not worry what you will say.

Proclaim the freedom for all the captives.
Share the light with all who are blind.
You are ministers of our God.

Making Them Disciples of Christ
An Original Work / May 8, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love