6.7.26 | The Great Commission | 9:00a Worship x Grace Ridge Church Online

Jun 07, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Commissioned Under Heaven’s Authority

The church’s mission begins not with human strategy but with Christ’s absolute authority. Just as a soldier receives rank and purpose at their commissioning, believers operate under Jesus’ sovereign command. This authority dismantles excuses, silences fear, and redirects focus from personal agendas to eternal priorities. Discipleship isn’t optional—it’s a mandate backed by the One who holds all power. Every conversation, every relationship, becomes a frontline for eternal impact. [32:31]

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you hesitated to step into disciple-making because you’ve relied on your own strength rather than Christ’s authority? How might your daily choices shift if you truly believed His power backs your obedience?

Day 2: Discipleship in the Dust of Daily Life

Jesus’ command to make disciples isn’t a program but a posture—a “while going” way of life. The Greek grammar reveals disciple-making happens amid grocery runs, work commutes, and family chaos. Like Jesus meeting the woman at the well during a routine journey, ordinary moments become divine appointments. The mission isn’t about adding tasks but seeing existing rhythms as opportunities to point others to Christ. [36:21]

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, ESV)

Reflection: What mundane moment this week became a missed opportunity to engage someone spiritually? How could you prepare to notice and act on such “while going” openings tomorrow?

Day 3: Worship and Doubt at the Empty Tomb

Even as the disciples worshiped the risen Christ, some doubted. Their confusion mirrors our own—believing yet wrestling with unbelief, committed yet hesitant. Jesus didn’t disqualify them but reaffirmed His authority, turning their mixed hearts into messengers. Doubt isn’t a dead end but a crossroads where we choose to lean on His sovereignty rather than our certainty. [30:41]

“And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.” (Matthew 28:17, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you simultaneously worship Jesus and doubt His capacity to work through you? How might His authority, not your confidence, become the anchor for your next step of obedience?

Day 4: Beyond Bumper Stickers to Blood-and-Sweat Relationships

Disciple-making crumbles when reduced to Christian clichés. Jesus modeled gritty, time-intensive relationships—eating with tax collectors, walking with fishermen, weeping with mourners. Like the pastor’s airport story, it demands interrupting our agendas to enter others’ messy stories. True discipleship isn’t a sales pitch but a shared journey of repentance, healing, and growth. [39:22]

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34–35, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs more than a quick “Jesus loves you” and deserves your sustained, inconvenient investment? What practical step will you take this week to deepen that relationship?

Day 5: The Clock, the Cross, and What Can’t Wait

Life’s brevity—aching joints, fleeting youth, funeral reminders—exposes misplaced priorities. The Great Commission isn’t a retirement plan but an urgent summons. Like Pastor Greenway’s legacy of multiplied ministers, our obedience today shapes eternity’s harvest. Busyness becomes blasphemy when it muffles the Master’s command. [47:24]

“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2, ESV)

Reflection: What “urgent” task consistently crowds out disciple-making in your schedule? What would it look like to treat someone’s eternal destiny as more pressing than tomorrow’s deadline?

Sermon Summary

Matthew 28 stands up and commissions the church. The risen Jesus meets the eleven, receives worship from some and the honest doubt of others, then settles the room with a single foundation stone: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The text plants the church not on charisma, size, or buildings, but on the sovereignty of Christ. Daniel 7 had already seen this Son of Man receiving dominion that never ends, so Matthew’s scene is not a new idea but the unveiled reality of the King’s reign. From that authority, Jesus gives the mission.

The command is clear and singular: “make disciples.” The grammar matters. “Going,” “baptizing,” and “teaching” carry the action along, but the imperative is to make disciples. The charge sounds like this: while going, make disciples. Not after life slows down. Not once a program starts. In the middle of the school drop off, at the register, on a jobsite, in Wayne County and beyond, the mandate runs on ordinary paths. Jesus’ own ministry models the method. He met people as he went, spoke truth, forgave, healed, and built relationships. Disciples are not formed by bumper-sticker quips or clever lines, but by patient presence, real conversations, and the long work of friendship.

The scope stretches to “all nations,” which refuses any narrowing to the people who look or vote or live like insiders. Baptizing and teaching belong inside disciple making, but the text refuses a rigid order. Baptism is the visible sign of dying to the old life and rising into the new. Teaching is the steady equipping in Scripture, prayer, worship, and mission. Both serve the central call.

Jesus then hands the keys. The authority that belongs to him now commissions his people to go under his name. Rejection is not finally of the messenger but of the Master, so the dust comes off the sandals and the witness keeps moving. The question that tests the heart is simple and sharp: if love for Jesus is real and the desire for others to love him is real, how far will a disciple go? Busyness, comfort, and self-protection often set the limits, not the power of God. The room gets a loving shove: get off the sidelines. This is not optional. “It’s a command. It’s a directive.” Yet the charge lands with a promise as large as the authority that gave it: “I am with you always.” His presence reframes priorities, opens eyes to the person right in front, and multiplies a legacy where lives are saved by the authority of Jesus Christ, not by human strength.

Key Takeaways

1. Christ’s authority grounds the mission. The mission does not lean on personality, numbers, or place. It rests on the King who already holds heaven and earth. Confidence grows when the church remembers whose name it carries and whose power sends it. Courage flows from authority received, not from hype or hustle. [30:17]
2. Make disciples while going, every day. The command lives in the middle of ordinary errands and commutes. The aim is not to add a project but to carry a posture into the day. Availability often matters more than ability, because God fills the moments already on the calendar. The field is whatever is in front of a faithful witness. [36:21]
3. Discipleship grows through real relationships. Quick slogans do not shape souls. Time, conversations, meals, forgiveness, and truth told in love are the slow tools God uses. Proximity and patience turn acquaintance into apprenticeship under Jesus. The future of a church often looks like the friendships its people are willing to cultivate. [39:36]
4. Baptizing and teaching undergird obedience. Baptism marks a new life publicly given to Jesus, while teaching forms that life in Scripture and prayer. The order can flex because God’s timing often surprises, but the partnership should not be severed. Both practices serve the one command to make disciples who actually obey Jesus. [41:12]
5. Obedience is commanded, not optional. The charge does not come as a suggestion to try when convenient. Love for Jesus shows up in getting off the sidelines and reordering priorities around what matters to him. His promise to be with his people removes the final excuse. The King’s word is clear, kind, and binding. [48:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[27:13] - Commissioned people, not just attenders
[27:49] - Officer commissioning analogy
[28:29] - What is the church
[29:07] - Why the church exists
[30:17] - All authority given to Jesus
[31:48] - The church rests on His authority
[33:43] - Daniel 7 and everlasting dominion
[34:29] - Therefore go: the grammar matters
[36:21] - While going through everyday life
[39:22] - Discipleship is built on relationships
[40:28] - Baptizing and teaching without a formula
[42:17] - Commissioned under Christ’s authority
[48:29] - Not a suggestion, a command
[50:59] - Count your disciples

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)
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.”

Daniel 7:13-14 (ESV)
13 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Observation Questions

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus begins His commission by stating, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” How does this declaration connect to the vision of the “son of man” in Daniel 7:13-14?
The sermon emphasized that “make disciples” is the only imperative command in the Great Commission, while “going,” “baptizing,” and “teaching” are participles. How does this grammatical structure shape the way we understand the mission?
What examples from Jesus’ ministry were given in the sermon to illustrate how discipleship happens through relationships rather than “bumper-sticker quips” or slogans? [39:22]
How does the sermon describe the relationship between baptism and teaching in the process of disciple-making? [40:28]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Matthew includes the detail that “some doubted” even as they worshiped Jesus (Matthew 28:17)? How might doubt coexist with obedience to the Great Commission?
The sermon argues that the church’s mission rests on Christ’s authority, not human strength. How might this truth change the way believers approach evangelism when facing rejection or apathy? [43:16]
The phrase “while going” suggests disciple-making happens in the rhythm of daily life. What challenges might arise when trying to integrate mission into ordinary routines instead of treating it as a separate “project”?
The story about the airport conversation ([49:04]) highlights missed opportunities to engage people. Why do busyness and self-focus often hinder us from seeing others as opportunities for discipleship?

Application Questions

Reflect on your daily routines (work, errands, hobbies). What is one specific setting where you could intentionally “make disciples while going” this week? How might you start a meaningful conversation or demonstrate Christ’s love there?
The sermon asks, “If love for Jesus is real and the desire for others to love Him is real, how far will a disciple go?” [43:42] What practical step could you take to move beyond comfort or fear in sharing your faith with someone outside your usual circle?
Think of a relationship in your life (a coworker, neighbor, or family member) where you’ve avoided spiritual conversations. How could you invest time this month to build trust and create space for discipleship? [39:36]
Baptism and teaching are described as tools for disciple-making. Is there someone in your life who needs encouragement to take a step toward baptism or deeper study of Scripture? How could you walk with them in that process?
The sermon challenges busyness as a barrier to mission. What is one non-essential activity or commitment you could set aside to create margin for intentional disciple-making? [45:10]
The story of Pastor Greenway’s legacy ([51:20]) shows the ripple effect of discipleship. Who in your life has discipled you, and how could you honor their investment by intentionally pouring into someone else?

Sermon Clips

31s

#MakeDisciples

“And that is the crux of the entirety of this text. The commissioning, the mission for God's people in the church is to make disciples. That is it. That is the sole mission of the church, to make followers of Jesus Christ, and this is the command that is given. A lot of people make the focus, a lot of churches make the focus wrongly that it's about going or it's about baptizing or it's about teaching. That's not what it's about. It's about making disciples.”

36s

#PrioritiesOverMission

“And we're limited not by the authority and power of god. That's been given to us. What are we limited by? Ourselves. Man, I'm so busy. You don't understand. And to to you that say you're so busy, I don't understand. You're right. Because, truthfully, what we're really declaring is that something takes precedence over making disciples of Jesus Christ. Well, you don't understand. I I love when people don't tell me I understand. You're right. I don't understand. And I make a joke to them, like, I don't understand because I think you're nuts, not because I don't understand.”

38s

#CommissionNotSuggestion

“All he's saying is all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, and I'm giving it to you. And then at the end, he says, and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. This is not something that comes and goes. This is a permanent understanding that the lord our god has given us the authority to go into the world, and it's not optional. It's a command. It's not a recommendation. It's a directive. It's not a suggestion. It's a dictation. This is what we are to do.”

28s

#HowFarWillYouGo

“Do you want others to love Jesus? I sure do. Absolutely more than anything. The greatest joy in life is to watch other people come to acknowledge who Jesus is. And then the question that pierced my heart was simply this, well, then how far will you go? And this is where it normally stops because it means I'm gonna witness and tell I have a relationship with somebody that maybe is weird, or I'm gonna get so far in a relationship where I find out stuff I don't want to know.”

48s

#SeizeMissionalOpportunities

“And he made it very clear that I was wrong. And I wonder how often that happens in my life today still where I'm so busy and I'm so hungry and I'm so preoccupied that I miss seeing the people where God has put in my way, in my place with an opportunity to build a relationship and tell them of Jesus Christ. This lady is dying in her own sin, and we have that which can heal her. And we keep it to ourselves because we're preoccupied with our own stuff. I hope you can hear the opportunity in this that changes our priorities, that changes our perspective, that changes who we are.”

38s

#GoUnderChristAuthority

“We don't go in our own strength to make disciples. We don't go in our own power. We go under the authority of Jesus Christ into the world. That's why he says when we are sharing the good news with somebody and they don't receive it, he says dust off your sandals and go to the next place because they're really not denying you. They're denying me is what he says. So think about that for a minute. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus. Now in this commissioning ceremony here, all authority in heaven and on earth has now been given to you”

29s

#ChurchIsPeople

“Now we understand the church is not a bit a building. It it isn't a structure. It isn't an idea. The church is the people of God who have said and declared with their hearts that Jesus is my savior. That is the church. That is the fullness of the body of believers. That is us as a unit, whether you're online, whether you're in person, the fullness of the kingdom of God together of all God's people who declare that Jesus is their savior and Lord, that is the church.”

45s

#DisciplesOfJesusOnly

“Not disciples of Mike, not disciples of Grace Ridge Church, make disciples of Jesus Christ. That is our focus Jesus Christ through transformation work traditional worship, active missions, and engaged youth in Wayne County and beyond. But the focus of that is making disciples. That's why we exist. That's why we are here. And notice make disciples of who? And I love this because this is where we get jacked up in our culture and our community here. We make disciples of people that look like us, that act like us, that that seem to be like us. And that makes complete sense. Why? Because while going throughout the day, that's the disciples we're making.”

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