Re-Examining the Great Commission, Part 3 | 02/15/2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Central Command: Making Disciples

The Great Commission places one primary command at the center of the Christian life: to make disciples. This is not a specialized task for a select few but the core identity and calling for every follower of Jesus. It is an ongoing process of forming apprentices whose identity and behavior are shaped by learning, following, and obeying Him. This relational work involves interaction with others for the extended formation of Christlike character. [42:54]

And Jesus came and said to them, “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: As you consider your daily routines and relationships, who has God placed in your life for you to intentionally invest in for their spiritual growth? What would a first step in that discipleship relationship look like this week?

Day 2: Going: The Context for Our Obedience

The call to make disciples happens within the context of our going. This does not necessarily mean traveling to a distant land, but rather engaging with the world right where we are. As believers, we are the temple of God, and everywhere we go, we carry His delegated authority. Discipleship cannot happen in isolation; it requires initiative and engagement with the people God has already placed around us. [41:02]

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV)

Reflection: Where do you most often isolate yourself from others, and how might God be inviting you to ‘go’ into that context with a new purpose for making disciples?

Day 3: Baptism: A Public Confession of Faith

Baptism is the first act of obedience for a believer, a public declaration of a new identity in Christ. It is not a transaction that saves but a confession that one has already been saved through repentance and faith. This act symbolizes death to an old way of life and resurrection to walk in newness of life, marking one’s entrance into the family of God and the kingdom of Jesus. [59:29]

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4 ESV)

Reflection: If you have believed in Christ, what has held you back from being baptized? If you have been baptized, does your current life reflect the new identity you publicly proclaimed?

Day 4: The Urgent Need for the Gospel

The mandate to make disciples is fueled by a sobering reality: without the gospel, people remain spiritually dead and without hope. This understanding should create a sense of urgency and compassion, moving us beyond comfort to engage others with the good news. Our calling is to guide others toward repentance and faith, pointing them to the only one who can redeem and forgive. [01:10:51]

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (Romans 10:13-14 ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life, that you care about, is living without the hope of the gospel, and how can you begin to prayerfully engage them with the love of Christ?

Day 5: Dying to the Old Self

Baptism graphically portrays the death of our old life and the beginning of a new one in Christ. Holding on to the habits, relationships, and sins of our past creates tension and hinders our growth. True discipleship requires a clean break, a willingness to let go of what once defined us so that we can fully embrace our new identity as sons and daughters of God. [01:09:49]

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 ESV)

Reflection: What specific part of your ‘old self’ or former way of life are you finding most difficult to release, and what would it look like to surrender it to Christ this week?

Sermon Summary

Grace Church frames its vision around three priorities: spiritual transformation, outreach and evangelism, and local/global missions. Spiritual transformation takes priority: God intends to form character into Christlikeness before empowering activity. Outreach flows from that transformation; the church should carry what God has done within into the community as a light that meets needs and connects people. Generosity now marks the congregation’s season, with a notable percentage of resources sent beyond the local body to advance partnerships that the church cannot do alone.

Matthew 28:18–20 drives the practical shape of discipleship. All authority rests with Christ, and that authority delegates responsibility to make apprentices who learn, obey, and embody Jesus’ ways. The single imperative in the Great Commission centers on making disciples; “going” functions as the necessary context rather than a separate command to relocate. Discipleship therefore requires relational, extended formation that includes moral shaping and credible modeling of Christlike character.

Christian baptism receives special emphasis as a distinct marker of discipleship. Baptism builds on Jewish ritual uses of immersion for purification and conversion, but the Christian form stands out: discipling agents baptize in the singular “name” of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, indicating authority, representation, and covenantal identity. The practice pictures death, burial, and resurrection; immersion best captures that symbolism though practical exceptions have historical precedent. Baptism functions as a public confession of faith rather than a magical or salvific rite; it announces what faith already accomplishes through repentance and trust in Christ’s death and resurrection.

The Great Commission also insists that discipleship includes evangelism: calling people to repent, believe, and openly identify with Jesus. Baptism follows conversion and marks entrance into the kingdom; delay or avoidance of believer’s baptism raises questions about genuine obedience. Practical reflection centers on whether daily life bears out the claimed identity in Father, Son, and Spirit, what old patterns still bind the baptized person, and whether disciples actively shepherd others toward faith and confession. The charge closes with a pastoral urgency: faithfully to practice disciple-making where God places each person, recognizing the gospel’s stakes for those still without hope.

Key Takeaways

1. Disciple is the central command Discipleship forms the organizing imperative of Christian life: make apprentices whose identity and behavior bend toward Jesus. This command shapes every ministry priority and judges activities that lack formation, accountability, and long-term relational involvement. The church’s mission flows from forming people, not merely producing programs or events. [36:46]
2. Going frames but does not replace discipleship “Going” supplies the context required for disciple-making; it does not transform discipleship into a call to relocate. Theologically, God now dwells with believers so the discipling work travels with them into daily places of relationship, neighborhood, and workplace. Avoid making vocation or family status a loophole that excuses absence from disciple-making. [37:11]
3. Baptism is confessional, not transactional Baptism publicly proclaims what repentance and faith already accomplish; it does not itself secure salvation. As a visible identification with Christ’s death and resurrection, baptism tests authenticity and signals commitment to ongoing obedience. Treat baptism as the first act of public obedience, not as a substitute for genuine faith. [54:27]
4. Baptism marks entrance into kingdom identity Being baptized places a person within the covenant people of God: it announces new allegiance to Christ as King and reorders primary identity. If baptism symbolizes dying to the old and rising to the new, discern honestly what old patterns remain and what must be surrendered. The baptized life demands visible consistency across speech, relationships, and daily habits. [59:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[30:46] - Church Vision: Three Priorities
[33:13] - Reading: Matthew 28:18–20
[34:28] - Grammar: Disciple, Going, Baptize, Teach
[42:08] - Discipleship Defined and Applied
[45:36] - Historical Context of Baptism
[51:54] - Trinity, Authority, and Baptismal Name
[64:59] - Reflection Questions and Charge

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV):
And Jesus came and said to them, “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.”

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Observation questions

According to Matthew 28:18–20, what is the one imperative command Jesus gives, and what three actions support or flow from that command?
What does the phrase "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" communicate about authority and identity?
How does the sermon describe the difference between baptism in Jewish tradition and Christian baptism? [45:36]
What practical adjustments has the church historically made regarding the mode of baptism, and why? [49:15]

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Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus have chosen the word "disciple" as the central command, knowing its cultural meaning implied extended relational and moral formation?
How does the singular "name" in the baptismal formula reflect the nature of God, and why is this significant? [51:54]
If baptism is a confession of what has already taken place inwardly, what might prolonged delay or refusal to be baptized indicate about a person’s faith? [58:54]
In what ways does the Great Commission redefine "going" not as relocation but as carrying Christ’s authority into daily life? [40:31]

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Application questions

If discipleship is the central command for every believer, how does your current rhythm of life reflect intentional investment in both being formed and forming others?
Baptism publicly marks a new identity in Christ. What parts of your "old self" are you still holding onto that conflict with this new identity? [01:09:01]
How does your daily life—speech, habits, relationships—demonstrate that you belong to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? [01:08:10]
Who in your relational orbit is spiritually dead without hope, and what specific step can you take this week to engage them with the gospel? [01:10:32]
If you have not been baptized as a believer, what is holding you back from this first act of obedience? [01:04:59]
How can you leverage your current vocation, neighborhood, or daily routines as the primary context for making disciples? [41:02]
In what ways can you tangibly support others in their journey toward repentance, faith, and baptism? [01:01:20]

Sermon Clips

At Grace Church, we have three primary components of our vision that we laid out a few years back. The first is spiritual transformation, and and we simply say this. What God wants to do in you is more important than what God wants to do through you. And so our first and primary responsibility is to tend to the cultivation of our character into Christ likeness. If we do that, nothing else matters. And if we don't do that, nothing else matters. [00:30:50] (28 seconds) #CharacterBeforeCalling

Yes. We are to go. The responsibility of discipleship is on us, but the discipleship the responsibility is not to go someplace else. It is right where we're at, and I think that fits in what Jesus has been teaching his entire ministry. So the great commission, discipleship is a church wide mandate to make disciples, and it includes being sent, going, but it revolves around disciple making as the center of our existence as followers of Jesus. [00:41:46] (34 seconds) #DiscipleWhereYouAre

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Re-Examining the Great Commission, Part 3 | 02/15/2026 | Grace Church Fremont