Go and Make Disciples: Authority and Presence

Matthew 28 places the disciples on a hillside in Galilee with worship and doubt sitting side by side. Matthew does not tidy them up before Jesus speaks. Some worship, some doubt, and Jesus still gives the commission. The command to go and make disciples is not handed to people who have it all sorted, or to people who feel brave, qualified, or spiritually arrived. Jesus gives it to ordinary followers who are still carrying fear, questions, and weakness.

Jesus begins, not with the task, but with himself. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The word therefore carries real weight, because the going comes after the authority. Jesus does not say go because the disciples are capable, brilliant, trained, or ready. Jesus says go because all authority belongs to him. The commission rests on his power, not on human skill. The risen Christ, crucified by Rome and raised from the dead, stands before those who knew the force of empire and says that all authority belongs to him, not Caesar, not Rome, not any earthly system, and not any visible power.

The Great Commission is therefore not a performance review. It is not a guilt trip about numbers, conversations, or failures. It is a beautiful task entrusted to people who belong to Jesus. The real question is not, “Am I qualified?” The deeper question is, “Whose am I?” Belonging to Jesus becomes the ground for stepping out.

Jesus also ends with a promise. “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” His presence is not like someone sitting at the back of a classroom with a clipboard, observing and evaluating. His presence comes alongside as companion, helper, and Lord. Every awkward conversation, every friendship, every dinner table, every workplace, every classroom, and every message can become a place where Jesus is already present.

The call to make disciples can begin with one person. The nations are not only far away. The nations are in the neighborhood, on the bus, in shared housing, in workplaces, and around ordinary tables. The task may look like being genuinely present, listening deeply, going a little bit deeper than normal, and trusting that Jesus goes ahead.

Communion then reminds the church that Jesus sends fed people, not empty people. Before Jesus said go, he gave himself. His broken body and shed blood renew those who belong to him, and his authority and presence send them out.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Authority comes before the going Jesus places his authority before the command, so the burden of the task does not finally sit on human ability. The word “therefore” is load bearing because the commission flows out of who Christ is and what the resurrection has proved. Christian witness becomes less about personal brilliance and more about belonging to the risen Lord who has already been given all authority. [39:11]
• 2. Doubt can stand beside worship Matthew allows worship and doubt to occupy the same hillside, and Jesus does not wait for a perfectly resolved group before sending them. This gives real dignity to disciples whose faith is sincere but still trembling. The presence of doubt does not cancel belonging when Christ himself is the one who calls and commissions. [35:17]
• 3. Presence is promise, not observation Jesus does not come alongside his people like an evaluator with a clipboard, looking for faults and marking performance. His “with you” is companionship, not surveillance. The promise means the awkward conversation, the quiet act of listening, and the hard relationship are never entered alone. [44:46]
• 4. Faithfulness starts with one person The Great Commission does not always begin with a strategy, a course, or a dramatic moment. It may begin with one person placed on the heart, one meal, one message, or one conversation that goes a little deeper than usual. Ordinary faithfulness becomes significant when Jesus is already in the room and already ahead of the conversation. [51:25]
• 5. Sent people are first fed Communion shows that Christ does not send his people out empty. Before the command to go, Jesus gives himself in his body and blood. The table renews the heart with forgiveness and reminds the church that mission begins in receiving the love and sacrifice of Christ. [60:39]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [26:21] - Reading Matthew 28
• [27:40] - The Weight of the Great Commission
• [30:02] - Feeling Unready to Answer Hard Questions
• [35:17] - Worship and Doubt on the Hillside
• [38:21] - All Authority Belongs to Jesus
• [42:07] - Christ’s Authority Over Rome and All Powers
• [44:25] - The Promise of Jesus’ Presence
• [48:04] - The Commission Is Not a Performance Review
• [51:25] - One Person, One Faithful Step
• [54:23] - Multiplying Faithfulness in Ordinary Contexts
• [57:40] - What Belonging to Jesus Produces
• [60:13] - Communion for Sent People

1. In Matthew 28, what two responses are present together when the disciples see Jesus on the mountain? [35:17]
2. What does Jesus say before he tells the disciples to go and make disciples, and how does that shape the flow of the passage? [39:11]
3. What are the specific things Jesus tells his disciples to do in Matthew 28:19-20?
4. In the examples that were given, what ordinary places were named as settings where Jesus’ people might live out this commission? [51:04]

1. Matthew includes the line that some worshiped and some doubted. What might that show about the kind of people Jesus commissions, and why does that matter for believers who feel unsure or weak? [36:03]
2. Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” What does that mean for how Christians should think about fear, pressure, and their sense of personal ability? [42:07]
3. Jesus’ promise to be “with you always” echoes words given to Moses and Joshua. What does that suggest about how God sends his people into difficult callings? [46:24]
4. The command to go is surrounded by authority at the beginning and presence at the end. How does that keep the Great Commission from becoming just a burden or a performance measure? [48:27]

1. Worship and doubt can sit side by side. Where does that feel true in life right now? Is there an area where faith is real, but confidence is still shaky? [36:55]
2. The deeper question is not simply, “Am I qualified?” but, “Whose am I?” How might this week look different if identity in Jesus mattered more than feeling ready? [37:36]
3. Jesus’ presence is promise, not surveillance. In what kind of conversation or relationship is there a need to remember that Jesus comes alongside rather than stands back in evaluation? [45:45]
4. The nations are also nearby. Who is one person already within reach—a neighbour, colleague, friend, housemate, or family member—who may need patient presence and deeper attention this week? [51:25]
5. Going may begin not with having all the answers, but with being genuinely present. What would it look like to listen well, ask one deeper question, or make space for an honest conversation with that person? [52:00]
6. Faithfulness does not have to begin with a big strategy. What is one small step that feels possible this week: sending a message, sharing a meal, making time, or choosing not to avoid a conversation? [53:27]
7. Sent people are first fed by Christ. How does remembering Jesus’ body and blood help move the heart from guilt or emptiness into gratitude, peace, and readiness to go? [01:00:39]