Jack Graham - Making Disciples
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Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 28. Matthew chapter 28. When Jesus called and chose those original disciples, He said, «Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.» So if you are following Christ, you are fishing for men; you are catching men, women, boys, and girls alive for Christ. If you’re not fishing, you’re not following, because when you’re following Jesus and walking with Him, you will be His witness. Therefore, making disciples, the last words of Jesus before He ascended to heaven are in Matthew 28. Jesus came and said to them, «All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.»
We witness that today; we keep doing what Jesus has commanded and called us to do. Then, in verse 20, He says, «Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.» Some translations say «the end of the earth,» but the best translation is «to the end of the age.» As long as there is time, we will continue taking the gospel to the ends of the earth until the end of times. We are making disciples; then we are marking disciples in Believer’s baptism. This is the testimony of our faith. We are maturing disciples, teaching them to observe the things of Christ and how to walk with Him, and we are multiplying disciples.
What God has called every church and every pastor to do is to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry and to fulfill this call, this commandment that He has given to every Christian, and that is to multiply to the ends of the earth. You know, healthy churches, along with healthy Christians, multiply. When you read the story of the New Testament church in the book of Acts and throughout the New Testament, you see how it was not just an addition of new members and new Christians, but it was multiplication. It was a veritable evangelism explosion, as one would tell one, and two would tell four, and four would tell eight, and so on.
This is the magnificent work of the church—making disciples—and you are to be a disciple-maker. Because God has called every one of us, our Supreme King, the King Supreme, our Commander-in-Chief, has given us, as His church and His people, our marching orders, and we are to march off the map. There’s a wonderful thing here that is promised: this command is not only a command, but it is a promise. The command is linked with a promise because remember, Jesus will never ask you to do anything that He will not enable you and empower you to do.
I know some of you are already nervous when we start talking about witnessing and sharing your faith, but God will never ask, call, or command you to do anything that He will not enable you to do. Jesus said, «I am with you,» as you go into this world sharing the Gospel. I’m with you all the way to the end; I’m with you all the way to the finish line. God has called every Christian and has commanded us all to make disciples. The first point—I’ve already kind of entered point one—is, who is making disciples? The «who» is you. If you are a Christ follower, you are speaking Jesus; you are talking about Jesus. We talk about things we get excited about. I like—no, I love—winning people to Jesus; that’s what really fires me up.
It embarrasses me sometimes that I can talk more about the Rangers winning the World Series than I may talk about Jesus. So, I want to challenge every one of you and remind each of us that if you’re excited, there’s an old Gaither song that says, «Get all excited, go tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King.» We get excited about sharing Jesus, and when you’ve been with Jesus, they tried to shut up the disciples and shut down the witness of the church in the early days. They told them to never speak the name of Jesus again, but those disciples, the Apostle John and Peter, said, «We cannot help but speak of what we’ve seen and heard.» We all speak Jesus because we have experienced His life and love in our lives.
So, the «who» is you. Unfortunately, in many cases, the Great Commission has become the Great Omission. You know there are sins of commission—those things that we do that we ought not to do. Somebody asked a little boy in a Sunday school class what the sins of commission and omission are. He said, «Well, the sin of commission is when you commit sins that you ought not to commit, and the sin of omission is when you don’t commit sins that you wish you could.» No, the sin of omission. The Bible says, «He who knows what is right and doesn’t do it has sinned against God,» and that’s James 4:17.
We are often sinfully silent. Silence is not golden; sometimes silence is just plain yellow. What God needs to do is give us courage and boldness. Jesus said, «As the Father has sent me, I send you.» The same God who sent His Son into the world, which we celebrate every day but especially during this season of the year, is the same Father who sent the Son to seek and to save the lost. You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. The same God who sent Jesus is sending you—in the name of Jesus, in the power of Jesus—to speak His precious name not only with our lives but also with our lips. We are to verbally and personally share our faith.
You might think, «Not me; I’m just not equipped. I’m not able; I don’t have the ability to do that.» Yes, you do! If you are saved, you can be a witness. The only ability you need is availability and perhaps some expendability that comes with it—that you’re willing to do what God has called you to do. In this passage, He says, «Look, all authority is given unto me.» All power is given; all authority. What does that mean? It means that we have the authority of Jesus Christ. When it says, «All authority has been given unto me,» it means that He is Lord of all, that He is Lord of life, and He has the authority to send us—not only to save us but then to send us and make us His ambassadors. The «who» is you! You may be thinking, «Who, me?» Yes, you! And you, and you, and you, and you, and you! We are God’s plan to reach the world with the Gospel until He comes again—there’s no Plan B. When He gave those original disciples that Great Commission, it has been passed along to us.
You know, if someone had raised their hand and was looking slack-jawed into heaven, wondering what’s next and trying to process all they’ve seen—the resurrected Christ, the Cross, and all that Christ had done—they would now, before their very eyes, be standing with their eyes wide open as Christ has ascended. He has given us these last words, this testimony of Christ, that we should take to the world. They’re thinking, how can we do this? They’re wondering, where is the world? They didn’t even know that most of the world existed. They had no real transportation to get to the world, no technology; they had so very little.
I often think they had so very little, yet they turned the world upside down according to the Scriptures. We have so very much, and what are we doing with it? Well, God is using people; He uses technology, programming, buildings, and all the rest, but He uses you and me. What a privilege this is! Each one of us, if you are a believer and a follower of Jesus, is made for this mission. Amen! As a follower of Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, you can do this. You are better than you think; you are more than you could possibly imagine.
Now, I know some of you have never even tried to bring someone to faith in Jesus Christ. Personally, you’ve given your money—thank God that you’ve been faithful in your giving—and you’ve served in many ways, but upwards of 95% of professing Christians have never had the experience of personally inviting someone to faith in Jesus Christ. Most of the time, it’s due to fear, anxiety, or maybe frustration; perhaps you tried it, and it didn’t work out, making you reluctant to tell your family members. I know many of you have friends you’ve never spoken to about Jesus. Now, God understands our fears and frustrations, and that’s why He gives us a promise: when you do this, I will be with you.
There’s a special sense in which the Lord is with us when we, by faith, take a step to give a bold witness of the Gospel. Amen! There’s incredible joy in sharing Jesus. The Bible tells us that when one lost soul comes to faith in Jesus Christ, all of heaven explodes with praise to God and joy. There’s joy in the presence of God; God Himself celebrates when one person comes to faith in Christ. It’s never about the crowd; it’s always about the one—the one person, the one family that comes to faith in Jesus Christ. If that brings joy in heaven, what do you think it will do in your heart and your life? It’s going to bring incredible joy. You know, the happiest Christians I know are soul-winning Christians, full of gratitude to God. Therefore, we just can’t help but spill out in praise to God, speak the name of Jesus, love Jesus, share the Gospel, and have fun! That’s what I’m telling you this morning.
You know the upright get so uptight when we talk about sharing the faith, but a little child shall lead them, and a little child can bring people to Jesus, and so can you. So, you might say, «Well, I’m not all that equipped; I’m not trained.» Well, you need to get trained, and you should learn all you can, but you don’t have to wait around to take some course or class or get some method down before you start sharing Jesus. Just tell people what Jesus has done in your life. That’s what the Apostle Paul did. Paul went everywhere, just saying, «I met Jesus on the Damascus Road; He changed my life.»
Now, sometimes people ask, «Well, should I share my faith with my life, with my example, or with my words?» The answer is yes—yes, both! They’re like two wings of an airplane; they’re both important. So many times our example compromises our witness, and so it’s a motivation for each one of us to share our faith. We should pray that God’s spirit would cleanse us, prepare us, and make us usable for Him. I said «availability,» and another term might be «usability,» because God wants to use us, and He will use us, but our example needs to be strong. Many people, of course, reject Christ because they’ve seen so much hypocrisy. Don’t be an unbeliever’s alibi or excuse for not receiving or knowing Christ.
When we know Jesus, everything changes: the way we speak, our language changes, our lives change, and what we do changes. People see that. Look, you are the only Bible—the only New Testament—that some people are going to read. You’re a walking, talking Bible to so many people. Therefore, live your faith, love people, and faithfully share the good news of what Christ has done in your life. So, that’s the «who,» and the «who» is you. And the «what»? What are we to do? We are to make disciples. Where are we to share the gospel? Everywhere we go! Literally, when Jesus said, «Go into all the world,» it’s written in the language of the New Testament, which says, «As you are going,» or «on your way.» Witness as you are going, wherever you go. And He said, «Go into all the world.»
Personalize that: go into your whole world. You have a world; you have a sphere of influence. In your world, in your circle of friendships and relationships, this is your world. We are to take the gospel globally, but we are also to share the gospel personally with family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and people that we meet along the way. There are divine appointments waiting for us every single day if we will just be alert and awaken to the opportunities that we have. David Shivers is a bold witness for the Lord, and you know that if you’ve been around David. I asked David, «What’s your method? What’s your mission? How do you keep doing this?» David sent me a text, and he said, «Every day, often before my feet hit the floor, I pray, 'Lord, thank you for today.'» That’s a good place to start! «Lord, thank you for this day—another day of life. Secondly, thank you for the gift of salvation. Thank you!»
Every day, preach the gospel to yourself: «Thank you, Lord, for your salvation, for saving me from my sin and giving me the gift of eternal life.» Then he prays one more thing again before he ever gets up: «Lord, help me to share this incredible gift with someone today.» All around us, there are people who are lost and dying, on their way to judgment and hell. We walk by them. All around us are broken people, hurting people who need Jesus in their lives. Often, unfortunately, because we don’t pray, all of this begins with concern, doesn’t it? It all begins with caring. You got to care to share. That sounds like a Christian cliché, but it’s true! You have to care first before evangelism and sharing the gospel becomes a passion that is in your heart. If you will begin to pray, God will give you a burden to fight spiritual battles every day and to win people from Satan’s kingdom into the kingdom of God. Amen.
Look, the kingdom of Jesus is unstoppable. This is why Jesus said to go to the ends of the earth and to the end of time—just keep going and going and going and going until we’re done. He said, «Occupy till I come.» He said this to all of us. You know what that means? «Occupy till I come» means take care of business until I return. Make sure that you’re doing what God has called you to do. You say, «Well, I’m not a preacher; I’m not a missionary.» Well, that might be good; we need people in the business sector, in the education sector. We need people all over the world—in your world—sharing the gospel, and in many ways, you can be more effective than I am. I mean, people know I’m a preacher and think, «Well, he’s paid to say all that stuff, ” but you are a satisfied customer; you know Jesus.
You say, „Well, I’m not David Shivers; I just don’t have that kind of personality.“ Okay, but be the best version of you. Be a witness for Christ, and God will use your testimony, but you have to care. You must be concerned; you have to be willing to let God use you, because this is an all-inclusive command—no one gets to opt-out. God loves all people; He died for everyone, not just a few, not just the elect. Jesus died for all, for God so loved the world. So, no one is excluded; everyone is included. This means that all people are lost without Jesus, but there’s not one person who is not loved by Him. When we love people because we love Jesus, we will see Him change lives every day. We can tell others what Christ has done for us.
This gospel is meant to reach every person in the world, and that’s why we give and go on mission opportunities. Every race, every religion, every color, every creed, every language, every lifestyle—everyone in the world needs Jesus. All six billion people in the world need Him. Why should people hear the gospel multiple times when so many have never heard it even once? But I guarantee you this: most of the people with whom we live every single day in good old God-blessed Texas, America—this place that used to be the buckle of the Bible Belt—still, most people (are you listening?) in your circle of influence have never ever heard a clear witness of the gospel of Christ: how to be saved, the grace of God, salvation, the cross and what it means, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what God has called you to do; this is the heartbeat of God for the world.
I saw an article several years ago in the Houston Chronicle; it featured a photo of an older woman with her ear on the chest of a young man in a hospital room. She was bent over, her head down on the chest of that young man. The article described what was happening: the woman’s child had died, and the child’s heart was now in the body of this patient. She bent down to listen to her son’s heart beating within another human being. When you see that, you can’t help but think how wonderful it would be if we could hear the heart of God. If we could, like the Apostle John at the Last Supper, rest our head on the chest of Jesus, we would hear the heartbeat of God for a lost and broken world. If we could just grasp that heart, that’s where it begins—in the heart of God. God has poured out His love in us by the Holy Spirit, and we are to carry this out as long as God gives us breath and life.
Why make disciples? We are motivated by our desire to glorify God, to honor Him, to obey Him, and to show our love for Him. We aim to revive our hearts and grow the church. Soul-winning and evangelistic witnessing are essential for thriving churches. The reason so many churches do not grow—they dry up and die—is summed up in the old saying: we will either evangelize or we will fossilize. The reason that many churches are dead or dying is the lack of evangelism and witness; the people are not prepared, nor are they equipped, often starting from the pulpit. God grows the church; be part of a church that goes and therefore grows in the witness of the Gospel. Your faith is too good to keep to yourself; it is too precious to hoard.
How do we make disciples? By caring and sharing, by living out the Gospel. Here’s what the Apostle Paul said, and I’ll close with this: „We proclaim Christ; we warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can all that we know about Him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man to his full maturity in Christ.“ This is what we do. We do it because God has commanded us, and that’s good enough for me. Amen! Jesus said, „Do it.“ If I’m not doing it, then I’m disobeying my Commander in Chief. So, do it and keep doing it, church.
So many of you are effective and heartfelt in your work and witness of the Gospel. If you’re not dead, the last point is: how are we to do it? Where are we to do it? When are we to do it? We are to do it now. Don’t wait until your loved one dies without Christ to show them who Jesus is and how He can change them. Don’t wait until your neighbor’s marriage and family fall apart before you share how Jesus can restore their lives. In the urgency of these times, now is the time; today is the day of salvation. For such a time as this, God has raised up this church, and God has raised you up as well—as a Christian like Hadassah in the story of Queen Esther, for such a time as this.
This is why our church still exists; this is the only reason we are still here. To be honest, it is the only reason I am still here. I keep showing up and doing this because I want to see people come to faith in Jesus Christ, and I want to see the church rise up and go in Jesus' name to reach the world with the Gospel of Christ. So I say to myself and to you: if you’re not dead, you’re not done. Amen! Keep going! March off the map. Keep doing what God has called you to do. And just to put it this way: I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who will save anybody who puts their faith and trust in Him, and His name is Jesus.