THE DISCIPLES AND THE MISSIO DEI
Matthew 28:18-20, ESV
This is the first of a five-part series on The Disciples and the Missio Dei.
God has a grand plan for the ages: to redeem men and women from every tongue, tribe, and nation. Central to that plan is the building of His church, and the church’s participation in His saving purpose. Missiologists often label this grand plan, the Missio Dei, the mission of God. More precisely, we should speak of the Missio Trinitatis: the mission of the Triune God. The Father, Son, and Spirit are the authors and owners of this mission; the church is graciously summoned to share in their work. That is why, before giving the Great Commission, Christ declared that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him, and why He concluded the command with the assurance of His abiding presence.
Authority and Promise
The Lord Jesus Christ is risen; moreover, He is sovereign above all. Some disciples worshiped Him, knowing that He was God, but some were doubtful. The audience in the text could probably be the five hundred to whom He appeared. Aside from His sovereign rule, He assured them of His presence until the end.
Matthew 28:18: “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Matthew 28:20b: “...And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The statements clearly show that by His power and authority, through His disciples, people from every tongue, tribe, and nation will be saved and gathered. The source of the mission is Christ, and through the Holy Spirit, it shall be fulfilled.
Make Disciples
Because He has all authority, therefore, the disciples must make disciples of all nations, meaning peoples, tribes, and tongues. They must be baptized, which is a type of burial, a dying to self, and a rising with the Son of God. They shall be baptized in the name of the Triune God, meaning that is where their allegiance must be. Then they must learn and obey the Lord’s teachings.
Matthew 28:19-20a: “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…”
Making disciples is God’s agenda. It is not a request; it is a mandate to all who truly believe. As the church obeys in making disciples, they must remember why they are doing it. It is because He has all authority and we must obey, as well as because He has all authority, which gives us confidence that He is at work.
Prophetic Promise
Matthew’s account of the Great Commission resembles the prophetic utterance of Daniel. Daniel wrote of the son of man having dominion and an everlasting kingdom. The dominion covered every language, tribe, and nation. Aside from Daniel, John wrote prophetically of people from every language, tribe, and nation praising the Lamb.
Daniel 7: 14a: “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 one
that shall not be destroyed.”
Revelation 7:9-10: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”
God’s grand plan will succeed because He is sovereign; He will make it happen. Matthew portrayed Jesus as the King of the Jews, but at the end of His gospel account, he portrayed Jesus as God who has dominion over all. The church should consider it a privilege to be given the opportunity to participate in the Missio Dei.
Application
1. Our authority to make disciples comes from the Sovereign One who is above all. Our confidence in the mission is in His presence until the end. Therefore, we must have faith in who He is as the Sovereign One and submit to the mandate to make disciples.
2. We must go out and meet people to call them to follow Jesus. We must present the gospel and call others to walk with us in this journey. We will persuade them to believe in the Triune God and be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We will teach them His word and teach them to obey.
3. Let us believe in the prophetic promise in Daniel and Revelation. It was prophesied, it was promised, and it will happen. The church will succeed in fulfilling its mandate to make disciples of every language, tribe, and nation. People from all tribes will praise and worship the Lamb.
Poem
PROPHETIC MANDATE by Ed Pilapil Jr The call has gone forth, listen all This is the mandate of the Lord Go and make disciples of all Every tongue will worship the Lord Authority and dominion From Him, overflows the mission With assurance from His presence That’s where we find our confidence Go, therefore, and make disciples Baptizing them from all peoples Committed to the Trinity Learning to obey faithfully His love and His words overflow Through His church, and the church will grow Prophetic promise will unfold The prophecies that were foretold
Study Guide
1. Who and what is the basis of the mandate?
2. Explain the mandate.
3. What is the significance of the prophecies in Daniel and Revelation?
