The Great Commission:

A Call to True Discipleship, Not Comfortable Christianity

When Jesus stood before His disciples after rising from the dead, He gave them a command—not a suggestion, not a request, but a direct commission. "Go, make disciples of all nations" 

(Matthew 28:19). The words in the original Greek carry weight beyond what we often hear in pulpits today. "Matheteusate" (μαθητεύσατε) means more than just "teach"—it means to train, to mentor, to shape someone into a committed follower. It’s not just about giving information; it's about transformation. And yet, where are the teachers today who are actually doing this? We have plenty of preachers who can put on a good show, who can draw a crowd, who can entertain—but where are the disciple-makers?

Jesus didn’t tell His followers to gather audiences. He didn’t command them to build massive buildings or collect tithes. He said, "Go." The word "poreuthentes" (πορευθέντες) in Greek implies movement, action—it’s not a passive calling. You cannot fulfill the Great Commission by staying within four walls, or by limiting the message to those who already believe. But that’s exactly what so many have done. Christianity has become comfortable, predictable, and weak. The early disciples turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6) because they lived out what Jesus told them. They walked the streets, they went into homes, they spoke with the outcasts, they risked their lives. They were killed for their faith. Today, too many preachers stand on a stage and expect people to come to them. They deliver sermons designed to please ears rather than pierce hearts (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Jesus said, "Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). Baptism wasn’t just a ritual; in that time, it was a public declaration of total allegiance. The Hebrew idea behind it ties into "mikveh" (מִקְוֶה), a purification, a complete turning away from the old and stepping into the new (Romans 6:4). But how many pastors today even talk about the cost of following Christ? Instead, they offer a watered-down gospel that requires nothing. "Just believe," they say. "Just pray this prayer." But Jesus never said to make converts. He said to make disciples. There’s a difference.

And then He said, "Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). Not just teaching them to know—teaching them to obey. The Greek word "terein" (τηρεῖν) means to guard, to hold fast, to observe carefully. Jesus wasn’t talking about just filling people’s heads with rote knowledge; He was talking about shaping their lives around His commands. But what do we see today? Pastors who preach words but don’t live them. Churches filled with people who hear sermons week after week but never change. We have more access to Scripture than any generation before us, yet we are the most biblically illiterate. Why? Because knowledge without obedience is useless (James 1:22). Jesus didn’t say, "Admire my teachings." He didn’t say, "Agree with them." He said, "Obey."

But obedience isn’t a popular message, is it? It doesn’t sell books. It doesn’t build megachurches. It doesn’t get applause. So preachers avoid it. They preach what’s easy, what’s comfortable, what won’t make people squirm in their seats. They turn the gospel into self-help therapy, into a motivational speech, into a feel-good experience. But Jesus didn’t come to make people comfortable. He came to call people to die—to die to themselves, to their sin, to their old ways of living (Luke 9:23). The early disciples understood that. They gave up everything (Luke 14:33). They left their homes, their careers, their safety, because they believed Jesus was worth it. But today? Christianity has become about convenience. If it fits into my schedule, if it doesn’t cost too much, if it makes me feel good, then I’ll follow Jesus. That’s not discipleship. That’s not obedience. That’s not what Jesus commanded.

Jesus’ final words weren’t words of burden, but of promise: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). The Greek here, "ego eimi meth' humon" (ἐγώ εἰμι μεθ' ὑμῶν), is powerful. "I am" is the same phrase God used when He spoke to Moses at the burning bush—"I AM who I AM" (Exodus 3:14). Jesus wasn’t just saying He’d be present; He was declaring His divinity, His eternal existence, His unshakable presence with His people. He wasn’t sending His disciples out alone. He wasn’t giving them an impossible task and then stepping back. He was going with them. He is still going with us. But here’s the question: Are we going at all?

Most preachers today are standing still. Most churches today are stagnant. They gather, they sing, they preach, they leave. But the mission Jesus gave wasn’t about sitting—it was about moving. It wasn’t about comfort—it was about calling. It wasn’t about building a name for yourself—it was about making His name known. The Great Commission was never meant to be optional, yet that’s how many treat it. They admire it. They frame it on their church walls. But they don’t live it. And if you’re not living it, you’re not following Jesus. Period.

And that’s the problem, isn’t it? Too many preachers today want the benefits of ministry without the cost of discipleship. They love the platform, the recognition, the respect, but they don’t want to carry the cross. Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). The Greek word for "deny" is "aparneomai" (ἀπαρνέομαι), which means to completely disown, to refuse association with yourself. It’s not about self-improvement—it’s about self-death (Galatians 2:20). But you won’t hear that preached very often, will you? Because that message doesn’t build fan bases. That message doesn’t bring in donations. That message isn’t comfortable.

Jesus never said, "Follow me when it’s convenient." He never said, "Preach only the parts that people like." He never said, "Water it down so it’s easier to swallow." No, He said, "Go. Make disciples. Teach them to obey." And yet, look around. The church today is full of spectators, not disciples. People who show up to be entertained, not equipped. Pastors who want to be celebrities, not servants. And while they put on a show inside their buildings, the world outside is perishing.

How did we get here? How did we turn Jesus’ radical, world-changing command into a weekly event where people sit in padded seats, listen to a polished speech, sing a few songs, and then go home unchanged? The early church didn’t operate like this. They didn’t have million-dollar buildings. They didn’t have light shows and fog machines. What they had was the fire of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), the urgency of the mission, and the willingness to lay down their lives for the gospel (Acts 20:24). And because of that, they spread the message of Jesus across the world in a single generation. What’s our excuse?

We have turned Christianity into a brand. We have preachers more focused on their social media followers than on making actual disciples. We have churches that care more about their attendance numbers than whether people are actually obeying Jesus. We have people who claim to follow Christ but don’t even know what He taught. This isn’t the faith Jesus died for. This isn’t the gospel the apostles gave their lives for. This is a hollow shell of what it was meant to be.

And yet, there is still hope. The mission hasn’t changed. The Great Commission is still in effect. Jesus is still calling people to go, to teach, to make disciples. The question is, who will obey? Who will take up the call and do it the way HE taught us to?