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Evangelism and Discipleship

In Matthew 28, Christ says, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” We take His command seriously and one of the areas our ministry focuses upon is the proclamation of the gospel in culturally acceptable ways.

There are several important things to notice about this command. As Hudson Taylor once said, “The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed”. In this day and age, we would be wise to remember what Richard Wurmbrand said, “Jesus said, “Teach all nations.” He never said that we need governmental permission to evangelize..” If we are going to be obedient to our Saviour, we must be active in spreading the gospel.

However, as these verses note, the Great Commission does not stop with evangelism. It also includes “baptizing” and “teaching”. To say it slightly different, upon seeing souls saved, we are to baptize them and train them in the Christian life. In 1 Peter 2, Peter describes the necessity of growing in our Christian life in the terms of human growth. A new believer must be carefully discipled (taught) the truth and how to life a godly, Christian life. We desire to not only evangelize, but also to baptize and disciple new believers.