At the conclusion of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus gives his followers their marching orders. He has already given his life as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind and been resurrected from the dead. He claims that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. Then he says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt.28:19-20).

We call this teaching of Jesus “the Great Commission”. Here he tells his followers to get other people, from all over the world, to follow him. To be a disciple of someone means that you learn from them and obey their teaching, patterning your life after that person. Our mission is to get as many people as possible to become disciples of Jesus Christ.

Jesus says that the first step in making a disciple is to baptize that person. Some will have you believe that you become a disciple by “asking Jesus into your heart” or by saying a “sinner’s prayer”, but these notions are man-made ideas that have no basis in Scripture. Rom.6:3 says that we are “baptized into Christ”, not prayed into Christ. Baptism, not prayer, is for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Baptism, not prayer, saves us (1 Pet.3:21). Acts 22:16 says, “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” If you want to call on the name of the Lord, you get baptized.

There are, of course, some prerequisites to baptism. We can’t just go around dunking people in the water without them knowing what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

First, a person must have faith in Jesus before being baptized. Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved…” (Mark 16:16). The candidate for baptism must truly believe that Jesus is the only way to be saved (Acts 4:12) and that Jesus died to pay for their sins and was resurrected on the third day.

Second, a person must be willing to make a profession of their faith. Rom.10:9-10 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

A third prerequisite for baptism is repentance. Jesus says twice in Luke 13:1-5, “…But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Acts 2:38 says, “…Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” I once had a young man request that I baptize him. After learning that he was living with his girlfriend and had no intention of repenting of that sin, I refused to baptize him. He did not meet the Lord’s requirements for becoming a disciple.

Once a person expresses faith in Jesus and repents of their sins, then they may be baptized into Christ, the first step in becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ.

The second step in making a disciple is to teach them to obey everything that Jesus commands us to do. While baptism is a one-time initiation into Christ, teaching obedience to Jesus’ commands is an on-going process. We are always teaching one another how to better go about obeying the commands of Jesus. And let us remember that obedience is not optional! Many churches rightly stress baptism but could do a better job of teaching obedience. We must not allow anyone to think that their baptism completes their obedience to Jesus. Baptism is a great place to start, but a poor place to finish!

Let’s renew our commitment to the Great Commission of Jesus and be about the business of making disciples!