THE GREAT COMMISSION – PART 2(GO) PASTOR (DR) MENSA OTABIL SPECIAL SUNDAY SERVICE

SPECIAL SUNDAY SERVICE WITH PASTOR (DR) MENSA OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER, INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) CHRIST TEMPLE, ACCRA GHANA)

TOPIC: THE GREAT COMMISSION – PART 2 (MAKE DISCIPLES)

DATE: 14TH APRIL, 2024

BIBLE TEXT: MATTHEW 28:18-20

Last week I started a Series on: “THE GREAT COMMISSION” – And we looked at “GO”!

DMC NOTES: You can get to read the Full Text of “The Great Commission – Part 1; on this Link:

https://discoverymediacrew.com/THE-GREAT-COMMISSION-PART1-PASTOR(DR)-MENSAH-OTABIL

But the Great Commission is not just about Going; it is also about Making Disciples.

So in the Part 2 today, my Subtitle is: “MAKE DISCIPLES”.

We will go back to our Bible Text in Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV):

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All Authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on Earth.

19 Go therefore and make Disciples of all the Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 Teaching them to observe all things that I have Commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the Age.” Amen.

MAKE DISCIPLES

Most times we simplify the Great Commission as Soul Winning.

That is, People giving their lives to Christ; getting Born Again; People receiving Salvation – That is part of it.

That is not where Jesus said we should end.

He said the Great Commission is about Making Disciples – Not just Winning Souls, but Making Disciples.

That should be the desire of every Christian: not just to be Born Again, but to become a Disciple of Jesus.

And it should be the desire of every Church – Not just to get People saved and Born Again; but make them become Disciples.

Making of Disciples is at the heart of the Great Commission.

And that’s what I am going to emphasize on in my Message today.

We’ve gotten used to People coming to Christ; respond to the Atar Call.

And many times we think that is the end.

We’ve noticed that it is the end of the journey for some People; because nothing happens afterwards.

The Great Commission is not just about People getting their hands lifted up but there has to be Discipleship Making.

WHO IS A DISCIPLE?

We will start by defining who a Disciple is:

A Disciple is a Person who is a Follower of Christ.

The word Disciple can be used in two (2) ways;

• We can use it in describing the Person who is a Disciple.
• We can also use it to define an activity: something that we do.

So God wants People to become Disciples.

But Discipleship is not an instant thing.

So, a Disciple is a Follower of Christ.

WHAT ABOUT DISCIPLESHIP?

It is the means of making a Person a Disciple.

What does it mean?

This is my Definition of Discipleship:

It is the Process of Learning the Teachings of Jesus; following after His Example, and living out His Life through the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Discipleship therefore, is a Process – It is a Lifetime Mission of every Christian and every Church.

Discipleship is also about turning our lives and our world around through Christ.

It is about Change, Transformation and turning our world around.

If you’ve noticed, the Ministry of Jesus Christ began with, “Repent” – He called People to repent.

That means, a radical Change of Mind that results in a radical Change of Life.

Christianity is more than Church attendance – You know that.

Christianity is more than saying a Prayer in Church.

Christianity is more than dressing nicely to come to Church.

… And I love the fact that you dress nicely to come to Church.

But Christianity is more than that! It is about Discipleship.

Everybody say: Discipleship!

And so today, I’m going to teach about how that is done – What is entailed in the Process of Discipleship?

And to learn that, we have to go back to Jesus Christ Himself.

In the same Book of Matthew, we see Him Calling His first Disciples.

And we want to look at what He told them to do; and what Discipleship should mean.

Matthew 4:18-20; And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

This is what Jesus wants from each one of us.

This is what Jesus says we should go to the Nations to announce:

“Follow Me, and I will make you fFshers of men.”

In this Passage (Matthew 4:18-20); there is a Pattern of Discipleship that I am going to talk about today.

1. LEAVING:

The first highlight is Leaving.

A Disciple is a Person who leaves!

He is like a Person going on a journey – You don’t go on a Journey by staying in the same spot.

I know that in this Modern time, we travel by being in the same Place – We call it ‘Virtual Travel.’

You know, People can be in Ghana and in other parts of the world.

They can even take pictures as if they are in New York – Just by Superimposing or putting a background of Time Square behind their Pictures, suddenly the Person takes a Picture as if they are in New York.

That is Virtual – You didn’t go anywhere; and definitely, you are not in Time Square. Alright!

The Bible says Peter left.

He didn’t leave by staying, he left by leaving.

They had to take a step.

The Christian Life is about leaving where you are. It is a Pilgrimage.

So, anytime we become Christians, we have to understand that we are going to leave something behind; and we are going to move towards something.

Leaving is based on two (2) Things: Responding to the Call of Jesus Christ – We Respond and we Leave

Just think of it this way; if I call your name and I say, “So and so Please, come!”

If I am calling, you don’t sit and say, Thank You Sir and stay where you are.

If I am calling you, you have to get up from your chair and move.

When Jesus Christ Calls us, we have to get up, we have to move.

We don’t have to be like the little child who is busy watching a nice Cartoon on the TV, Phone or iPad.

… And these days that’s a big problem for Parents.

The children are glued to the Television, or using their Game’s Pad or they have hijacked your Phone and iPad; watching all of those things they watch. And they are so glued.

These days, when the children are watching the Television or they are on their Game’s Pad, they are so glued – All their attention is on it.

When the mother calls and says, hey John! He says, Yes Mummy. “Come and eat, dinner is ready.”

What you’ll hear is, I am coming Mummy – but he is still on the iPad; he is still in front of the Television.

The mother calls again: Johnny – Yes Mummy! “Come and eat.” But he is still busy with what he is watching.

A lot of Christians are like that – God calls you, you say: Yes LORD. “Come!” You respond, “I’m coming” but we never move.

Many respond to their names, but they don’t respond to the Assignment.

When Jesus says come! He doesn’t want you to say, “Yes LORD, I’m coming.” Meanwhile you are deeply engrossed in doing something.

Can you imagine Peter and Andrew: Jesus says, Come and follow me. And they say, Yes LORD – and they still go fishing.

But that is what we are doing; we respond to the name, but we don’t respond to the Movement.

And there are lots of Christians who have responded by name to the Lord; but there is no shift of Location.

We have to respond to the Call.

But that responding is not just answering to a name – it is Moving.

2. TURNING AWAY:

It is also about turning away from the world.

Peter and Andrew turned away from the world they were familiar with.

We cannot love the world and Christ at the same time; because there has to be a turning away.

I have said it many times that Africa has become the Center of Christianity in the world.

Misologists say that Africa is the center of Christianity now in the world.

DMC NOTES: A Misologist is one who hates or dislikes reasoning or argument.

The largest number of People are becoming Christians in Africa.

The largest Churches are being built in Africa.

But the Question we have to ask is: Are we leaving anything? Or we are just responding to “Christian” by name but there is no departure from anything?

Because if we are going to be Disciples of Jesus; we don’t just have to say Yes LORD, give me Children, money, Blessing, etc. We must Leave, Move and turn away from the World.

In conclusion, Discipleship is the main task of the Great Commission – Be committed to Making Disciples from today.

Shall we rise!

Thank you so much for staying all through to read.

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