The significance of baptism and discipleship
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Background
When Jesus was about to ascend to the Father, He gave a standing ordinance to the church to bring the message of the gospel into the world. The church is to devote herself fully to disciple making through which the world may be saved. The process of discipleship is preceded by baptism which involves more than just associating the believer to the triune God. In today’s devotion, we learn the purpose of discipleship is to imbue into the believer the fear of God, the love and the power of the Spirit.
Observation
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…
Jesus upon His resurrection has received from the Father absolute authority over heaven and on earth. It is through Him that the curse over humanity was forever broken. Therefore, Jesus upon His ascension to the Father charged His disciples to establish God’s kingdom on the earth by making disciples of all nations. It is through the process of disciple making that the curses over individuals can be broken; it is through disciple making that the world is reconciled to God.
… baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
The process of disciple making is explained in successive baptisms – in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The church invokes this baptismal “formula” as appealing to the integral participation of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The next question would be: what is the significance of invoking the Names other than to associate the believer to the triune God? The significance is to affirm the three baptismal foundations critical to successful disciple making. It also reveals the foundations in their intended sequence as revealed in the history of Israel from the time of Moses, to the gospels, right up to the coming of the Holy Spirit. Put it simply, one cannot be baptized in the Holy Spirit unless he is first baptized in the name of the Father and the Son.
What does it mean to be baptized in the name of the Father? Baptism in the name of the Father represents the believer’s commitment to walk in the fear of God according to His laws. The apostle Paul’s mention in 1 Corinthians 10:2 that, “and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” represents the people’s decision during Moses’ time to submit themselves under God’s rule while entering the Promised Land. The laws of Moses in that society included rituals of water baptism and cleansing: “he shall bathe all his body in water and be unclean until evening” (Leviticus 15:16). Baptism in the name of the Father is expressed in the foundational commitment to live by God’s laws in fear and trembling.
What does it mean to be baptized in Jesus’ name? This represents the believer’s commitment to live like Christ and let the affections towards sin die. Here, the believer regenerates His desires to love God and man, it is no longer just a mechanical compliance to the law. Romans 6:3,7 says, “all of us who have been baptized in Christ Jesus have been baptized in His death so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” The people in the Old Testament understood God’s laws and adhere to them, but their hearts were far from God. They appeared to comply with God’s laws through their ceremonial rituals, but their affections towards sin remained. Baptism in the name of the Son is expressed in the believer’s resolve to turn from sin and towards Christ-likeness. Here, the believer (through baptism) progresses from mere ceremonial compliance to true repentance of the heart in Christ-likeness. Put in a nutshell, believers progress from a mechanical observance of the laws towards abundant living by modelling after Christ.
What does it mean to be baptized in the name of the Holy Spirit? This effectively imbues the attributes of Christ into the believer. As the believer yields his spirit, mind, heart and body to God in obedience, He fills the believer with His Spirit causing him to think, love and live like Christ. He experiences enduring peace, love and joy no matter the circumstances. He receives divine insight into difficult problems and strength to persevere. It is through the baptism of the Holy Spirit that God becomes the control center continually informing the believer’s emotional state, mental perceptions and confidence when facing various challenges. In the baptism of the Spirit, the believer’s progress towards Christ-likeness was no longer sustained by the human will but by the grace of God. As a result, the believer experiences a marked transformation of his character towards Christ-likeness. Having said, the baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son remains key foundations to the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
… teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.
The baptism secures the commitment of the believer towards the emulation of Christ. Hence, the believer must never stop meditating and living out the Word of God (teaching them to observe all that I commanded you). The baptism serves as proof of the believers’ acknowledgment of God as the Lord, commitment to emulate Christ and to yield themselves continually to the Holy Spirit.
I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Here is a promise that if believers will hold firm to the teachings of Christ and to remain faithful to the call of making disciples, Christ will be in the midst of them. No commandment says it so clearly: A disciple making church guarantees the presence of Christ in their midst.
Truth
Christ’s commandment to the church is not to “win souls” but to disciple them. The promise of eternal life and blessing can only be obtained through the process of discipleship. It is only through a regenerated heart and a transformed life can abundant life become a reality. I have seen many new believers dropping off soon after “conversion” because they did not experience what was promised in the preaching; they have been sold a message of salvation without repentance. Still, some faithful ones continued to wait upon God in earnest expectation. This is unfortunately a trend among churches – they paddle God’s promises without intentionally teaching people to live out the truths of Christ. For example, one particular church teaches that all blessings are readily available to believers through Christ’s redemptive act. You only have to “rest” in the grace of God and maintain your expectations in His promises. Having said, Christ also commanded believers to observe all that I commanded you; that includes the virtues of diligence, courage, and honesty, perseverance, and putting the organization’s agenda before the individual. If the believer remains selfish, ill-confident, and unmotivated, he becomes stagnant although he maintains his confidence in God’s promises. As a result, many lose precious time waiting in vain because they did not know the truth.
The depth of the Holy Spirit’s work in a believer’s life is determined by his fear of God and his love towards Him. The baptism of the Holy Spirit has its foundation upon the baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son. In other words, unless believers grow in the fear of God and in intimacy towards the Son, they will not experience the workings of the Spirit within them. Now, the work of the Spirit in a person is seen in the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23. As well the gifts of the Spirit: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. Many believers spend much time praying in tongues hoping to harness the power of the Spirit. As expected, they come away empty and disappointed. The fruit and gifts of the Spirit cannot be gleaned by the “works” of repetitive prayer, but by regeneration of the heart in love and obedience. Therefore, believers ought to seize the day, to live consistently in the fear of God and do all things out of love.
Application
Is your church focused on membership drive where disciple making has become a production process? True discipleship inspires believers to fear God and to love Him. True discipleship is centered on the meditation and the sharing of the Word. True discipleship leads to the regeneration of the heart, followed by sincere service towards the community. Where the culture of discipleship thrives, there will be righteousness, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit.
Dear Lord, I ask you to baptise me continually with your Spirit so that I may grow to fear you and love you more. Make me a disciple so that others may see the Christ in me and be touched by your truth and grace. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.