Mark 16:15–16 records one of the commissions that Jesus gave His disciples. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Notice that the acceptance of the gospel message is optional: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
The long period of the Church age has been characterized by the evangelistic approach. Consequently, this commission in Mark has had great emphasis. However, it is evident that preaching is not very effective in winning people anymore; most people are tired of hearing sermons. In the New Testament churches that God is raising up in this day, we find the emphasis shifting to the commission in Matthew 28. We are in a period when a living Word is coming to build up the saints. Prophetic revelation teaching and ministry by impartation are being given greater emphasis than preaching.
The Lord always seems to bring His people to a certain spiritual mountain. After they have labored and climbed to reach a certain spiritual plateau, He commissions them and sets them into the motion of doing what they are supposed to do. Notice that emphasis in Matthew 28:16–20: But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “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.” A better translation is this: “Lo, I am with you all the days,” meaning every day involved. “To the end of the age” gives a distorted meaning. Jesus was not saying, “I am with you until the end of this age, and then I will not be with you anymore.” At no time will He withdraw His presence. In fact, at the end of the age His presence will become far more pronounced. That time of His presence is called the Parousia. He will be with you all the days, on and on and on, in a progressively developing manifestation.
Notice that all authority in heaven and on earth was given to Jesus Christ. He gives that authority to those who are walking in divine order. A living Word is going forth in this hour, but it is the authority behind that Word which is the key to making disciples of all nations. A believer does not reach a level of discipleship, moving from one plane to another, by being talked into it, preached into it, or even ministered into it. Divine order furnishes the climate for his growth. He becomes a disciple when he becomes submissive to that authority. Without that submission to authority, nothing will happen.
In a walk with God, it is dangerous to stop at any stage just because a certain word of direction does not seem reasonable. A believer is not led by his reasoning. He listens carefully to the voice of the Spirit, and many times he ends up doing that which seems unreasonable. Many in the world might give counsel against it, but a deep witness comes to his heart with the confirmation of the Lord through divine order. God is not raising up end-time disciples to make a lot of mistakes and fail. They must set their hearts to do what He wants them to do, regardless of whether it seems reasonable or unreasonable. In that climate they will grow and become total disciples. As total disciples they will take His commission to go and make disciples of all nations. As they are submissive and they move under Christ’s authority, other people will become submissive, and they too will move under His authority. That is the way discipleship of the nations will come forth.
The Lord was not speaking about reaching some individuals here and there; He was speaking about taking the nations—about making disciples of all the nations. That could never be done by Christians following the commission in Mark 16, because most of the people would reject the gospel and be damned. Believers must come into Christ’s authority before they can make disciples of the nations. When they gather together, they must see themselves as a working body of people who have been called and chosen to function somewhat like a corporation. When they come to a service, they should realize that they are coming to work, rather than to hear preaching. They are coming to worship the Lord and to see a job done. In a sense, the service is actually a business meeting, and they each have a power of attorney to do business for the Kingdom, using the name of Jesus like a corporation directorship. However, the Body of Christ is more than a corporation. A corporation is an artificial entity, created by law, that can transact business through its directors. In contrast, the Body of Christ is a living person. When the members of Christ meet together, they realize that they are all members, but in a sense they are also all directors because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to them. When someone has the authority to do something, it can be done.
Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth, but that authority is potential energy. A light switch has potential energy, but if you want to turn on the lights, you must flip the switch. The power is there, but it is activated by turning on the switch. Jesus said, “All authority is given to Me in heaven and on earth. Now you go and make disciples.” If there is going to be light in the world, it will not happen automatically. The initiative of discipleship throws the switch that turns on the lights, that turns on the power. Total discipleship submits to authority and then moves in an initiative under that authority. The more God’s people become the meek, the more they will inherit the earth.
The land of Canaan belonged to the Lord, and He told Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He was going to give them that land. This was a beautiful promise, but they had to believe in that potential and move in by faith to execute and possess it. Change your thinking from that of trying to possess the promises to that of administering the promises. Instead of seeking God, trying to appropriate a promise and bring it to pass, believe that you have the promise. Have the faith to throw the switch. Have the faith to administer the authority. Move in faith and speak the Word. Do the Word.
The ministry of authority and the submission to authority are very important as far as the Kingdom is concerned. Merely expressing your opinions, and trying to convince people through diplomacy, will never work. Making disciples of the nations will be accomplished only by authority. All authority, Christ’s authority in heaven and on earth, is given to those who walk in submission to that authority. As such a disciple, you are commissioned to go and make disciples of all nations. This type of appropriation is based upon your realization that you are an instrument of God to do it. You are chosen of God to do it. Set yourself to make disciples of the nations and to teach them to observe all that Christ commanded.
Making disciples involves more than making converts. A disciple is totally different from a convert. He is not talked into a belief or persuaded to accept some idea. He is brought to discipleship by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, to which he submits. Human initiative has often been magnified in basic salvation, with the result that the convert may be only halfhearted and not committed to walk with God. If you can talk someone into salvation, someone else can probably talk him out of it. On the other hand, if you minister with authority you bind people’s hearts to God. Therefore, God’s dedicated believers must move with authority.
Even the demons dare not resist those who confront them with the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. If they resist that, they are immediately brought to a time of judgment, and they all know that there is a certain time of judgment. In Matthew 8:29 we read that they cried out to Jesus, “Have You come to torment us before the time?” Whenever they resist authority, they bring that time into the present, for they are confronting Christ at that very moment.
Do you need to ask for more authority? No, He has given you all authority in heaven and on earth. It is like having a power of attorney. A power of attorney enables someone else to do business for you. You authorize him to use your name in buying and selling. It might be foolish to give him an unlimited power of attorney, because he could do anything he wanted; therefore you would specify the limitations. Luke 16:1–8 gives the parable of the unrighteous steward who lost his position because he had squandered his master’s goods. He was not strong enough to dig for a living, and he was ashamed to beg. So he decided to make deals with his master’s debtors. As a steward, he had the authority to do this. He hoped that thereby he would gain their good will, and then they might take him into their homes. He asked each one how much he owed. When they told him the amount, the steward told them to change the bill by writing down a lesser amount. When the master returned, the accounts had been settled, though there was less money than was due him. In this parable, Jesus commended the people in the world for their shrewdness. The steward had used his stewardship dishonestly, but at least he had used it.
You must be wise enough to use your stewardship, not dishonestly, but in wisdom. You have the power of attorney. All authority has been given to Christ in heaven and on earth; so you can go into the world using His authority to make disciples. Every knee will bow to Jesus Christ and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:10–11). You have the authority to make that happen. You are authorized to throw the switch. The power has been pumped to you. All you have to do is turn it on. It is not something apart from you. It is within you.
Christ’s authority remains a potential energy. It goes into motion when you throw the switch. It is time for you to act; it is time for you to sense your authority and move in it. However, you must always remember that authority does not work where rebellion exists. Submission to authority is a prelude to moving in authority. Disciples can make disciples only if they move under authority. Then they can go and make disciples of the nations.