Every Disciple Making Disciples
Every Disciple Making Disciples
Together Church BASH 2026 | Pastor Brandon Werner
August 9, 2026 | Series:
WELCOME
Great job sharing your story, Amy.
Good morning, church family…
Welcome to the annual Together Church BASH!
It’s already been a great morning, hasn’t it? Let’s hear it one more time for all our volunteers serving today and especially for those who prepared breakfast for us.
Let me ask you a question…
If this is your first time attending our annual TC BASH, would you raise your hand? Let’s welcome this crew!
Whether this is your first year or you’ve been ten years or more, we want today’s purpose to be clear…
We are here to rally Jesus’ Church to fulfill Jesus’ mission to go and make more disciples of Him.
We have a saying around here: if everything is an emphasis, nothing is. We need to set aside times to reemphasize the most important things in our walk with Jesus.
Now certainly, God wants Jesus’ mission to make disciples to be part of our walk with Him every day.
But today and over the next few weeks, our goal is to bring that mission to the forefronts of our minds. Why? Because there is something powerful when an entire local church moves together as one.
That kind of movement creates a momentum that no individual disciple of Jesus can replicate on their own.
Do any of you remember swimming in those above ground pools and creating whirlpools together?
It took effort at first, but with enough people moving in the same direction you could eventually lift your feet and get caught up in the currant.
That’s why we’re here…
To create a currant of disciple-making in this church that is so strong that others get swept up into that flow.
By the end of today, it is our hope that you will better understand the mandate of King Jesus to go make disciples… and that you will find clarity on how you can join with Jesus’ Church to fulfill His mission.
So, let’s get to it.
If you have your Bibles… open with me to Matthew 28:18-20.
INTRODUCTION
Most of you know this passage. It has been quoted here many times. Some of you are very familiar with it; others have even memorized it.
While I have shared it often, I realized I have never exposited this passage for our church.
God has a message for us in these verses. Let’s dig into it and unearth all God has for us today.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Most of us will recognize this passage by its traditional name: The Great Commission.
In this context, a commission is an authoritative assignment given to someone to carry out a specific mission or responsibility.
For the Great Commission specifically: Jesus is giving His disciples an authoritative assignment to carry out His mission in the world.
These words were spoken by Jesus and recorded by Matthew, one of Jesus’ apostles.
From an exegetical standpoint, the placement of this passage is of utmost importance… these are the last words recorded by Jesus in this gospel account, and they are the final words in Matthew’s gospel.
Everything Matthew wrote in his gospel account builds to this.
For 28 chapters, Matthew has recorded incredible details about the life of Jesus and His ministry on the earth.
Matthew records…
- The genealogy of Jesus in fulfillment of scripture
- Details surrounding the immaculate conception and incarnation of God in Jesus Christ
- A spectacular account of the ministry and teachings of Jesus
- Constant insights as Jesus recruited His disciples and set the example for what discipleship really looks like
- The account of Jesus’ work on the cross: His betrayal, sentencing, crucifixion, and burial.
- The good news of the resurrection of Jesus and the witnesses that saw Him!
And now, His final words. A commission that shines light on everything that proceeds this statement and illuminates God’s plan.
This is what He said…
BODY
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Not some authority, not most of the authority, ALL AUTHORITY belongs to Jesus.
This is a statement of His preeminence – His supremacy and His sufficiency. Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. All authority belongs to HIM.
All authority IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH.
He is Lord over all the earth. There is no force or power He does not control, no life outside His jurisdiction, and no authority that does not answer to Him. King Jesus has all authority on earth.
He is not only Lord over the affairs of this world, but He is Lord over every host of heaven, every angelic being, every domain and realm… He is Lord over Satan and his demons… Jesus Christ is LORD OF ALL.
There is nothing outside the power and authority of Jesus Christ. He rules supreme over all things… including our lives.
All authority in heaven and on earth HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME.
Jesus is the Second Person of the Godhead. He is eternally God and eternally in submission to the First Person, God the Father.
In their persons, Jesus and the Father are distinct. But in their essence, Jesus and the Father are one.
That’s why Jesus said these words to Philip, one of His Apostles, just before He went to the cross…
John 14:8-9a
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”
When Jesus gives a command, He is not speaking as a mere man… He is speaking as God with all the authority of God.
And what is His command?
What does King Jesus call His disciples to do?
GO MAKE DISCIPLES
Circle that word “GO” – we will come back to it at the end.
He says to go and MAKE DISCIPLES.
The grammatical structure of this Great Commission makes this phrase “make disciples” really stand out.
The Greek word we translate “make disciples” is mathēteuō. It is a verb, which means it is an action word… making disciples is something we go do.
Now, we’re going to get into the grammatical structure of this.
If you’re not an English nerd, let me remind you how important grammar is to gaining the proper understanding of anything written.
Look at these two sentences. Same words, totally different meaning…
I’m giving up chocolate for a week.
I’m giving up. Chocolate for a week.
Grammatical structure matters.
Within the grammatical structure of this mandate, mathēteuō is more than just a verb… it is the only imperative statement in this passage.
If all we do is a casual reading in English, it might look like there are three imperatives in this passage:
- Make disciples
- Baptizing them
- Teaching them to observe all I have commanded
But the grammatical structure dictates the meaning.
The imperative in this passage is MAKE DISCIPLES.
Baptizing and teaching are not imperatives, they are participles.
An imperative is a COMMAND. It tells someone what they are instructed to do.
A participle is a verbal form that DESCRIBES an action and is connected to a main verb. Participles describe HOW to do it.
Jesus is so intentional. So much clarity packed into one statement.
When we break this down carefully, we see what Jesus is driving at…
ONE COMMAND: MAKE DISCIPLES
TWO PARTICIPLES: BAPTIZE AND TEACH
The two participles provide a ton of clarity.
The text answers this question: How should we understand this command to MAKE DISCIPLES? What does it involve?
Does making a disciple involve sharing the gospel and making a convert into Christianity, or does it mean helping someone grow as a follower of Jesus and developing them into spiritual maturity?
According to the participles, the answer is BOTH.
- Baptizing them
The biblical function of baptism is a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. It is a declaration that I am a follower of Jesus. This is how new converts profess their allegiance to King Jesus.
So, to make disciples means making converts… it means leading others to be born again of the spirit of God – to be baptized.
Can we just pause right here and agree…
It is not God’s plan for us to just keep recycling the same people through the discipleship wash?
The discipleship cycle needs to conclude with a mature disciple of Jesus who is capable of joining Jesus’ mission and making more disciples of Him!
That’s what the second participle is all about…
- TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE all I have commanded you
This participle describes how to make a disciple AFTER they are converted. The job doesn’t stop when they make a profession of faith.
Notice Jesus didn’t just say, “teaching them all I have commanded you.” Jesus said, “teaching them to OBSERVE all I have commanded you.”
That’s a critical distinction.
The job of making disciples means teaching other disciples to know and OBEY what Jesus says. Disciples are to observe ALL Jesus has commanded. All His teachings. All His ways.
Contextually, there is a first and immediate command present in this specific passage. What is the only command present in the immediate context? MAKE DISCIPLES!
The command to MAKE DISCIPLES is included and emphasized in what we are to teach other disciples of Jesus to do.
This command is the most obvious and immediate command in the text.
Again, Jesus is brilliant.
His plan for the reproduction of His disciples is included in His Great Commission.
If I were to ask you, “Why did Jesus come into the world,” what would you say?
If your answer is “to die on the cross for my sins” you would be right! But your answer would be incomplete.
Jesus didn’t just come to die for our sins, He came so that we could have new life in Him! Jesus came so that His life could be reproduced in us… so that we could be born again into the family of God.
God is really into reproduction. Reproduction is His idea.
When God made Adam and Eve, He created a biological reproductive system. We all exist through that reproductive system God designed.
When God sent Jesus, He sent Him to establish a new spiritual reproductive system. Jesus came so that we could be spiritually reborn into the family of God!
Where sin brought death, Jesus offers new life.
Through faith in Jesus, our old, sinful lives can be put to death and we can be reborn in Christ as children of God.
Jesus started this spiritual reproductive system in two ways…
- By dying on the cross and rising again so we could be reborn
- By making the first disciples so His gospel could be made known and reproduced throughout the whole world
If you have been spiritually reborn it has been through this spiritual reproductive system that Jesus established!
His life has been multiplied in disciples of Jesus so that you could hear the gospel and be born again and saved.
His plan is for this to continue everywhere AND in every disciple of Jesus until He returns.
His Great Commission looks like this…
Everyone who is born again is BAPTIZED
Everyone who is baptized is TAUGHT to OBSERVE what He commands
He commands that we MAKE DISCIPLES
Jesus’ plan is simple: every disciple making disciples.
I’m afraid that people in the church who ask others to disciple them don’t always mean what Jesus means.
Sometimes words and definitions that belong to God get hijacked and repurposed to mean things God never meant.
We saw that last week with words like, “marriage,” “husband,” “wife,” “love,” or “church.”
Another word that can get hijacked unintentionally is “disciple.”
I often hear about people in our church asking others to disciple them… and that is a good thing! It is a good thing as long as when we say “disciple” we mean the same thing that Jesus meant.
I’m afraid that, for some, that may not be the case.
In our modern world, there are a lot of people into life coaching.
They want to be a better spouse, a better parent, have a better family, do better in their carrier, or find more success in life.
None of those things are a bad thing! I hope you find them all.
But none of those things are biblical discipleship.
The call to be discipled is not a call to find a life coach. The call to be discipled is a call to lay down your life for the mission of King Jesus.
It is a call to deny yourself.
It is a call to pick up your cross and follow Jesus.
It is a call to embrace the ministry of Jesus and to love others like Him.
It is a call to be a disciple who makes more disciples no matter the cost.
If you are asking someone to disciple you, that’s what you are asking for. Not for someone to help you as a life coach. Not for a place to vent your emotions.
Yes, discipleship touches every part of my life, but its goal is not merely to improve my life. Its goal is to make me like Jesus and teach me to join His mission.
Be careful about putting God’s people in a difficult position by asking for discipleship but meaning something other than becoming a disciple who can make more disciples of Jesus. When you ask others to disciple you, make sure you want what Jesus wants for you.
Some of you may be thinking…
I’m not sure I have what it takes to do that.
That’s what makes Jesus’ final words so comforting. He said…
“And behold, I am with you ALWAYS, even until the end of the age.”
If you are making disciples of Jesus, you are not alone and you are not working alone. Jesus is with you and He is working with you to fulfill His mission.
This is the mission of Jesus for His Church!
Every disciple making more disciples of Him.
There’s one word I said we would circle back to. Did you circle it?
The word was GO.
In the grammatical structure, “GO” shares the force of the command to “MAKE DISCIPLES.” Jesus is commanding His disciples to move outward as they are fulfilling His mission.
When we use scripture, and specifically the examples in Acts, to interpret Jesus’ command, the idea becomes clear…
To GO…
- Some of us need to literally go to other cities, states, and nations to MAKE DISCIPLES!
Jesus explicitly said, “Go make disciples OF ALL NATIONS.”
In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His apostles they would be His witnesses “in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” That is an outward movement into all the world to make disciples.
At the same time, not every disciple can go everywhere. This aspect of the Great Commission is a reminder that disciple-making is a team sport, and the Church is Jesus’ team.
So, to GO…
- We ALL need to see disciple-making as the mission of Jesus that runs through every aspect of our lives.
ILLUSTRATION (bar bell):
Let me illustrate this mindset. Here’s how I think a lot of disciples of Jesus view the call of Jesus to go make disciples… (share illustration).
- Family
- Work
- School or learning
- Finances
- Friends
- Hobbies or rest
And now you want me to ADD disciple-making!?
I can’t make this lift as it is.
Bar bell also adds 45 pounds, but it changes the equation. It isn’t another weight to manage; it is the central purpose that runs through every other calling.
Whatever you are doing, as you go, go make more disciples of Jesus!
There’s a big difference between just attending church and joining Jesus’ team to fulfill His mission and make disciples.
You can hear that difference in Bianca’s story.
BIANCA’S VIDEO
CONCLUSION
What Bianca experienced in the church has only been possible because there are mature disciples of Jesus equipped to go make disciples.
We believe Jesus wants His Church to be a place of equal opportunity – where every disciple of Jesus can be discipled to go make more disciples of Him.
That can only happen when we are all obedient to King Jesus: every disciple making disciples.
Today, you’ve been invited to get out of the seats and into the game.
What you need now is training. You need to learn…
- What a disciple of Jesus is.
- What is the process Jesus used to help His disciples grow?
- How does a disciple grow in that process?
- How can you identify where you’re at in that process?
- How can you help others know where they’re at in that process?
- What do you and others need to help you grow?
That’s what this BASH starts at Together Church…
If you want to be equipped to obey Jesus’ imperative, you have the opportunity to receiving trained and to start doing it right here.
Over the next several weeks, we will offer…
- A Sunday morning sermon series on making disciples
- The relaunch of our small groups out of the summer season
- Groups full of disciples working together to make disciples
- A place to find discipleship relationships in Jesus’ Church
- DXP – our most intensive discipleship and relationship training experience.
- A 13-week Bible study that will help you learn…
- What a disciple is
- How Jesus made disciples
- A process you can use to make disciples like Jesus did
It is all available, right here at your fingertips!
Let me ask you this question:
Let’s say 5, 10, even 15 years go by. You heard this message, but you decided not to take any action.
If 15 years went by and you knew nothing more about making disciples of Jesus than you know today, would you be satisfied?
One day, we will all give an account to Jesus for what we did to obey His command to go make disciples of Him. It is going to matter to you if you never made any disciples.
So many in the American church go through their whole life never making a disciple. Don’t let that be you. Start your training now. Become a mature disciple of Jesus who can make more disciples of Him.
RESPONSE CARD
- Complete a 13-week Bible study
- Study scripture with a team
- Examine the life of Jesus
- “Teaching them to observe all I have commanded you”
Give Steps:
- Complete the card
- Select a team (day of week and time)
- Take your card to your team leader (around the room)
- Trade it for the Bible study material
- They will contact you to make sure you know the plan to meet!
As you do that, let’s hear one more story of how relational disciples in Jesus’ Church has changed someone’s life.
JACK’S VIDEO
Messenger’s Creed