..Despite my profound desire for evangelism, I was a failure at it. This realization came to me early in my ministry. Yet, I also discovered that there are many people whom Christ has called and whom He has gifted by His Spirit to be particularly effective in evangelism. To this day, I\u2019m surprised if anyone attributes their conversion in some part to my influence. In one respect, I\u2019m glad that the Great Commission is not a commission principally to evangelism.<\/p>\n
The words preceding Jesus\u2019 commission were these: \u201cAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me\u201d\u009d (Matt. 28:18). He then went on to say, \u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all nations\u201d\u009d (v. 19). When Jesus gave this commission to the church, He was speaking authoritatively. He gave a mandate to the church of all ages not simply to evangelize but to make disciples. That raises a significant question: What is a disciple?<\/p>\n