Lesson 2 · Chapter 2
The Great Commission is not discipleship-centric or evangelism-centric — it is gospel-centric. Jesus sends us to make disciples in the gospel: we go in his authority, baptize into his name, and teach his commands. The same gospel that makes a disciple also matures them.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
— Matt. 28:18–20
Jesus's commission describes three activities — going, baptizing, and teaching — and each one is anchored in Jesus himself, not in our activity. That is what makes the commission gospel-centric.
The word go carries the force of sentness: we are sent into the world, and not in the authority of our experience but in the authority of Jesus. Kristan, a young mother, felt inadequate to disciple a Hindu neighbor — but the lordship of Christ, not a résumé of experience, is what qualifies us. Dodson: "All Christians are sent to make disciples." The Commission is for all of us, because Jesus says "I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20) — none of the original twelve lived that long.
Robert Coleman's Master Plan of Evangelism: "[Jesus's] concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men whom the multitudes would follow... Men were to be his method." Jesus discipled constantly — crowds, the twelve, a select few, even one companion. Programs and classes alone quietly teach that discipleship is rational only. "Our method, as well as our content, forms disciples."
Baptism is three things at once: a symbol of salvation (union with Christ's death and resurrection, Rom. 6:4), an immersion into community (into the Trinity, Matt. 28:19, and into the body, 1 Cor. 12:13), and a commission to make disciples — "our baptism is our commission." And it is Jesus-centric: we baptize into his name. People are "not notches to be counted but souls to be shepherded."
When Jesus says "teach them to observe all that I have commanded," he means the whole redemptive story — with Christ as both the storyteller and the point of the story (Luke 24:27, 44). "All that I have commanded" is catechesis: the breadth of the story and the depth of its doctrine. And observe means "pay close attention with the intention of obedience." The gospel demands a response — repentance and faith, not just once but our whole lives. "The faith that saves us is the faith that sanctifies us."
You don't need to feel qualified — you go in Jesus's authority, not your own. You're not running a program; you're investing in a person. And your confidence doesn't depend on results: "Since all authority has been given to Jesus, all discipleship success is in his hands, not ours."
What makes the Great Commission a gospel commission?
Correct: We go in his authority, baptize into his name, teach his commands. The commission is grounded in the person and work of Jesus, not in our activity.
All four options are 34–36 characters — no formatting clues. The point is that the gospel, not our effort, is the engine of disciple-making.
According to Dodson, what qualifies ordinary people to make disciples?
Correct: "The lordship of Christ, not a certain set of experiences, is what qualifies us." Kristan the young mother felt inadequate, but she was sent in Jesus's authority.
Same length options (19–21 chars). This frees you from waiting until you feel ready to disciple someone.
In what three ways does Jesus make disciples?
Correct: Going (missional), baptizing (relational), teaching (rational). Each aligns with one of the three aspects of a disciple from ch. 1.
Equal-length options again. Going → missional, baptizing → relational, teaching → rational — a clean map back to lesson 1.
Primary source for this lesson: Chapter 2, "The Gospel Commission" in your local copy of the book (gospel-centered_discipleship_1.md, lines 262–381) — or the print edition pp. 37–54. Read it once with the three activities and the "gospel-centric" claim in front of you.
For depth on why people were Jesus's method: Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Baker, 1963) — the classic Dodson cites for "men were his method."