Matthew 28:19-20 – 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. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

We refer to it as the Great Commission.  The final recorded words of Jesus before his ascension into heaven. Jesus said to “go, make disciples, and baptize.” The first step is to teach people about Jesus and what they need to know to obey the gospel by putting on Christ in baptism.  The next step is to teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded.  That teaching is a lifelong process.  We are to teach people to be disciples; ones’ that follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We imitate Jesus, carry on His ministry, and become like Him in the process. We push ourselves to become better disciples as we teach others to be disciples.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, in 2 Timothy 2:2, “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” They say the best way to know something is to teach it to others. We teach people to be disciples, so that they may teach others to be disciples.  We know and we teach, so that they know and they teach.   Through this cycle of learning, knowing truth and teaching, we are participating in the plan we were given by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We are excited to have the Teaching Rocket, Michael Whitworth, with us this week to help us all become better teachers and students.  In our lifelong journey to be more like Christ, we must be continually learning so that we can continue teaching.  It is our hope that you are both encouraged and inspired by Michael’s lessons today and that you will strive to push beyond any obstacles that stand in your way on your journey to learn and teach God’s Word.