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Read: Matthew 28:18-20
Listen: Matthew 28

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20a

The risen Jesus stands before his disciples on a hillside in Galilee. He has conquered death. The Father has given him authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). His final words before ascending to heaven carry the weight of a command, not a suggestion: go, make disciples, baptize, and teach. The word “nations” means ethnic groups—every people, every language, every corner of the earth. This mission belongs to his followers, and it starts immediately. The book of Acts records what Jesus’s followers do after his return to heaven. Throughout the New Testament letters, the apostles go into the world calling people to repent of their sins, believe in Jesus, and get baptized (see Acts 2:38 and Acts 8:12).

The mission of Jesus remains the same today. He still commands his followers to share the gospel with all people, baptize them, and teach them to obey him. Obeying Jesus means doing what he says, including getting baptized as a believer. We believe baptism doesn’t save us—salvation is a gift received through faith in Christ alone—but baptism is our public response to that gift. It’s one of the clearest ways we declare that Jesus isn’t just our Savior; he’s our Lord. Calling him Lord means submitting to his authority, including the command to be baptized.

TODAY: If you have placed your faith in Jesus but haven’t been baptized as a believer, start a conversation HERE. If you have already been baptized as a believer, identify one area where you struggle to surrender to Jesus’s lordship, and ask him to help you obey.