There are many good Scripture texts to rely upon for why we must do everything in our power and with the power of the Holy Spirit to close the Bible Gap around the world. One such text is what is commonly called The Great Commission.
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshipped Him, but some doubted. Jesus came and said to 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 the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ESV
There is too much here, in Jesus’ Great Commission to cover in this article. The purpose of this article is to focus on closing the Bible Gap. However, there are two points of Jesus’ teaching that we need to look at. The first is Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all nations.” The second is His command to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Jesus wants everyone of His children to have access to His Word. The first step to being a believer and follower of Jesus is to be able to engage with Jesus’ teaching. Jesus puts this responsibility upon us, the Church to make sure this happens. This is the Church’s job. After “going”, making disciples is the first part of the Great Commission.
What is a “disciple?” Why does Jesus command us to “make disciples?” These are important questions to answer.
The term disciple is not a common word we use in 21st Century. The closest word we use today is “student.” However, a disciple in Jesus’ day was much more than a student in an academic institution. A disciple was a follower, student, and an apprentice of a Teacher. Jesus often referred to Himself as the Teacher. In Jewish culture, a teacher was often called a rabbi. Not only was a disciple a student of a Rabbi, a disciple was and is a follower of a rabbi.
You might remember that the original twelve disciples followed Jesus and lived with Him. They traveled together, ate together, slept together and laughed together. When Jesus gave the command to each of the twelve disciples of “follow me”, He meant it. They were to leave everything and everyone to be with Him.
They not only were to follow His teaching and His words, they were to follow His life, His actions, and His behavior. It was a call to become like Him. In the same way, we as Jesus’ disciples are to be with Him, follow Him, listen to His words, and become imitators of His life. This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
It is interesting to note that the term “make disciples” of all nations in the English translation, does not show up in the original Greek translation. It could be translated “disciple all the nations.” In other words, help people of all nations become followers, students, apprentices, and imitators of Jesus. Do this by baptizing them and teaching them to practice all things “I have commanded you.” Teaching is another activity of helping people become disciples of Jesus. A disciple is someone who knows the teachings of Jesus and incorporates His teachings into their lives.
What does all this have to do with the Bible Gap? Everything! It takes engagement with the Bible to be a disciple or follower of Christ. How can a person be sure they are following Jesus if they don’t know for sure what Jesus did and said? It is not enough to hear it from another person. It is best to at least have a copy of the New Testament, in a language and format they can understand, to be sure who Jesus is.
This is why Satan fights to keep the Bible out of the hands of tens of millions of people who believe in Jesus. If he can keep them away from the Bible, or the Bible away from them, they will be spiritually weak and potentially open to deception. There has always been a fight over access to the Word of God. It is time in our day, that we win this fight.
Leave a Reply