However there was a command that Jesus made just prior to His Ascension. His last words clearly highlighted its importance and reflect the second greatest command:

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

For many Christians, this command to "make disciples" is understood to mean "evangelize." But disciple making is an encompassing application of Bible knowledge and wisdom that goes far beyond the individual's pursuit of personal holiness and Christian living...

"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. (John 15:16)

Obedient Christian living requires both outreach (evangelism - "bear fruit") and training (discipleship - "your fruit remain").

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