Never Mistake the Doorway for the Destination: The Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 by Dr. Terry Harman
- Dr. Terry Harman
- Aug 4
- 8 min read
I am concerned that we do not fully understand the Great Commission Jesus issued to his disciples. Many sincere Christians view the Great Commission as fulfilled the instant someone accepts Jesus as Savior. Question? Do they know what or who they have accepted? Never mistake the doorway of the Great Commission as the destination.
The Altar Call
I’ve noticed a significant shift in trends within the evangelical church. One trend is the transformation of what Evangelical churches call the “Altar Call”. This approach was born in the revival meetings of the early 1900s. The altar call, a longstanding practice, served as a final invitation during sermons for congregants who were seeking salvation from their sins.
Those wishing rebirth would rise, approach the front of the tent by the pulpit, and kneel near a wooden divider. Here, the “sinner’s prayer” is recited by the seeker of salvation. As the altar call progressed toward formal church structures, local ministers employed the same procedure.
Entering the Room
Calls for repentance occurred in different contexts, directing seekers of salvation towards the front of the sanctuary, then to a private room. Elders or deacons would give brief instruction regarding salvation. They’d then guide seekers through the “sinner’s prayer,” during which the individual would confess their sins, acknowledge Jesus as God’s Son who arrived to redeem sinners, died on the cross, and rose from death three days later.
Baptism: Now or Later?
In some traditions, baptism in water happened immediately. In other traditions, the “baptismal service” is scheduled for a later date. In either case, just before being immersed in water, the person would make a “profession of faith” that Jesus forgave them of their sins and was now their Lord and Savior.
Lifting the Hand
Evangelical congregations now often convert church pulpits into stages lacking kneelers. Communion, or the Last Supper sacrament, is consequently taken while seated. Standing and raising hands signifies acceptance of Jesus, followed by a salvation prayer offered when ministers call for it. The “new believer” is welcomed into the family of faith.
This is where my concern arises. Are we mistaking the starting block for the finish line?
"Jesus’ final words in Matthew 28 are not centered on decisions alone.
They are centered on the long, steady work of transformation."
In practice, many sincere Christians believe the Great Commission is fulfilled the instant someone accepts Jesus. A hand is raised, a prayer is spoken, and a life turns toward Christ. The congregation rejoices, and rightly so, because Scripture tells us there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.
Yet if we stop our understanding of the Great Commission at that moment, we have not yet finished what Jesus commanded. We have only reached the beginning, and we mistake the doorway for the destination. If the doorway is mistaken for the destination, does the one who raised their hand understand the covenant they have entered into?
The Great Commission calls us into the same kind of transformative process that Paul describes, one that involves people whose minds are being renewed and whose lives are being reshaped into the pattern of God’s will. After one enters the doorway of salvation, they begin the discipleship destination by “renewing the mind” (transformed–metamorphous) so that they are not “conformed to this world” and not pressed again into the world’s mold (Romans 12:1-2). But for the new believer to become a disciple, there must be a discipler.
Matthew records these words at the close of his Gospel:
“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And 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 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.’” (Matthew 28:16–20, ESV)
In English, this appears as one sentence with one controlling command: “make disciples.” The three participles “go,” “baptizing,” and “teaching” expand that central command to “make disciples.” The entire sentence is focused on the transformation and formation of disciples, not merely on the moment of initial response with the prayer of salvation.
Notice the parallel of Matthew 28 to Romans 12. Paul urges believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices and then warns, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Jesus speaks of “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”; Paul speaks of minds being renewed so that believers can discern and do the will of God. Both passages describe a process in which God’s people are formed into obedience and discernment over time.
Jesus’ final words were not simply about decisions. They were about transformation.
II. The Verb Behind “Make Disciples”
Our English translations render the phrase “make disciples,” which can suggest we produce or “make” something called a disciple as though we are creating a product. In the Greek text, however, the emphasis falls on the verb: μαθητεύω (mathēteuō).
This verb does not mean “to manufacture disciples” as finished objects. It means:
To disciple
To train
To instruct
It describes an ongoing action done for and with people—an extended, transformative process of becoming a disciple. In Romans 12, Paul uses the language of “be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” The verbs are different, but the idea is parallel: discipleship and renewed minds both involve ongoing change, not a one-time event.
The Great Commission therefore calls the local church to participate in a dynamic process: discipling people over time until they resemble their teacher, their Savior. Paul’s language reminds us that this process includes the inner world of thought and perception, where minds are being renewed so that they no longer conform to the world’s patterns.
III. “Learn from Me”: The Yoke of Jesus and the Renewed Mind
Jesus Himself defines what this discipling process looks like. In Matthew 11:29, He says:
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29, ESV)
The verb translated “learn” is μάθετε (mathete), from the same root as μαθητεύω. This “learning” signifies an active, ongoing process by which the learner is reshaped. It is learning that transforms the mind, the heart, and the pattern of life.
In the first-century Jewish context, a rabbi’s “yoke” referred to his interpretation of Torah—his pattern of reading Scripture and living it out. To take a rabbi’s yoke meant to accept his way of understanding and obeying God’s Word. Taking a yoke is another way of describing what Paul calls “not being conformed to this world but being transformed.” Yokes and molds are both about patterns.
Whose pattern will shape us: the world around us, or our Rabbi, Jesus?
When Jesus invites His hearers to “take my yoke,” He is not asking for a walk to the altar, a lifted hand, or a token agreement. He is calling for deep alignment—a covenant. Jesus calls us to read Scripture His way, interpret life His way, and walk with the Father His way.
In the early days of what later became Christianity, the followers of Jesus referred to their community simply as “The Way” (Hodos in Koine Greek, Acts 9:2, 24:14). Under His yoke and following His way, our minds are gradually re-trained, renewed, and transformed. This is the work of becoming a disciple. But it also requires one who disciples others!
IV. The Outcome of Discipleship: Like the Teacher
Luke’s Gospel makes the outcome of this process explicit. Jesus states:
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40, ESV)
The Greek noun for “disciple” here is μαθητής (mathētēs)—a learner or student defined by his relationship to a teacher. The emphasis falls on being “fully trained.” When the discipling process is complete, the disciple is not merely informed by the teacher; he is like the teacher.
This matches Paul’s concern in Romans 12. He does not want believers to be pressed back into the world’s mold. He wants them to be transformed so they can discern and do what is “good and acceptable and perfect” in God’s will. To be “fully trained” under Jesus is to have one’s mind renewed and one’s life reshaped until the pattern of the Teacher displaces the pattern or mold of the world.
The Lesson of Lazarus
This dynamic is beautifully illustrated in the story of Lazarus in John chapter eleven. When Jesus called out Lazarus’ name, He asked the onlookers to participate in the process of re-creation.
First, roll the stone away—remove the barriers to new life. Then, “unloose and unbind him.” We must be a disciple for this new life by unwinding the snares of the old ways and patterns through a deliberate process of disciple-making.
V. The Structure of the Great Commission Revisited
With these insights in mind, the structure of the Great Commission becomes clearer:
“Go” describes movement toward people—the intentional step of going out beyond ourselves.
“Baptizing” describes the doorway into new covenant life—the public identification with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
“Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” describes the ongoing instruction, education, shepherding, mentoring, and formation.
We link hands with the Lord in the re-creation process by helping believers to live out the commands of Jesus in daily practice. A congregation can be very active in going and baptizing, yet fall short in the long work of discipling, teaching people to observe, to think differently, and to resist the world’s mold. In such cases, we have brought people to the doorway but have not guided them toward the destination of renewed minds and obedient lives.
VI. Application: Disciple-Making and Renewing the Mind
This understanding applies both to the people we lead to Christ and to our own daily walk. We are not called merely to introduce others to Jesus and then move on to the next person. We are called to walk with them, teach them, and model a renewed life until they begin to resemble Him.
Evangelism brings people to the doorway; they meet Jesus and enter into new life.
Discipleship guides them through the house; their minds are renewed, their patterns of life change, and they learn to “observe all” that He commanded.
For Those We Lead:
Are we satisfied with a prayer prayed and a baptism recorded, or are we committed to a process in which their thinking, choices, and habits are gradually aligned with the teaching of Jesus?
Are we participating in the renewal of their minds, or leaving them to be pressed back into the world’s mold?
For Ourselves:
Have we remained near the doorway in our own walk, content with initial faith but resisting deeper change?
Are we allowing the yoke of Jesus to govern how we handle Scripture, how we respond to suffering, how we treat others, and how we order our priorities?
To live out the Great Commission as Jesus intended means we must accept the Romans 12 call as well: we refuse conformity to the world and submit to the daily renewing of our minds. In practice, this involves steady engagement with His Word, honest self-examination, repentance, and obedient action. It requires new patterns of life, not merely new information.
VII. Conclusion
When Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples,” He is not describing a single event when a person walks to the front of the church or raises a hand. He is commissioning a lifetime process—one that Paul describes in terms of renewed minds and transformed lives.
The altar call, the raised hand, and the prayer for salvation are:
Not merely a moment, but a lifetime.
Not merely a decision, but a transformation.
Not merely the doorway, but the whole house.
Not a life pressed again into the world’s mold, but a life renewed in mind and reshaped into the pattern of the Teacher.
Never mistake the doorway for the Destination!
