First the ESV:

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.

Now, with a change:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and disciple all the 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.

I suggest this change because I can’t figure out why this passage is so connected in the minds of so many so exclusively with evangelism and conversion.  But there is nothing in this passage with that emphasis.  The Great Commission does include the idea of winning converts.  It envisions nations that have not been discipled and are recruited to be discipled.  It include baptism which is a ritual of entry into discipleship.

But it doesn’t stop there or even emphasize that part of discipleship.  It moves on: “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  Which of these activities is included in the Great Commission:

• You share your faith with an unbeliever and he trusts in Christ for the first time.
• You lead a Bible study with people who have been Christians since childhood.
• You teach your children about Christian doctrine.
• You read the Bible in the morning and learn something new.

Answer: All of these things are included in the Great Commission.  Anything from the point that one is baptized, that involves learning to observe what Jesus has commanded, is part of the Great Commission.

I’m doing it by blogging right now.

I suspect that the (mis?)translation “make disciples” leads people to think that Jesus is referring exclusively to winning converts–“Make people into disciples who are not now disciples.”  But if we understand it simply commands us to disciple people, then we will not restrict the commission beyond what God intended.