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Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations … -Matthew 28:19
Oswald Chambers wrote, “Jesus Christ did not say, “Go and save souls” (the salvation of souls is the supernatural work of God), but He said, “Go … make disciples of all the nations … ” Yet you cannot make disciples unless you are a disciple yourself. The missionary’s great essential is remaining true to the call of God, and realizing that his one and only purpose is to disciple men and women to Jesus. If I follow any other method, I depart altogether from the methods prescribed by our Lord— “All authority 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 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 28:18-19).
Everywhere I go there appears to be a lack of consensus regarding the Biblical definition, understanding, and application of discipleship as it appears in the Gospels and the Epistles. The Great Commission has three participles: “go,” “baptizing,” and “teaching” and one imperative verb, a command: “make disciples.” The main idea is to make disciples. The participles tell us how to do that: we make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching. So the goal of discipleship is to make disciples, teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded.
Making disciples according to Jesus is accomplished by going out right where I am today (first participle), initiating people into the life of discipleship by ‘baptizing’ (second participle), and achieved by ‘teaching’ (third participle). Teaching is the continuous obligation of the church in the life of a new convert as they develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Teaching is the process of getting the person to know Jesus in a life-long, deeper, and more intimate way – teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded. Scripture is an absolute essential element in the process of Holy Spirit-inspired transformation of knowledge, conduct and character. Discipleship is the corporate responsibility of the church and the personal privilege of every believer as they are gifted. Discipleship is a life-long process, beginning at the point of salvation, and participated in and contributions made by a variety of believers throughout the life of the disciple.
Discipleship is a commitment to Jesus Christ – a call to be with, know and enjoy Him as Savior AND Lord. It is lived out in the context of our everyday, getting up, eating, and going-to-work life. It is a relationship with God (vertical) and others (horizontal).
A “disciple of Christ” is someone who has been called first to know Christ, then to follow him, and then who makes disciples. Discipleship involves being with, being like and following Jesus (formed, conformed, and transformed). Mark best summarizes a disciple in his gospel: “And He went up to the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed the twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons” (Mark 3:13-15).
Being a disciple and making disciples is a direct command from our Lord Jesus and the primary responsibility of the church and every born-again believer. Everything we do in church or ministry or in the marketplace should have discipleship as the ultimate core goal. Our going, baptizing, and teaching needs to be discipleship-centered.
The role of the Church is not to make sure that others can just see the light shining bright from the church building. Rather, the role of the Church is to equip people so that their lights shine in their homes and in their communities.
The Bible says:
Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got! Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.” (Deut. 6:5-9, The Message).
If you have children, you can live faith at home in such a way that your home becomes a shining light. It’s never too late to start. Begin with your own at-home Bible study, prayer and worship, and the outflow of these things will impress those around you.
Statistics show that parents are 2 to 3 times more influential than any church program. Search Institute conducted a nationwide survey of more than 11,000 participants from 561 congregations across six different denominations and found this:
• Twelve percent of youth have a regular dialogue with their mother on faith/life issues.
• Five percent of youth have a regular dialogue with their father on faith/life issues.
• Nine percent of youth have experienced regular reading of the Bible and devotions in the home.
Faith really does begin at home. I want to encourage you to begin practicing your faith at home today. If you need assistance or easy-to-use home faith resources, visit DiscipleLand or CORE Discipleship for help.
Our grandparents were raised in a culture that understood and taught biblical Christian values.
Where can you find the support you need to raise children who love God and who embrace a biblical viewpoint? As a resource to help you in your discipleship training, it is my privilege to introduce DiscipleLand.
DiscipleLand provides Bible curriculum that helps transform children into dynamic disciples of Jesus Christ—children who know God intimately, who love Him passionately, and who serve Him selflessly.
If you are a pastor, I fully endorse DiscipleLand. Of all the children’s ministry materials we have reviewed and used, I have never experienced a children’s Bible curriculum that embraces the Great Commission such as this. Please consider reviewing for your church or feel free to forward to those responsible for your children’s ministry.
Introducing DiscipleTown:
DiscipleLand has just released their new Kids’ Church curriculum! Karl Bastian, the Kidologist, partnered with DiscipleLand to create a one-of-a-kind, customizable curriculum for elementary-age children. Through DiscipleTown’s teacher-driven lessons, children can develop essential “how-to” skills for victorious Christian living.
DiscipleTown: High-energy creativity + Biblical richness = a totally new approach to Kids’ Church!
Download Your FREE DiscipleTown Lesson!
Remember, the process of discipleship takes a lifetime. Disciples, regardless of age, are students. And we’re all studying for finals.
Live Christ Deliberately!
Doug Morrell
CORE Discipleship Ministry
By Tom Pryor
March 7, 2009
America’s recession can be resolved with an infusion of trust, not cash.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “Our distrust is very expensive.” While he’s been dead 127 years, his statement holds true in 2009.
In “The Speed of Trust”, author Stephen Covey describes the cost of distrust as The Trust Tax. “When trust goes down, speed will also go down and costs will go up. When trust does up, speed will also go up and costs will go down.” Read the rest of this entry »
“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” ( Luke 16:8 )
In a nutshell, business exists to serve God and serve clients. All else is secondary. The Great Commandment is all about giving God first priority and giving people priority. Godly business leaders implementing God’s biblical directives learn the simplicity of one big idea: we’re here to serve and not be served (for an example, look at Christ Jesus). Read the rest of this entry »
Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning is a habit and so is losing.”
God has a prosperous future for His children and each of us are to run the race set before us. The problem is that most of us don’t know or we forget that we’re in a race. The Apostle Paul tells us: “You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.” (1 Cor. 9:24-27, The Message) Read the rest of this entry »
