Making Disciples

Making Disciples

April 26, 2015 Morning Service

Immanuel Baptist Church, Wagoner, OK

Rick Boyne

Message Point: To make disciples, you must first be a disciple. In order to be an effective disciple, you must obey Christ, guard your witness, and make disciples.

Focus Passage: Matthew 28:18-20

Introduction: What is a disciple? dis•ci•ple dəˈsīpəl/ noun noun: disciple; plural noun: disciples

o a personal follower of Jesus during his life, especially one of the twelve Apostles.

synonyms: apostle, follower

o a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher.

synonyms: follower, adherent, believer, admirer, devotee, acolyte, votary;

I. A follower of Jesus

a. Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. (Matthew 16:24 NASB)

i. Deny self

ii. Be ready to die

iii. Actually follow Jesus

b. But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62 NASB)

c. "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26 NASB)

II. An obeyer of Jesus

a. "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (John 14:15 NASB)

b. Then you will be the pure and innocent children of God. You live among people who are crooked and evil, but you must not do anything that they can say is wrong. Try to shine as lights among the people of this world, (Philippians 2:15 CEV)

c. You people aren't faithful to God! Don't you know that if you love the world, you are God's enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. (James 4:4 CEV)

d. Abstain from all appearance of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJVR)

III. A maker of disciples of Jesus

a. You must follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1 CEV)

b. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2 NASB)

c. Don't cause problems for someone with a weak conscience, just because you have the right to eat anything. You know all this, and so it doesn't bother you to eat in the temple of an idol. But suppose a person with a weak conscience sees you and decides to eat food that has been offered to idols. Then what you know has destroyed someone Christ died for. When you sin by hurting a follower with a weak conscience, you sin against Christ. So if I hurt one of the Lord's followers by what I eat, I will never eat meat as long as I live. (1 Corinthians 8:9-13 CEV)

d. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, (2 Thessalonians 3:6-7 NASB)

Application/Invitation: In order to be an effective disciple, you must obey Christ, guard your witness, and make disciples.