At first, it seems obvious that Jesus is speaking about evangelism. But as I’ve grown in my understanding of discipleship, I have come to see that discipleship isn’t a separate thing from evangelism. I used to think evangelism came before discipleship. But I now understand the biblical view of discipleship as including evangelism.
A view that has been popularized by Rick Warren is that there are five purposes for the church: worship, fellowship, discipleship, service, and evangelism. I have come, however, to understand that these aren’t five separate purposes, but that there is one purpose for the church; one mission; one mandate; one focus; and that is discipleship. Discipleship is our main business and evangelism, fellowship, service, and worship are all components involved in the work of making disciples.
All that is to say that while our Lord is speaking here about bringing in the harvest and is referencing the work of evangelism, He is also
speaking in larger terms about the work of making disciples, of which evangelism is a part. So let’s see what we can learn about our ministry of making disciples.
There are three person involved in the work of making disciples.
1. Our gracious God - “the Lord of the harvest”
The work of discipleship is not something we are left to do on our own as followers of Christ. We are to do this work in partnership with God, as we depend on His providence.
Making disciples requires the providential work of God.
Whether it be drawing a person to know Christ as Savior; or to follow Christ as Lord; it is the providential work of God that draws them.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.” - John 6:44 (NIV)
God is the one who draws people to Christ, and He is the one who directs us in of making disciples of Christ, whether that person be an unbeliever who needs to learn how to know Christ personally or a believer who needs to learn how to follow Christ passionately.
2. A seeking soul - “The harvest”
Obviously, if we are to make disciples, there must be those who are ready to learn what they need to know in order to be a disciple of Jesus.
Making disciples requires the open heart of a person.
Whether it’s an unbeliever who needs to know Christ personally; or a believer who needs to follow Christ passionately, neither can be helped if their heart isn’t open.
The summer when I surrendered to full-time vocational ministry, a friend had me go with him to meet his pastor. He asked his pastor if he had any advice for me. He told me two things:
1) Be like Paul. Everywhere he went he caused a riot or a revival.
2) Don’t waste your time chasing down uninterested people. He taught me this principle referring to Titus 3:10-11:
“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.” - Titus 3:10-11 (NIV)
This same principle was taught by our Savior to His disciples when He sent 70 of them out to go to towns that He planned to later visit.
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’” - Luke 10:8-11 (NIV)
In Luke 10:6, Jesus refers to the person who has an open heart as a “person of peace.” While in Titus 3:10-11, Paul refers to one with a closed heart as a “divisive person.”
Whether it be an unbeliever who needs to learn how to know Christ personally or a believer who needs to learn how to follow Christ
passionately, if they are going to be helped to learn what they need to know in order to be disciple, they must have an open heart. We can
recognize those whose heart is open to God by whether their attitude is one of divisiveness or peace. If they are a seeking soul, they are ripe for the harvest. But if a person isn’t ready, we trust in the providential work of God to eventually bring them to readiness.
By the way, what did Jesus say before sending them out the 70 with these instructions?
“He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into
his harvest field.’” - Luke 10:2 (NIV)
3. The willing worker - “send out workers”
If the work of making disciples is to be carried out effectively, it requires the providential work of God; the open heart of the person; and the intentional effort of the disciple-maker.
A disciple maker needs to understand three things:
A. The five stages of spiritual growth.
Stage One - Spiritually dead.
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” - Ephesians 2:1 (NIV)
Stage Two - Spiritual infant.
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” - 1 Peter 2:2 (NIV)
Stage Three - Spiritual child.
Stage Four - Spiritual adolescent.
Stage Five - Spiritual parent.
“I write to you, dear children, because your sins are forgiven through Christ. I write to you, fathers, because you know the one who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you have defeated the Evil One. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know the one who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong. The word of God lives in you, and you have defeated the Evil One.” - 1 John 2:12-14 (Easy to Read)
B. The main characteristic of each stage (listen for the phrase).
1) The spiritually dead - They do not believe.
“How do you know the Bible is true?” “How do I know God exists?”
2) The spiritual infant - They want to be fed.
“What do I do when I sin?” “What does the Bible say about . . .”
3) The spiritual child - They want their way.
“I like my group. I don’t want it to ever change.”
“I don’t prefer ________ music in the service.”
“I’m going to another church where I can be fed.”
4) The spiritual adolescent - They want to prove themselves.
“Could I help with the offering?
“Do you need help with the kids on Sunday?”
5) The spiritual parent - They want to invest in others.
“They’re really growing. I’m going to ask them to help me with . . .”
C. What is needed to help people move from one stage to the next.
1) The spiritually dead need to see and hear the Good News.
2) The spiritual infant needs us to share our life with them, God’s truth with them, and good habits with them.
3) The spiritual child needs us to help them connect to God; to God’s family (small group); and to God’s purpose (service).
4) The spiritual adolescent needs us to equip them for ministry; provide opportunities for ministry; and release them for ministry.
5) The spiritual parent needs the discipleship process explained; needs to be trained; and then released to invest in others and be disciples who make disciples.
Conclusion: Too many churches today are stuck because they are not focused on making disciples. Without an intentional effort to make
disciples, believers often stop growing at the spiritual child stage; and that can cause problems. Spiritual children, because they want their way, can be noisy, messy, impatient, impulsive, and irresponsible.
“Every church needs a healthy portion of immature members. After all, new believers start out as spiritual babies with a world of learning and growing ahead. No one is born fully grown. What your church should never do, however–what no church should do–is to place spiritual babies in positions of leadership. Do that, and the news is all bad. The pastor will grow old before his time, the congregation will be in a constant turmoil from the bickering of these refugees from the church nursery, and the church’s outreach ministries will grind to a halt.” - Joe McKeever
