The Art and Science of Disciple-Making
Most Christians are content to be spectators instead of becoming obedient disciple-makers. True blessings, power and fulfillment is found in being a multiplying disciple-maker. Let us see how we can think, do and become what the Lord’s will for our life is. Failure to do so is a sure recipe for self-destructive behavior and thinking.
Illustration: The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall.
Application: Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us.
John Emmons.
1. Jesus gave us the command to make disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, but He also told us several essentials that are worth implementing in our disciple-making ministries:
A. All Authority:
You have complete authority that is necessary for completing His great commission in the word of God. Help people to utilize the authority of the scriptures in all aspects of their personal lives, relationships and ministries. Do not hesitate to make disciples a priority in whatever ministry God leads you in to.
Illustrations:
Quote: The true, living faith, which the Holy Spirit instills into the heart, simply cannot be idle.
Martin Luther.
Quote: God does not expect us to submit our faith to him without reason, but the very limits of our reason make faith a necessity.
Augustine.
Quote: The more we know of God, the more unreservedly we will trust him; the greater our progress in theology, the simpler and more childlike will be our faith.
J. G. Machen.
B. Go:
We are to look to the fields that are ripe for harvesting and then move to the areas where the Lord is calling us to make disciples. Learn to make disciples where you are at so the Lord will direct you to where He wants to make disciples in the days to come. He who is faithful in little things will be given greater responsibilities for the qualitative and quantitative expansion of His kingdom and righteousness. (Matt 6:33) Ask the Lord for wisdom in sewing your seed to people who are most responsive to becoming Christ’s disciples.
Quote: Faith is not a distant view but a warm embrace of Christ.
John Calvin.
C. Make disciples of all the people group.
It is not enough to just be a disciple or a follower of Jesus Christ. We are to be disciple-makers. That implies that we are coming along with Jesus wherever He went to the lost, to the hurting and those who are poor in spirit and recognize their needs. We are to be using our natural and spiritual gifts to serve others in ways that will help them come to maturity in Christ. We are not to haphazardly serve anyway that seems convenient. We are to purposely think in terms of producing multipliers who will be able to help make disciple-makers of every nations, tribe, people group and language group on the planet. All 18,000, of which there are approximately 1.7 billion yet to be reached for the gospel and the great commission.
(ta ethne): We are to target nations and people groups that will be able to reach their own people. By working through faithful people who will teach others also we can best help multiply the church into all the communities (social-economic groupings) of the world. Help them to take up the full armor of God as they cross social, ethnic, and cultural barriers for the sake of world evangelization.
D. Teach:
We are to speak the truth in love so that people will grow up in all aspects into Christ. (Eph. 4:15) Ask the Lord to help you do whatever you can to teach, preach and demonstrate the truth of God’s word to people for the purpose of spiritual and numerical growth. Teaching involves both edification as well as evangelism, but the emphasis is always on growth by equipping the members of the body of Christ for the works of service.
Application: Teaching involves informing, persuading, observing, interpreting, correlating, applying, communicating and evaluating what is best for each student, subject and situation.
E. Baptizing:
We are to baptize people because baptism unites people by helping them declare their loyalty to Christ and His body as an outward sign of an inner allegiance to Christ the Lord. Baptism helps us to make our joy complete by being of the same mind, uniting in spirit and intent on one purpose of giving greater glory to God by identifying with the death, burial and resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Baptism gives us an opportunity to corporately declare our faith, hope and love for the Lord above all others as a body of Christ.
Illustration: One of the most powerful community witnessings experiences I had came when I participated in a mass baptism ceremony in Nigeria. It took the entire afternoon, but about 2000 people came out to attend the baptism of 400 people in a swimming pool at the Lutheran missionary kids hostel, Elmhouse, in Jos, Nigeria of 1981. Spontaneous applause, jubiliation and amazement overcame thousands as they rejoiced in the deliverance that people had experienced as a result of their saving faith in Christ Jesus. Baptism gave many illiterate and inarticulate people an opportunity to give a power sign of testimony, identification and commitment to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Application: Those who are baptized publicly display their submission to Christ, a willingness to do God’s will and identification with God’s people in their localities.
F. Teach them to obey His commands:
It is not just enough to instruct people with information, ideas and illustrations. Purposely teach people so that they will learn to do the full will of God with their hearts, minds, emotions, relationships, activities and ministries. Some people learn best by practically teaching people, some do best by studying the concepts of disciple-making, others learn best by analyzing the art and science of disciple-making, while some learn disciple-making by discovering better procedures by inventing new methods. Concentrate on helping your disciples gain competency in handling the essentials of Christ’s commands
G. Live in the light of His resurrection power.
It is important to remember that we implement the great commission with the power of Christ’s overcoming power. Jesus said, "In the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer as I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) The Lord Jesus wants us to trade our sorrows, shame and shyness for the power of His resurrection. (Phil 3:10) Few people live in the power of His resurrection because they are not being empowered by the Spirit. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of Power, love and self-discipline. (2 Tim. 1:7)
Praise God that you have the power to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the utter most parts of the earth. You do not have to feel inadequate since He makes you adequate as servants of a new covenat, not of the letter but by the Spirit. Let us Spirit work through you to be a more effective witness in your personal life, relationships and ministries.
Be empowered to pray with greater faith for breakthroughs in China, India and the Muslim world. "This mountain will be removed. Not by power or by might but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts." (Zech 4:6,7)
H. Worship the great of Jesus Christ. Verse seventeen says, "When they saw Him, the fell down and worshiped Him, but some doubted." There is power in praise. There is renewal in worship. When we worship the Lord we get a great vision to see all of life from God’s perspective instead of from our own limitations. Worship helps us realize that Jesus is greater than any problem. Giving glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord allows us to devote ourselves, our money and our efforts to a cause that is greater than what we can envision.
Quote: Only one life will soon be past. Only what is done for Christ’s and His purposes will last.
Note, that Jesus even spoke to those who doubted meaning that the great commission is even for those who are yet to be mature in their faith and obedience. Do not wait until you have worked out all of your problems. Trust and obey the Lord for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
I. Therefore, in the light of His authority over everything.
Only when people fully appreciate, acknowledge and submit to Christ’s authority will they be willing to go and make disciples of all the people groups of the world. It is amazing that less than 1% of mission dollars go toward the reaching of the unreached people groups of the world. Could this be that many people are more committed to their own authority, or the authority of their local church officials, or to the authority of their traditions instead of the authority of Jesus Christ.
Illustration: Matthew wrote of Jesus "When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless) like sheep without a shepherd. then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest." (Matt. 9:36-38)
Only when we allow the Lord’s authority to control our perceptions, plans and priorities are we able to effectively be involved in thrusting laborers into His harvest fields, that includes ourselves. His authority makes us weep for those 500,000 people who are drifting into a Christless eternity every day. His authority directs us our efforts to do everything we can to seek and to save those which are lost. (Luke 19:10)
J. Teaching them everything I have commanded you.
Most people learn more by watching, observing and following a friend or a mentor. Do not think that you can teach people only by one means, method or mechanism. Utilize multiple approaches to your teaching so that you can appeal to as many different learning styles and culturally effective norms as possible. Some people are going to learn more by watching a Jesus film, some might learn by watching satellite television programs about the essentials of the Christian life, many groups learn more from drama and story telling than any others method, others will learn by listening to a radio program, still others might learn by sitting in a classroom listening to a learned teacher, finally some people might learn best through correspondence or online classes. Expose people to as many different learning and teaching styles as possible.
K. Christ’s teaching is contextual.
Jesus wants our making of disciples to be something that is culturally appropriate, suitable and effective for each context, audience and occasion. Do not think that you can simply complete the great commission from an outsiders point of view. Contextualization requires an insider approach to making disciples. Allow the Spirit of God and the word of God to help train up local leaders, elders and disciple-makers who can develop their own church fellowships as this is the best way to allow the body of Christ to have a multiplying disciple-making ministry. Many missionaries have to successfully take the church through this stages to complete the cyle of the planting and the growing of the church:
1. Pioneering - Planting and initiating the ground breaking processes that are required to get a new church fellowship started in a formerly unreached people group.
2. Parenting - Taking on the role of a parent who nurtures and trains up the young believers until they can become self-supporting, self-governing and self-propagating.
3. Partnering - Assisting the leaders in areas where they may need support, training and logistical help.
4. Participating - Allowing the local church to assume the authority for decision-making
L. Remember He is with us:
We are not able to make disciples without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit who is at work in us both to will and to of His good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13,14) God told Joshua when he went in to the promise land: "Be strong and courageous and act. Do not fear or be dismayed for the Lord God goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all of the work of the house of God has been completed." (Josh. 1:7-9) Do not try to make disciples and complete the great commission with your own power, cunning or resources.
Concluding Application: Ask the Lord to direct, empower and enable you to have as the goal of your instruction love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Tim. 1:5)
Quote;
Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.
George Muller.
Quote: Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of faith is to see what we believe.
Augustine.
