While thinking about the title and subtitle of this month’s blog post these are a few of the thoughts that came streaming in. Discipleship: What is it? Discipleship: Who’s makin’em? Discipleship: What we’re not doing. Discipleship: Just do it! Discipleship: You do it.
If we go and look once again at Matthew 28:19 it’s typically called the “Great Commission.” For most of my Christian life I read this with the understanding as a basic job description for missionaries and pastors. Since I didn’t consider myself either, until recently, I wrote it off with a sigh of relief.
For to long we have had a limited perspective of what “Going and Making Disciples” is really about. Ask the average pew warmer what Matthew 28:19 means and they will mention something about mission or that their pastor does it and they would be about 10% right. It does include missions but it’s in no way limited to missions. I would like to suggest what I believe the remaining 90% consists of.
I think making disciples consists of making sure that Jesus would consider you a disciple. That you would be making disciples of those around you including your friends, children, spouse, co-workers, neighbors and strangers and then other nations. You can assign your own percentages to the ingredients above.
I would like to propose a new way of looking at the “Great Commission” First, it was the main part of the last statement Jesus gave to his disciples, which means it should be kept close to our hearts and considered important. Second, it wasn’t a suggestion or a question it was a command that we were given the authority to carry out. Third, it wasn’t limited to missionaries or pastors, it was given to his disciples at the time and to all that follow, which includes you and me and generations to come.
So what is a “Disciple” anyhow? Using my nifty Bible software this is what I discovered. The New Testament word is rendered, Mathetes and pronounced math-ay-tes´ the meaning can be translated as learner, or pupil, to understand. It carries the idea that a disciple would be willing to learn in any way possible. The rendering of a similar word matheteuo includes in the description, to enroll as scholar, to instruct or teach.
Based on this basic information we can consider a disciple to be an individual who is willing to learn in any way possible and is then willing to instruct and teach others. I think this is a good working definition.
The other day I wanted to make a holiday dessert that I remember eating every Christmas for as long as I can remember, Persimmon Pudding, which is so much better than it sounds. If your still not convinced I’ll send you the recipe. Sine I’d never made persimmon pudding before I needed to ask my mother or grandmother for the recipe. I could have guessed but it wouldn’t have yielded the same results. I’m pleased to report that because I followed the recipe of those who baked before me, my labor was not in vain.
The same concept applies to how we Make Disciples. If we want our efforts to succeed then we need to follow the recipe of the one who successfully made disciples from scratch, Jesus. There is so much we can glean from the scriptures on this topic that my brain and blog can’t contain it all. Here is a feeble attempt at comprising a list.
What Jesus Did…
- He invited the disciples to learn from him.
- He made himself available.
- He provided on the job training.
- He taught people of different ages and different backgrounds.
- He did ministry so his disciples could observe.
- He did ministry with his disciples
- He sent them out 2 by 2 to do unsupervised ministry and they reported back to him.
- He trusted them to do the important stuff like preach, pray for the sick, baptize and cast out demons.
What Jesus Didn’t Do…
- He didn’t make the disciples beg him to teach them.
- He didn’t pay them or charge them for their training.
- He didn’t beg them to take their learning serious.
- He didn’t assign them titles or positions other than learner.
- He didn’t make them sit in a classroom for hours earning a degree.
- He wasn’t afraid to take risks in how he led especially when it came to breaking with traditions that hindered people from truly worshiping God.
- He didn’t avoid correcting, confronting or challenging the disciples when they were missing the point.
I believe the main purpose of the church is to make disciples, not converts or fatter sheep. Here are some things we need to consider as a body of disciples.
1. Why do we do what we do?
2. Does what we do, make disciples,
distract, discourage, or
disciples.
3. Would Jesus consider me a disciple?
4. Am I willing to do anything to learn?
5. What have I leaned?
6. What do I need to learn?
7. Who am I discipling? & Who is discipling me?
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…" We call it the “Great Commission” not because it’s an enormous task or because God only calls great people to participate in it, instead it's because it's a commission to the great numbers of disciples living around the world. It’s the task of every disciple until he returns. Let’s hasten his return.
