Review
Last week I wrote about some misconceptions relating to discipleship. I noted how often believers focus on being a disciple without really making a disciple. This is not God’s plan for the church! God’s plan for every single believer is that we be actively involved in the process of making other followers of Jesus. In fact, I would argue that this is a core part of the mission of the church. The church exists to glorify God by making more and better disciples!
The Commission
A key verse regarding making disciples is Matthew 28:18-20. In this vital text, Christ claims to have received all authority from His Father, and on the basis of that He commissions His disciples and followers to go into the world and make disciples. This key passage however is often misused. I have sat in countless missions’ conferences and under missions minded individuals who have used this text as a call for missionary workers in the field. In a sense, this passage is a call for that. But it is also a call for so much more! If you have grown up learning this passage in the King James Version as I have, you are probably used to the reading “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations . . .” But this translation does not reflect the true sense of the text. The NASB gets it a little closer—“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations . . .” But still, this is not the best reflection of the text. In the original language of this passage Jesus only gives one imperative—make disciples! Go is a participle—a supporting part of speech! A better translation would be “as you are going” or “while you are going”—it is an assumption that we are doing this already. That might be a big assumption for many believers today but suffice to say that the main point of this passage is not simply evangelism, it is to make disciples! We may have to start with evangelism, but it should not end there.
Bringing it Home
Here is my point—too often the true sense of this passage, and thus the true meaning of disciple making has been missed. Believers can easily give themselves a pass on discipleship because they view this text in the lens of sharing the Gospel. So, they give a tract, or they invite someone to church, or perhaps even share the plan of salvation, but that is where they stop. If we are not careful, the thought can easily be “I have done my duty, now I am done.” But we forget the rest of verse 19 and verse 20! If we understand that the main command in Matthew 28 is to make disciples, then the rest of the passage shows us how: baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Discipleship does not stop at a gospel tract or a church invitation; it involves so much more! Discipleship, or making disciples, is the process of guiding someone along the walk of faith and teaching them the truths of God’s Word so that they themselves can one day make their own disciples!
Final Thoughts
Sad to say, most believers have never had this type or relationship with another individual. Few believers could say that they have led someone in the faith and mentored and trained them so as to prepare them for their own mission of disciple making. But it does not have to be this way! God has given us all the tools we need to fulfill His mission; we simply have to be willing to do it. Will you take some time this weekend to meditation on Christ’s commission for His followers to be involved in disciple making and prayerfully ask God to give you individuals whom you can train to be genuine followers of Christ?
