VISION-How to Make Disciples

Matthew 28:18–20 NIV

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

What is a disciple?

In the HEBREW, there’s two root words

- ya-sore (to discipline or instruct) - used to indicate, correction or even punishment of wrong behaviour

- li-muhd (to teach) - talks about a learner, someone who takes up knowledge or belief from a teacher. It can also mean, to be in the habit of or adapted to some practice.

In the NT, there’s a primary word -

ma-they-tays - it means ‘disciple’ or a student who adheres to and travels with a teacher. The GOAL of this process is to learn from and become more like your teacher.

Now, there’s three important senses to this word:

FIRST THING:

A Disciple does

We are good at talking. Discipleship is about action.

The primary unit about being a disciple of Christ isn’t simply what questions you can answer, or what facts you can repeat. It’s what you do.

Discipleship is about output, not input

And Jesus knows us really well. He knows exactly what we’re capable of, when we’re pushing ourselves and living up to his expectations - and when we’re making excuses and chasing bad priorities.

But make no mistake - Jesus is looking at how much we output, not just how much we absorb.

Matthew 7:21 NIV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

How can we help each other with this one?

Spur others onto action - and hold them accountable

SECOND THING:

A Disciple Submits

It’s not about information absorption. how much info you can take in.

A disciple isn’t about being at a buffet - it’s about being on a strict dietary regime.

James 1:22 NIV

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

And don’t get me wrong. Learning a lot is really valuable.

But we need to ask ourselves - what is God trying to do with us by giving us this knowledge? What’s his end goal?

Mark 8:34 NIV

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

This is the fundamental unit of discipleship:

Less of me, more of Jesus

Discipleship is this process of self-denial and shifting direction.

How can we help each other with this one?

Listen To and pray with others regularly

We’re really keen on telling people what we think they need to do.

But God talks to people other than us. We should be encouraging people to pray, praying with them, and asking questions. ‘What is God telling YOU?’

God’s got a plan and a purpose for every single person. We need to help them discover theirs - not help them copy ours.

A Disciple Changes

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

God will never be finished with us. We’re continually going to be exposed to the glory of God - and we’re never going to run out of those experiences.

The changes never stop because the glory never stops.

But there’s a goal with all of this:

We’re being made to look more and more like Jesus

This is what discipleship is about at the end of the day. This is the victory condition, this is the end game.

How can we help each other with this one?

Expect change & encourage good

We all have weaknesses. We all make mistakes. We all fail, and miss the mark.

But if we’re following Him, God is working on us. And he’s slowly but surely bringing us all to this same conclusion.