Jesus Christ, the Disciple maker...

You know that things are bad or have sunk to the depths when the restatement of the obvious becomes the first duty of the church.

So much of what we do as believers in 2017 is only in-house and non-reproductive.

Here’s what we have to fix in our minds:

Disciple making is still the primary & exclusive work of the church isn’t?

The fact that the church is weaker than ever and shrinking is the evidence that we still haven’t got it.

Shortcuts and the quick fix still skim off our best energy and most of the church’s renewal dollar.

Another statistic that I found repeatedly is that 80% of the local churches are in decline.

We must not duplicate the errors that others have made in the past in trying to fill the pews with bodies.

Remember, we talking about producing mature believers who reproduce mature believers.

So what we’re going to do is give up any new or fresh ideas that might be in our hearts and we’ll do two things:

Follow and Listen to Jesus.

The church around the world is flourishing, but in the United States, we still twist Rubik’s Cube in our hands, trying to find the formula.

I suggest we return to the original setting for the answer.

I was really able to dig into some of the history of discipleship.

This really helps you to understand the time and culture in which Jesus’ disciples would’ve heard their Master talk.

Walking Back into the Future

What did Peter, James, John, and Phillip hear when Jesus said, “Make disciples”?

I bet it wasn’t, “Go through a sixteen-week, fill-in-the-blanks Bible study.”

To understand what first-century discipleship was like, we must return there long enough to restore the context.

John the Baptist had disciples and

so did the Pharisees.

It was common for young men to be cause-oriented and follow those who inspired them.

Every Jewish boy by age thirteen had studied and memorized much of the Pentateuch and the prophets.

If he was among the best and the brightest, he would be accepted into a rabbinical school.

There he would come under the authority of his teacher.

If he was not at the top of his class, he would return to the vocation of shepherd, fisherman, carpenter, or farmer.

There were five characteristics of the rabbinical schools.

1. The disciple chose to submit to his teacher.

2. The disciple would memorize his teacher’s words.

3. The disciple would learn his teacher’s way of ministry.

4. The disciple would imitate his teacher’s life.

5. The disciple would be expected to find his own disciples.

The rabbinical tradition was very strict.

Students had very little freedom, and when they graduated they would go on to a career as a teacher.

Many started their own schools or band of followers.

The followers were bound to their teacher’s interpretation of Scripture for life and were expected to multiply the traditions.

Jesus wasn’t a product of the system, and He chose His followers from outside of the system.

Jesus’ disciples knew He was different by being around Him and hearing Him teach.

On one occasion He actually taught them why and how they were to be a different breed of disciple.

Jesus used the Pharisees as an example of how not to disciple others.

He explained why their training was abusive, selfish, and hypocritical ().

They represented the traditional way to influence others, but Jesus offered an alternative.

Then he built the bridge for us.

8 "“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ because you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. 9 "Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 "You are not to be called instructors either, because you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 "The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” ()

We are all family (v8). We are to serve others (v11), thus not lording it over each other.

They had only one teacher and that was the Christ.

They were not to open the School of John or Peter or James.

The purpose of their teaching was to produce more followers of Jesus.

Jesus taught the power of

humility in spirit and

submission in community.

This is the way to get transformational traction, to practice a faith that transforms.

Adopting the five characteristics of a first-century disciple, as modified by Jesus,

is the secret to personal transformation

that will lead to church transformation

that will result in cultural transformation.

So the teachings here, as we follow Jesus are designed to change you as it did those first disciples.

Your personal transformation will lead to our church being transformed by Jesus.

Then Jesus will use us to transform our culture!

1. A disciple submits to a leader who teaches him to follow Jesus. This is what rescues discipleship from being a process without results.

You can’t make disciples without accountability, and

you can’t have accountability without structure.

Jesus’ instruction was “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” ().

Here this sentence well. Many are satisfied with the process without regard for progress.

When I say that our discipleship is too fast and too programmed,

I am speaking of the lack of personal submission in groups, large or small.

the lack of personal submission in groups, large or small.

Without humility there is no submission;

without submission I shut others out from speaking into my life.

So people can go through programs and Bible studies but keep accountability for personal transformation at arm’s length.

Many people, many pastors, have sailed through the best training money can buy

but remain untouched in the inner person, or

at least untouched in their deep secret strongholds.

I am with a group of men I can share anything and everything.

I know that I am loved and accepted and that all my confessions will be kept confidential.

Within that small circle I can walk completely in the light, and that is the safest place anyone can be.

There is no baloney, just open and honest talk.

It is only when I talk about my

obedience barriers—the sins that keep defeating me—

that I remove the barriers to my transformation.

2. A disciple learns Jesus’ words. We are good at this.

There is marvelous Bible teaching available to anyone who has an interest.

The average American home contains four Bibles;

the average evangelical home has more, along with

Christian radio and television,

videos, and

related curriculum.

Our knowledge is growing, but it is meaningless.

The studies on Christians’ conduct show little distinction between the behavior of Christians and that of the general population.

I think we can trace this back to our deficient understanding of what a teacher does and what a student learns.

From the beginning, spiritual teachers are taught to ask the wrong question:

“How do you like my teaching?”

With this standard and a fragile ego, Christian teachers and speakers enter into the religious world.

The listener hangs on every word the teacher says, and the teacher hangs on every word of praise the listener gives.

Success for the listener is measured by the extent to which

he or she is stimulated or how much pleasure is experienced from being moved emotionally.

The teacher feels successful when showered with praise that feeds the need for affirmation. This is a good thing gone sour.

Anyone connected to reality would rather hear a stimulating and moving message than something else.

It is a wonderful thing for a blessed listener to affirm a hardworking teacher.

But this all misses the point of what it means to learn the words of Jesus.

The right question teacher and student alike should be asking is, “Am I learning?”

And learning means application;

learning is transformation;

learning is creating a new attitude and behavior in the inner person.

Jesus defined learning this way: 16 "Jesus answered them, “My teaching isn’t mine but is from the one who sent me. 17 "If anyone wants to do his will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.” ()

My teaching is not my own. But unlike his rabbinic contemporaries, neither is his teaching based on a long chain of human tradition: it comes (he insists) from him who sent me

Learning Jesus’ words is to live them. Take for example how Jesus defined faith. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” ().

Faith is defined by action; it is reflected in behavior. Faith is action sustained by belief. We must remove the veil of our theological systems and let Jesus teach us. We have made the test for salvation a doctrinal one, merely intellectual assent to a set of teachings. When Jesus says, “Deny yourself and follow me,” he rocks our theological system. Yes, I believe that salvation is by faith and is entirely an act of the grace of God, but the evidence that salvation has taken place is behavioral. When Jesus spoke to the crowds, He explained their meaning later to His followers. Then he helped them live it and created experiences for them to be tested. Learning the power and truth of Jesus’ teaching is what our teachings are going to be about.

3. A disciple learns Jesus’ way of doing ministry. Earlier I mentioned the three dimensions of doing what Jesus did—doing works of power, pursuing the habits of his life for personal transformation, and training others to be Jesus’ disciples. Discipleship in the twenty-first century is based on the same principles. Civilization has made progress in communications and science, but the moral base from which each person operates is the same as was found east of Eden in Adam and Eve. Jesus lived his life before his followers, and they caught it; Jesus was contagious.

People cut from our theological clothe, have done a good job of understanding Jesus’ training techniques. Then there is a segment, let’s call them charismatic, who have captured the power dimension. And many mainline churches, have been pioneers in developing the spiritual disciplines from Scripture.

What if we could combine all three dimensions of what Jesus did—exercising His power (through the church), developing His character (as we follow Him in His Word), and using His discipleship techniques (in teaching others His Word). This, I believe, is a tour de force that should worry the devil. The disease of Western Christianity is the pathological need to lead and control our environment. Jesus didn’t need those things to do His Father’s will and neither do we.

Let’s ask Jesus to create ministry in front of us so we can enter in. Learning His ways as a follower is a new but rewarding way to live. It is a special kind of life that must be chosen, and it is filled with frustration because we keep wanting to take back the control.

4. A disciple imitates Jesus’ life and character. The disciples desired to live the life that Jesus displayed for them. I have already mentioned how they were drawn to his life of prayer and power. They were not, of course, as attracted to His suffering, His long periods of solitude, and the confrontations with powerful members of the establishment. The mysterious process that went on in them and is going on in us, called spiritual formation, is described in Paul’s statement: “I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you” (). When we intentionally engage in the same disciplines that Christ practiced while on earth, Christ’s character, otherwise known as the fruit of the Spirit, is gradually developed in us over time. These fifteen to twenty habits serve to transform our inner person. Even though we will always have the flesh to contend with, God can change our desires, and his life in us can crowd out the darker impulses.

Think of it this way: On the day of the Super Bowl, one hour before the game, the players would come on the field to warm up, doing drills and calisthenics. But millions of viewers do not tune in to watch push-ups, leg lifts, and jumping jacks. Some people may have an interest in what great athletes do to prepare for competition, but most just want to see the game.

The spiritual disciplines are to transformation what calisthenics are to sport. The purpose of football is not calisthenics, but special exercises do prepare the players to perform. It’s the same for those of us who are Christ’s disciples. This is what’s called indirect preparedness, and it is not optional if we plan to grow into the likeness of our Lord. Players prepare themselves so they can do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, in the way it needs to be done. It is the fourth quarter, the game is tied, and the players are dragging. Certain players rise to the top and make the great plays because they have the skill, stamina, and mental discipline to execute the play better than the opponent.

Now, in the church we have many who can’t do what needs to be done (serve in the Great Commission workforce), when it needs to be done (now), in the way it needs to be done (with passion, faithfulness, touching people where they live). We have found too many ways to be Christians without being Christlike. The change must begin with church leaders who are willing to risk and go deeper instead of just trying a new program or growing comfortable with being stagnate. Remember, when it comes to discipling, we are too fast and too programmed.

Prayer is not the purpose of the Christian life, neither are any of the vital disciplines that Jesus modeled for us. The disciplines, however, set into motion a mysterious transformation as we deepen our intimacy with God. Transformation then is set into motion by our heart’s desire to follow Jesus and in humility submit ourselves to the practice of the disciplines in our church life. We allow others to help us keep our commitments to God. A disciple will join a new order of life, a life of discipline and accountability, to be transformed into the image of Christ.

There is a new way of saying this that I have found very helpful. We should train to be godly, instead of trying to be godly. The gospel is opposed to earning favor with God through performance but exhorts us to make every effort in serving Christ (see ; ). Training in the disciplines will transform us over time. Think of it as a long-term conditioning program. Be patient and persevering and the results will be remarkable.

5. A disciple finds and teaches disciples to follow Jesus. The reason contemporary discipleship is not reproducing is that we have lost this fifth principle. I started this by making an observation. That our discipleship is only in-house and non-reproductive. Why is that? The answer is because we have not taught or expected people we train to reproduce. We have lopped off both ends of the process, which has ensured that it won’t work. We have removed the humility, submission, and accountability of principle 1 and the outreach and reproduction of principle 5. Without principle 1, we can’t get transformational traction, and without principle 5, we will just train each other to train each other to train each other. Inbreeding is never good.

I don’t mean that we should never train a believer. It is a basic tenet of discipleship to train others who are faithful, and we must begin in-house (). The problem is that, after we have trained the willing, we run out of people to train. This is because our numbers are not increasing. One of the potent truths of Evangelism Explosion is that if you don’t have good contacts, eventually there will be a ceiling to your outreach. Then you will end up with forty trainers, no trainees, and no one to visit. Usually that will mean the end of the program. When the focus is on visiting the people who visit the church, you will quickly run out of people to visit.

I firmly believe that God’s plan for the church must be within reach of every church, regardless of how modest the skills of its leaders. This is why we should care if discipleship works, because it is the way we will reach Roselawn and the surrounding areas. There are other philosophies and approaches that bring in large groups of visitors to attractive events. This isn’t all bad, but in the end the people don’t stick because they were never connected relationally. Many churches are very good at bringing people in, but they don’t have a commitment to training their people to train others. Spiritual addition is better than no addition at all, but it is quite inferior to Christ’s plan to reproduce through training others to obey everything He taught.

Consider this—making disciples begins with evangelism, bringing people to Christ. That is why Jesus said, “Baptize them.” Instead of making plans to meet with a believer, choose an unbeliever in your personal network. Start with building a relationship on a common interest, then ask the person if he or she has any spiritual beliefs. Do this with a few people in your life until you find one who is willing to get together regularly to talk about spiritual things. God will honor your efforts, and people will learn how to belong, not to you and your community, but to Christ and his community. This is radical for many, but it is exactly what we should do, and it will work. It will take time and perseverance, but it will unlock the door to reproduction and multiplication. The fact that you are now stumped about how this could work and you don’t know of any models (makes the point) that this kind of outreach is rare in the church today.

Twenty years is a long time, and one sees programs, superstars, and formulas come and go. Pastors are an addictive lot; we find numerical success irresistible. We have become so content with past success that we have done little to ensure that it will continue. We need a plan to help everyone break out of the heavy insulation that surrounds religious culture and establish contact with those outside who are in need. Jesus said it is the sick who need a physician, not the well. If we intend to reach those around us, we must follow His example. He trained leaders to train leaders. He also trained them on the job, he showed them what to do, and then he let them do it. How about moving our base of operation from the church lot and establish outposts where we live, work, and play? Then we could invite those around us (sinners) to “come and see; come follow him.” Then we could put a special emphasis on leaders by inviting them to “come and be with him.” And there will come a time when we will send them out to establish their own outpost, to “remain in him.”

So there you have it, spiritual awakening will happen when we walk backward into the future and restore disciple-making to its first-century character, moving our base of operation outside the church walls while following Jesus’ example presented in coming teachings. Many years ago I read a book titled When All Else Fails, Read the Directions. That time has come.