The Church Trains Disciples who Make Disciples
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Open your Bibles to Ephesians 4:11. We are also starting Ephesians together as a church this week in our readings.
Let me start by giving some context to where we are in our teachings…and then teach from today's verses as an extension to what we learned last week.
We have been studying the Church. And asking God to show us through His Word what are the foundational components of His Church. What does He emphasize. What does He ask of us?
What kind of Church pleases and glorifies Him?
What (or who) is the Biblical Church?
We Americans think of Church much differently than ever before.
We live in a country that tells us that everything is all about us. So we are very individualistic…we are told over and over that everything is about what we want.
And we are also consumers. We buy stuff for us and therefore want that stuff to do stuff for us because we bought it.
And that individualism and consumerism spills over and has tarnished the way we culturally think about Church. And we have talked about a few of these ways.
It even shows in the questions we ask. How did you like Church? What did you get out of church? How was Church for you?
How was that message for you? Did you like the music? Even…what application did you get out of that for your life?
And those are not necessarily bad questions all together…but...
Where is God in that way of thinking?
Have you ever asked or wondered after Sunday Worship or a youth gathering...What did God think about that? How was God worshiped and adored and glorified in that time?
What we clearly see in Scripture is that the Bible teaches us a non-individualistic non-consumer view of the church…it tells us the opposite of those two views.
First Church is not primarily a place to go and get…but a people who gather to give…
Most importantly give all of their heart, mind, soul, time, talent and treasure…in worship to God and give by serving and using the gifts God has given them to build up others for His glory.
And...Church is not a product but a people.
Scripture defines the Church as the people…not the building or the 90 minute event on Sundays…
And not just some of the people…like the pastors and worship leader and the paid staff…like in the business world or a theater or play.
Church - God’s people set apart by God to gather together and live out God’s purpose for them in the particular place God has put them.
And so instead of asking what can I get out of church…the paradigm radically shifts?
How can I best glorify and worship the God who has saved me and called me into His Church? How can I give all of me in worship to the God who has rescued me from sin and death while I was yet a sinner?
How can I glorify God and enjoy Him as my treasure and proclaim of His excellencies...by the way that I worship Him on Sundays, Wednesdays, and every moment in between with these people who love Him?
And how can become more like Jesus as I am conformed into His image…and as I serve this body…these people of God…sacrificially with the gifts God has given me to use for that very purpose?
Or WE could ask…are we as the church living as God’s set apart people who gather together and live out His purposes for us in the place He has put us or the place He is calling us to be?
Are we coming like Jesus as humble servants before the living God to empty ourselves and be filled with Him to serve those God has put before us?
Are we devoted…fully and passionately…devoted to the Word...to the Apostles teachings? To fellowship? To breaking of bread? Are we devoted to praying together?
Are we perfectly united? Are we loving one another in a way that causes the world to believe that Jesus is the Messiah?
And are we on mission together…each of us...to make disciples? Is that our laser focused mission?
Those are the questions we should be asking about the Church?
In the weeks to come we are going to build on these last 3 messages. We will look at other components that God commands as part of His Church as we build upon the foundations of devotion and unity and mission.
Today I want to expand on last weeks message and bring more intentionally from from our heads…to our hearts…to our hands and feet…and mouths.
Today we are going to see how the:
The Church Trains Disciples who Make Disciples
As a way of reminder:
Last week we said the Church is on a Mission.
Specifically to:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The primary mission of the Church is to make disciples…and we do that by:
1. Going
2. Baptizing
3. Teaching
Let’s look at each of those parts and see how we can simply and practically and powerfully do them…to make disciples.
First some definitions:
I know some of you like simple so I am going to make these as simple as possible.
Evangelism - speaking the gospel to the lost in hopes of them being saved through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
So unsaved to saved because of the gospel from your mouth to their ears…is evangelism.
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
This is the Go!
Go and make disciples. And make disciples very specifically by telling them the gospel.
Take your beautiful feet and go…proclaim the gospel you have been given…the one that saves.
Do you ever wonder about God’s will for you?
If you have been saved by the gospel…and you know the gospel…and you are alive…and you are ever around an unbeliever or a nominal Christian…and you ever wonder what is God’s will for my life…we can answer that question.
Go and make disciples by speaking the gospel.
The Church is on a Mission to Make disciples…which starts with the gospel.
I think sometimes we try to start with discipleship…or some other means or a program. And hope somewhere along the way the gospel gets said or heard.
Go with the gospel....the power of God for salvation…and proclaim it…tell it…teach it…explain it…defend it...to make disciples.
Evangelism - speaking the gospel to the lost in hopes of them being saved through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
Definition #2.
Discipleship - Teaching others through the Word and fellowship to love, follow, and obey Christ as we are being conformed into His image.
This is step 3 of the mission.
Go make disciples, baptise them, and then teach them to obey all Christ has commanded…disciple them.
Definition #3
Ministry = making disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching:
- into the place God has put you
- to do the work God has put before you
- to bless the people God has put around you
- with the gospel that saved you
- and the blessings He has given you
- by the power He has promised you.
Ministry is evangelism and discipleship.
And so here is the key to today's message…this is where some of us may need to renew our minds.
Who does the work of ministry? Who does evangelism and discipleship?
Who speaks the gospel that brings salvation to the lost? Who teaches and lives life with disciples of Jesus to help them to love Him and obey Him and be conformed into His image?
Who makes disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching?
Who does the work of ministry?
The Church!
And the church is:
Church - God’s people set apart by God to gather together and live out God’s purpose for them in the particular place God has put them.
Then God’s purpose for you is to do the work of ministry...
Specifically…to go and make disciples…baptize them…and then teach them.
You are all ministers…called to evangelize and disciple.
Let’s read today's verses:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Amen to the Word of the Lord to us this morning!
Let’s walk through that…and then apply it to our mission to make disciples by going and baptising and teaching.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
So the Church is given these leaders…in different roles.
And in our culture we tend to think…they do all the ministry…they have all the churchy opportunities.
If I can just get my friend, brother, sister, mom, dad, daughter, son, cousin, neighbor, coworker to one of them...then they can hear the gospel and be saved and discipled.
But wait…look at verse 12:
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
Who are the Saints? Y’all. The saved people of God. Saints...is the most common name for the saved in the Bible.
The church.
So the church is a training ground. You are here to be equipped.
Do you see what's happening here? The church is given this foundation the profits and the apostles and teachers.
These leaders given to the church to then train or equip the saints…y’all...the saved people in the church...to equip you to do the work of the ministry.
In other words the:
Church Trains Disciples who Make Disciples.
We are to train you to use your gifts for the ministry to build up the body by going and making disciples with the Gospel and teaching those disciples to be disciples.
Each one of you has a gift that this church will need to fully glorify God and to be built-up. And each one of you, if you are saved, is called into the ministry…and remember the definition of ministry.
Ministry = making disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching.
We are disciples who make disciples.
Isn't that cool? Is that empowering? Or is it scary?
Well that is where verses 11 and 12 come together.
The leaders are given to the church...to equip you to do the work of ministry for the building up the body of Christ.
And ministry is:
Going with the gospel to make new disciples. To save souls.
And then baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
And then discipling them. Or teaching them to obey all that Jesus has commanded as we are together conformed into his image.
If that is ministry…we need to be equipped for that work.
Why?
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
So we're called to maturity...conforming to the image of the fullness of Christ.
In order for us all to grow into the fullness of Christ...we will need each other.
As we attain unity of faith and unity in our knowledge of the son of God.
We are sanctified and become more like Jesus.
We are not to stay as children in our knowledge of the son of God. But to grow in it to adulthood in our knowledge and wisdom.
And the church is given to equip you to be able to do that.
We start with the faith of a child who says:
I love him so much. I love Jesus so much. I want to live for Jesus.
Then that mustard seed of faith needs to grow and mature...
And as we are taught more about Jesus…our faith grows and grows…and we know Him more and love Him more. And we understand better what He did for us...
We grow to this maturity of our knowledge…to the point where we can disciple others…and teach them…as they grow to the stature of the fullness of Christ.
This means my job is to equip you to be able to do that.
That is how....the church trains disciples who make disciples.
You are to be equipped…trained and taught…and come to a maturity in your knowledge of God’s Word and ability to speak the Gospel.
So you can make disciples.
So we all are equipped to:
Go with the gospel to unbelievers and make disciples.
Then have a place to baptise those who become disciples.
And teach them to be disciples.
Therefore....this is church defining.
The Church is on a Mission to Make Disciples.
Therefore...
The Church Trains Disciples who Make Disciples.
We are all to be equipped to go and do that.
The primary way we do that is by going out as messengers of the Gospel to speak it and tell it and preach it…and then baptising those who are born again by the Spirit when they hear it....and then teaching them to do everything Lord Jesus has commanded of His disciples...
We are all doing the work of ministry…which is the work of making disciples.
Here is what I love about this…it is simple.
We have over complicated the Church's mission.
We don’t need a program or a book or specific times or seasons when we are disciple making.
The power of the mission of the Church is in this...
Making disciples is all of life…it is Christianity…this is the Church.
This is who we are.
So what do I mean by simple.
We need to equip you to
Go and make disciples with the Gospel.
Baptize those saved by the Gospel.
Teach them to live and love and obey all that Jesus commanded.
Let's practically apply each of these as I begin equipping you to be a church on a mission…to make disciples who make disciples.
1. Go and make disciples with the Gospel.
So I said this is simple…for some of y’all you are like…not simple.
I think this is as simple as this…don’t quench the Spirit.
Be who you know God has called you to be and say what you know the Spirit is calling you to sat…at all times and in all situations and to all people. In other Words…live like a saint…be a Christian.
When you are around people…speak and be like you would when you are at Bible study…or at home.
So how do we do this?
1. Be able to speak the gospel.
First and for most we need to be fluent in the gospel…we need to know the gospel. We need to be equipped to speak the gospel into all of life…and to anyone at anytime.
That is my passion and heart as your teacher…this is where the equipping from verse 12 comes in...to equip you to know and be able to speak the gospel. This is something the church should be growing in day by day for the rest of our lives.
2. Pray Specifically and Often for Specific People
First, we must pray for people to be saved.
Pray for specific people…then tell them the gospel…and then pray.
Even pray verses over them.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
God shine the light on their heart when I tell them the gospel.
God grant them repentance.
God give them the gift of faith.
Jesus…I told them the gospel…now only you can save them.
Only the Lord can raise the spiritual dead…with the Gospel we tell them.
Who are you specifically by name praying that God would save by you telling them the gospel?
Notice we pray specifically…and intentionally...
We pray that we would be the instrument of God doing the miracle of salvation…by us speaking it to them.
God tells us, “You do not have, because you do not ask” (James 4:2)!
This prayer can (and probably should) be simple.
God strengthen me to speak the gospel to and then by your grace save them.
And we can and should also do pray generally over a community or neighborhood…and even join Ryan by walking the neighborhoods in Fall Creek and pray to the Lord for peoples souls.
Even in that we pray that He would give us opportunity to bring them the gospel of salvation.
So number one…be fluent in the gospel.
Number 2...Pray specifically for specific people and for the opportunity and courage for you to speak the gospel to them and for God to save them.
3. Invite people into your life.
We need to be present in the lives of other people.
Hospitality.
Conversation.
Ask real life questions…be alert and ready and present…and willingto feel the Spirit and follow His lead.
This means intentionally seeking to be active among unbelievers in the situations where you are around unbelievers.
This looks different for each of us.
One way to start is by simple hospitality....more to come on that.
Someone may be less ready to come to worship on Sunday or Bible study on Wednesday with you until they have had a meal with you or chatted about real life with you and how Jesus is your life.
So first we are fluent in the gospel…then pray specifically and boldly and then we seek to be intentional among unbelievers as we expect God to answer those prayers.
Number 4...I think this is the most powerful one.
So we know the gospel…we are praying for opportunity to speak it to specific people…we are around people in real life...
Then we just:
4. Talk like a disciple of Jesus in all situations.
You are a disciple…you have the Spirit…you see the world through the truth of God’s Word…
You think eternally because of the hope laid up for you in heaven…
You care about peoples souls and their salvation…
You have been given the greatest treasure in the universe…Jesus…
You see how the Gospel applies to all of life and how it is the only answer to those around you for their struggles…or even for their lukewarmness...
You love Jesus and read His Word and know it in your heart.
This is so simple and SO SO Powerful!!!!!
What does this mean?
It simply means that we are willing to talk in all situations and environments with all people like we would on Wednesday night or with each other.
We don’t hide our faith or use generalities when in conversations.
We determine to open our mouths and speak as God’s people, connecting our faith and knowledge of the truth...to the real world and the people around us...just like we do when together, whatever the crowd or topic of conversation.
This is not even specifically speaking the gospel…at least at first…this is just saying what the Spirit has you thinking and is already in your mind and what you really believe about life…Jesus is everything…all in all…so we just need to talk like it.
What you know the truth to be and why?
Why you are not discouraged or sad or how you overcame or why you have hope and see things differently…eternally…because Jesus is alive and He is the Lord.
Just say it.
You know the truth…so say it.
You know the love of Christ…so proclaim it.
You follow the Lord of lords…so tell em why.
You have the power of the Holy Spirit in you…the same Spirit power that raised Jesus from the dead…just talk like it.
Tell them what God’s word says about whatever it is people are talking about…and how Jesus is he answer to every question or problem or fear of doubt.
Speak the truth that you have been taught…and is found in the Bible…that we read as a Church.
Just present yourself at all times as who you are...a disciple of Jesus Christ…the King of kings who reigns and rules.
When we do this it will lead to opportunities to clearly present the gospel in a real conversation…unforced.
I have spent so much effort and had unsuccessful times of frustration...trying to force the gospel into conversations.
But when Jesus…who is you life...
When this is your life...just talk like a Bible believing, Truth knowing, Spirit lead disciple of Jesus in all conversations…
This will free you from having to think about how to say everything in each conversation.
Because you will be sharing your faith and the gospel more naturally.
And before you know it you will be inviting others into your life and fellowship because they want what you have…Christ in you…your treasure…Jesus.
This way of living and talking drives us to soak more out of our Bibles, and draw more from Sunday morning sermons, and ask more questions at our small group, and pray more and share more and trust the Spirit more…
Because will need Him more…and you will see Him work more in your life.
And then some will be saved by the Gospel you tell them and we will.
Do part 2...Baptiste whose who are saved by the Gospel.
And then discipleship becomes super simple...
Teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded becomes...
Simply inviting them into what you are already doing...
Invite them into your life as a disciple of Jesus...
Teach disciples to be disciples who make disciples.
This part cannot be done alone…the whole body working together is necessary for this part.
So as a church we read God’s word together…invite them into that.
We discuss God’s word together…invite them into that.
We fellowship with one another…invite them into that.
We pray for one another and live our lives to together…invite them into that.
And we are on mission together…invite them into that.
In other words...in the Biblical Church...all of life is discipleship.
Just invite people into that.
We go and make disciples…
By knowing the Gospel…praying specifically for opportunity to speak it to specific people....as we live life around others…we simply speak as disciples of Jesus in all situations at all times to all people…and then when some are saved by the Gospel we proclaim…invite them into your life as a disciple of Jesus.
The Church trains disciples who make disciples.
And in doing this we will truly be living out our mission....the will of God for us!
To...
Make disciples because we live for Jesus by the Power of the Spirit for the Glory of God.
Amen.