The Joys of Bible Centered Disciple-Making
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You can save yourself a lot of heartache in many areas of your life is you can learn wisdom from other people. For instance, I had a conversation with a gentleman in the YMCA the other day, and he was much older than me. At some point in our conversation he looked at me and said, “Jon, if you can form the habit of exercising at least 3 times a week it will really make a difference in your life as you get older.” That is good advice. I can save myself a lot of heartache if I can learn that wisdom for his life instead of waiting and finding it out on my own.
Traffic in a busy town- get advice from a local
Choosing something for a new church building- get advice from guys who have built a lot of churches.
God’s Word works the exact same way. If we can gain wisdom from God’s Word about how to live our lives, about how to do ministry in our church and in our families- we can avoid a lot of heartaches and instead reap the magnitude of joy that comes from joyfully obeying the mandates of Scripture.
This is no less true in the area of disciple making. If we will just do what Scripture says there are a magnitude of joys that will come as a result.
If we will be obedient to the Great Commission- if we will commit ourselves to making disciples- to following one, winning one, leading one- and if we will do it God’s way- no through flattering words, not for a pretext of greed, not for the glory of other people- there are resultant joys that will follow.
It happened for Paul and Silas and Timothy as they made disciples of the Thessalonians. They followed the mandate of Scripture in making disciples, and do you remember what that looked like?
They had this great fond affection toward the Thessalonians like a nursing mother with her own children. And so they were eager not only to give the gospel, but their very lives. So they worked night and day side by side with the people in Thessalonica and built redemptive relationships with them, and through those redemptive relationships Paul and Silas and Timothy gave them the gospel.
But it didn’t stop there did it? Next they became like a Father unto the Thessalonians and they exhorted and encouraged and implored them to do what? To walk worthy of God- the one calling them into His own kingdom and glory. So they ministered in the Thessalonian’s lives after salvation teaching them everything that they knew. And what was the goal? Holiness! Walking worthy of God.
And the Thessalonians exploded in spiritual growth and a desire to be spiritually reproductive.
6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.
Why were they so successful? Because Paul and Timothy and Silas obeyed the commands of Scripture. They put into action God’s mandates, and they did things God’s way- and as a result we get 2:13
13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
The rest of the chapter I think Paul lists for us the natural joys that come about when we all get involved in Bible centered, word based disciple making. When obey Scripture and we do things God’s way- and everyone around us receives the Word of God for what it really is. And the Word of God effectually works in you that believe. When that happens there are joys that follow.
What are they? What kind of joys can we expect from a Bible centered disciple making mindset and ministry?
I. Genuine disciples of Jesus who persevere in the faith (vv. 14-16)
I. Genuine disciples of Jesus who persevere in the faith (vv. 14-16)
14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:
15 Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.
V. 13- You received the Word of God and it effectually worked in you who believed- and as a result:
The Thessalonians became followers/mimickers of the churches of God in Judaea.
Same word 1:6
6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
Not only did the imitate Paul and his ministry team, they also imitated the Judaean churches. In what way? They suffered at the hands of their own countrymen, just as the Judaean churches did.
5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.
6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,
7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
Spiritual young church, mostly Greeks and a majority of them women, heavily persecuted for their faith, and a church that financially was in deep poverty. Folks, I if told you about a church like this today- young believers, not a lot of men in the church, suffering for their faith, and they are all broke- that sounds like a recipe for disaster doesn’t it?
We would expect a church like that to be in deep trouble spiritually.
The exact opposite is true of the Thessalonians! They are thriving spiritually. They are spiritual healthy, and they are accomplishing the task of making disciples and of actually doing the work of the great commission unlike any other church that we read about in the NT.
3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
They were a steadfast church because they had hope? Why? Because Paul didn’t just make converts he made disciples. He didn’t just get them to pray a prayer- he didn’t just hand them a tract- he didn’t just go through a class on discipleship with them. He invested His life into them, and they mimicked Him, and they learned as much doctrine as they could from him, and then they received it as the what? The Word of God in truth, which effectually works in them that believe.
So even in the face of intense persecution- they were steadfast disciples of Jesus. And that is one of the joys of disciple making.
Not saying that some will not drop away, but of the ones that really get it- they become life-long disciples of Jesus and that brings joy!
Boys basketball league last year- lost every game. Soccer this year- not very successful. I don’t care. At the end of the day, who cares if my kids can play basketball or soccer well. What I really care about, what will bring me the most amount of joy is if years from now, when I am on my death bed I can look around and know that I have 6 boys who are steadfast disciples of Jesus- who are teaching their own kids to be steadfast disciples of Jesus- who are reaching out into their Jerusalem and begging God to let them win at least one person to Jesus, and then readying themselves to lead that one as a disciple maker.
It is the same thing I want for this church- if I had to leave tomorrow because the laws changed and I was thrown into prison. What I would want most for all of you is that you would be steadfast in the Word. I want to know that you would be absolutely fine. And I know that this church will be fine as we receive the Word of God together and implement it into our lives.
What kind of joys can we expect from a Bible centered disciple making mindset and ministry?
Genuine disciples of Jesus who persevere in the faith
II. An authentic excitement for local church ministry (vv. 17-18)
II. An authentic excitement for local church ministry (vv. 17-18)
17 But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.
18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
*17 Ἡμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί, ἀπορφανισθέντες ἀφʼ ὑμῶν
But we, Brethren, being torn away from you (conceived as becoming an orphan- of lit being torn away from one’s parents)
In this case Paul thinks of himself as the spiritual mother and father- and the Thessalonians are his children. And he is being torn away from them, it’s like he is leaving them behind as orphans- because of the persecution of the Jews.
πρὸς καιρὸν ὥρας,
for a short time,
προσώπῳ οὐ καρδίᾳ,
in face/person/presence not in heart—
περισσοτέρως ἐσπουδάσαμεν τὸ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν ἰδεῖν
were all the more eager to see your face
ἐν πολλῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ*.
with great desire.
18 διότι ἠθελήσαμεν ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς,
Because of this we wanted to come to you,
ἐγὼ μὲν Παῦλος καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δίς,
I, Paul, more than once,
καὶ ἐνέκοψεν ἡμᾶς ὁ σατανᾶς*.
But Satan hindered us.
Do you get the sense that Paul really wanted to be with the Thessalonian believers? If you had to name the biggest ministry passion in Paul’s life based on these two verses what would you say? What got Paul up in the morning? What was the driving desire behind Paul assembling himself together for church on a Sunday?
It was the people that he was discipling! It filled his thinking and his prayer life and his efforts in life. Imagine how exciting a Sunday morning worship service would have been in that new church! Imagine Paul and Silas and Timothy assembling themselves together with the Thessalonians and then face to face teaching one another the Word of God.
Imagine if you had someone in this church that you were involved with in disciple making. Imagine if it was your responsibility to teach them everything that you know. Imagine if that person is someone that you prayed for, laboured for, gave your life for, gave the gospel to- how eager would you be to come to church on a Sunday so that you could be face to face with them and teach them the word of God?
These were Paul’s disciples, who were genuine, who received the Word of God, who were steadfast in the face of persecution, and all Paul wanted to do was get back to them face to face to continue on the ministry of making disciples. That is the kind of church I want to be a part of.
Illus. Malinda, Anita, Joyce, Andrea @ Praise and Pie
Not attraction model- people model
What kind of joys can we expect from a Bible centered disciple making mindset and ministry?
Genuine disciples of Jesus who persevere in the faith
An authentic excitement for local church ministry
III. An eager expectation for Jesus’ return (vv. 19-20)
III. An eager expectation for Jesus’ return (vv. 19-20)
19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
20 For ye are our glory and joy.
19 τίς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἐλπὶς ἢ χαρὰ ἢ στέφανος ⸀καυχήσεως
For who/what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting/exultation/rejoicing/glory?
— ἢ οὐχὶ καὶ ὑμεῖς —
Is it not even you,
ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ
in the presence of our Lord Jesus
ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ παρουσίᾳ*;
At his coming?
20 ὑμεῖς γάρ ἐστε ἡ δόξα ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ χαρά.
For you are (pres, act, ind) our glory and our joy.