Gospel Advance

What are examples of what it means to be a disciple of Christ?

Think of the lessons we’ve gone over so far to help you come up with these examples.

Worshiping, serving, giving,

Which mark of a disciple resonates with you the most?

Which one is most difficult for you to live out? Why?

Can a person be a Christ-follower and never share the gospel? Explain.

Before Christ ascended into heave, He gave His disciples a mission which would change the direction of their lives forever. This same mission has been given to us. We are to make disciples of Christ.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We call this section of scripture The Great Commission. He appeared to His disciples several times after His resurrection, but He used this final time to give them some final instructions. In English, we see two commands.

Go

Make disciples.

In the original language one of these is a command.

Making disciples

is the central focus of the passage.

The rest of the passage tells us

How to make disciples

What do you find significant about Jesus’ final words to His followers?

What did He want them to remember?

What is the relationship between the authority Jesus has been given and the commands He gave His followers?

The command that Jesus gave the disciples to accomplish was something the couldn’t do on their own. They needed to rely on the power only Jesus possessed. Jesus has total authority over heaven and earth. There is nothing in creation which isn’t under the rule of Jesus. He was sending them to do this task under the banner of His own power.

People aren’t saved by an amazing story. They are saved by the power that lives in the message of the gospel.

Romans 1:16 ESV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Why does Jesus’ authority compel us to go on mission and make disciples?

Are these commands only for the original apostles, or for all Christians in every time and every place?

We are hear to make disciples. This is the reason we are still here.

Jesus didn’t command his disciples to make converts. He commanded them to make disciples.

This means we need to be concerned about a total picture and just not part of it. Many times we think what we need to do is get someone to walk the aisle to accept Christ. This is only part of it. All we need to do is take a look at the difference between our numbers involved in our small groups and the numbers we have in our worship service. The entire picture is

Proclaiming the gospel.

Leading people to faith.

Training them to follow Jesus.

Just because we make disciples under the direction of the church doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take someone under our wing personally to help them grow in their faith. A lot of us would call this mentoring.

Matthew 5:16 ESV

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

What is the relationship between sharing the gospel and letting “your light shine”?

This reference goes back to verses in Isaiah.

Isaiah 9:1–2 ESV

1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

Isaiah 42:6 ESV

6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,

Isaiah 49:6 ESV

6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

We are to be extensions of His ministry. We are supposed to try and carry it on through the lives we live and the witness we can have for him.

What happens when we try to do one without the other?

Through this whole section we can see that the message of Christ was meant for all. Who sees a light in the dark? It isn’t just certain people. Do you know most blind people have at least a small amount. Most blind people will be able to detect a light in a dark room. Everyone sees light. We need to make sure we are letting ours shine for others to see.

Why do you think Jesus used light as an analogy to describe His followers?

Who else is compared to light in the Scriptures?

Why might this be important to realize?

Light gives us so many things. With light, we can see what things truly are. With light we can discern true appearances. We are called to be lights in a very dark world.

The light is not our own, but the light of Christ which resides in all believers.

Some questions to think about:

What about the process of making disciples frightens you? What about the process enlivens you?

As a group, how are we doing at helping and encouraging one another to be involved in disciple making? What are some steps we can take to grow in this area?

What is your personal responsibility in making disciples? What do you need to do differently to leverage your life toward this end?