How Does the Church Make Disciples?

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What is a disciple? a follower of Jesus that you have spiritual reproduced yourself in their life. One life-to a life-for life. Teaching them to observe all things that Jesus has commanded us. Disciples who make disciples who make disciples.
How do you make a disciple? Follow One, Win One, Lead One.
How does the church make disciples? Or what is the role of the local church in the great commission? What purpose does the church serve in this most important commission?
Mission Statement: Faith Baptist Church exists to equip and inspire people to know and become like Jesus unto the glory of God.
Paul puts it this way in v. 1
Ephesians 4:1 ESV
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
You have been called- plural, speaking in terms of the corporate body- walk worthy church, of the calling to which you have been called.
Walk in a worthy manner church! How do we do that?
If we are going to walk worthy, if we are going to function the way God intended us to function, especially in terms of the making disciples then

I. We must eagerly and expeditiously maintenance unity in our local church (vv. 2-3)

If we are going to have a worthy walk in the eyes of God as a church, and if we are going to be proficient at accomplishing the great commission, then we must be eager to maintenance the unity of the church that God has already provided for us.
How do we do that?
Ephesians 4:2 ESV
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
Humility! What does that mean?
Philippians 2:3 ESV
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
No one better than anyone else. Every member putting the needs of the part of the body ahead of its own.
Gentleness- mildness, leniency, considerateness, meekness
Patience- steadfast endurance, forbearance, longsuffering, long-fuse-ed-ness
Bearing with one another in love- lit. putting up with one another in love (self-sacrificial love)!
Illustration: Sharon putting up with my messy side of the closet, Putting up with my wife’s last person in the building syndrome- big deal, you put up with it! Why? Because we love each other! Doesn’t mean we don’t need to change, or we can’t have conversations about difficult issues, but it does mean we don’t quit on each other. We bear with one another in love- always.
What does that mean for our church? We really gotta love each other!
Many churches what is the first inclination of people when there is a problem? Fight or flight!
Why? No deep fellowship!
Fellowship is all about what we have in common. The more we have in common the more fellowship we can have. Deep fellowship requires that we have the gracious working of the gospel in common with one another.
This is exactly what life on life ministry does. It moves past surface level fellowship (potluck fellowship), and it encourages one another ministry- encouraging, exhorting, admonishing. It involves weeping with one another and rejoicing with one another, it involves praying for one another, holding one another accountable. That is deep fellowship- so that when the urge to fight or flight comes we can respond instead in what? In love- because we truly love each other!
What does Jesus want for his church? humility, gentleness, patience, putting up with each other in love!
That is what it looks like to walk worthy of your calling church!
Ephesians 4:3 ESV
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Being continually eager[1]to maintenance the unity (oneness) of the Spirit
ἐν τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς εἰρήνης·
in the bond which is peace.
To be eager v. — to have or show keen interest, intense desire, or impatient expectancy. The idea of haste or to hasten in the sense of expediting the process! ‘Yours is the initiative! Do it now!’
What is the natural inclination of our corrupted sin nature when there is a breach in unity? Do we naturally expedite the process of reconciliation and forgiveness. I don’t know how many times I have counseled believers to quickly and eagerly go to the offending party and seek peace and forgiveness and reconciliation. But, what do we naturally want to do? Put it off, shrug it away- why? Because it is uncomfortable and we are not adept at seeking unity and peace. But, what happens in a local church over time when the members of the body do not eagerly and expeditiously maintenance unity?
To maintenance- God has already provided the unity for us- ours is the oneness we enjoy of the Holy Spirit. It is a spiritual union like the unity of the triune God himself enjoys.
John 17:21 ESV
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
John 17:22 ESV
22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
Ours is a spiritual unity already provided for us through the Holy Spirit which Jesus made possible through the cross!
Ephesians 2:14–16 ESV
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
Jesus has done everything necessary for there to be unity in the church! We do not have to manufacture unity- it is already ours through our common bond in Christ!
All we have to do is maintenance it!
Ephesians 4:3 ESV
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
How do we maintenance unity?
ἐν τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς εἰρήνης·
in the bond which is peace.
Peace is the bond in which our unity is kept.
This peace flows out of the peace that is afforded to us with God through our salvation in Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1 ESV
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ultimately this peace must be directed at one another. As we seek to maintenance unity, as we seek to live out the oneness that Jesus has made possible for us through his cross- peace between the people of this church should become increasing evident.
This peace does not come from our own innate ability. This kind of peace is a fruit of the Spirit of God.
Galatians 5:22 ESV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
What does that mean for our church and our ability to maintenance unity? We must become a church full of people who are walking in step with the Spirit. We must allow ourselves to be influenced by the word of God and the Holy Spirit of God. We must seek to show humble dependence upon the Spirit at all times so that we might produce the fruit of the Spirit and not the lust of the flesh.
That means we must become a spiritually mature and growing church.
Following the command to maintenance unity Paul gives us a series of acclamations of oneness!
Ephesians 4:4–6 ESV
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Our oneness is God intended and God provided in the one body the church. It flows out of His own oneness. It is found in the one Christian faith, made possible by the one baptism of the Holy Spirit whereby we are united to Christ, and it is as strong and indestructible as our one God and Father of all- who is over all and through all and in all.
All that to say- that if we are going to walk worthy as a church to the call of God- we must eagerly and expeditiously maintenance unity.
Or you could ask our original question- How does the church make disciples? The church must make disciples in the context of unity.
If we are going to walk worthy, if we are going to function the way God intended us to function, especially in terms of the making disciples then

II. We must graciously and “giftedly” serve in our local church (vv. 7-10)

If we are to walk worthy of our calling as a church- and if we are to function as God intended us to function- especially in making-disciples we must all, by God’s grace and according to His spiritually gifting all of us, serve in our local church.
Every member or part of the body, that God has uniquely graced and spiritually gifted, must function as God intended for the church to grow and walk worthy.
Ephesians 4:7 ESV
7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
GRACE! it is all by His grace- was given to who? each one of us.
How much grace and in what manner? according to the measure of Christ’s gift. God, in his own wisdom and providence has given every believer gifts to use in service in the local church.
To support this statement Paul quotes from Psalm 68:18
Ephesians 4:8 (ESV)
8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”
Psalm 68:18 (ESV)
18 You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.
Issue:
Eph. 4:18- “Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”
Ps. 68:18- “You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men,”
What is going on in this OT quotation by the Apostle Paul? Did he quote the psalm non-contextually? (Out of context) Did Paul use weak hermeneutics in his quotation and application of Psalm 68:18?
No- I don’t think so.
Why does Paul quote Ps 68:18?
Psalm 68 is a psalm of triumph written by David. The setting is probably one of David’s victorious returns from battle.
In the first six verses of Psalm 69 the greatness of God’s victory is pictured.
When God arises His enemies must flee and melt before Him like wax before a fire (vv. 1-2).
But the righteous are those who praise Him (vv. 3-4).
God is a father and a protector and a deliverer for His people (vv. 5-6).
Verses 7-17 tell of God’s great victories in the history of the nation of Israel.
He brought Israel out of Egypt (v. 7)
He met with His people on Mt. Sinai (v. 8).
Caused Israel to have victory in the land of Canaan (vv. 9-14).
Triumphed over Mt. Bashan (vv. 15-17).
Then in v. 18 the Lord is pictured as a victorious king.
Illustration: King leading a triumphal procession after a great battle.
The Lord ascends on high after his victory, in his triumphant procession there are a host of captives from the battle that are seen as defeated and conquered, and the Lord receives the spoils of war that are rightfully his after his opponents are vanquished.
The truths of these 18 verses are meant as an encouragement to Israel for both the present and the future.
We have the Lord on our side acting on our behalf. He has gained us victories in the past and He will do so again in the future. Our hope of success is not based in ourselves it is based in our triumphant King!
Paul quotes Ps. 68:18 here in Ephesians 4 because there is a divine correspondences between the triumphant and ascended Warrior of Ps 68 and Jesus.
Jesus has ascended up on high- this is a reference to his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father.
When Jesus ascended up on high he led a host of captives in his train.
Ephesians 1:20–22 ESV
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
Jesus has gained the victory for His people. He has defeated the hosts of darkness in shedding his blood on the cross for the sins of the world, in his burial, in his resurrection for the dead, and in his glorious and triumphant ascension to the right had in the heavenly places.
And Jesus has both received gifts from men in his victory, just like the triumphant warrior in Ps 68, but Jesus also takes those gifts and redistributes them to men!
Ephesians 4:9–10 ESV
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Jesus has ascended far above all the heavens, Jesus fills all things. Jesus is our source of encouragement in the church. He is our source of victory. He has left us a task to accomplish, but we do not have to go it alone. Jesus has graciously given gifts to every single member of his body the church in order that we might fulfill his will.
How do we walk worthy of our calling? How do we accomplish the task of the great commission Jesus gave us to do? We do not have to depend on our our strength, rather we have a triumphant ascendant king who has gained the victory already, and He has graciously gifted each one of us to serve and accomplish his will!
All that to say- that if we are going to walk worthy as a church to the call of God- we must graciously and giftedly serve in our local church.
Or you could ask our original question- How does the church make disciples? The church makes disciples by means of the grace and spiritual gifts given to us by Jesus Christ.
Naturally but supernaturally make disciples. I go and do my part, sit in the stands for a basketball game, but when I sit in the stands there is another person present within me that makes all the difference. The Holy Spirit is there and He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement. And Jesus has uniquely gifted me and he has gifted each one of us (there is a beautiful unity of diversity) to serve Him. So when I sit down and study the Bible with my friends, that is natural normal thing, but there is a supernatural element going on through me by means of the Holy Spirit according to my own unique giftedness by Christ that ministers in ways way beyond my own human potential. And the victorious Christ works through me by his own grace and by his own spiritual gifts that he has given me to do amazing things. And Jesus wants to do the same thing through you. And he wants to work through you in ways that he cant work through me, because he has gifted you in different ways than he has gifted me. But, it is all by grace and according to his supernatural gifting, and all for his glory! That is the way Jesus wants his church to accomplish the great commission!
If we are going to walk worthy, if we are going to function the way God intended us to function, especially in terms of the making disciples then

III. We must faithfully and collectively do the work of ministry in our local church (vv. 11-16)

How does the church make disciples? In the context of unity, by means of the grace and spiritual gifts given to us by Jesus, and by single-minded faithful obedience to Jesus’ commands, every saint engaging in THE MINISTRY of the local church!
Ephesians 4:11 ESV
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
Here are some of the gifts that Jesus gave the church- he gave the church leaders. Apostles and prophets (no longer have those today), evangelists (missionaries), and shepherd / teachers or pastor / teachers. There are many other gifts that Jesus gives, but here he mentions the leadership gifts. And look how he ties these leadership gifts to the gifted service of the rest of the church.
Ephesians 4:12 ESV
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
12πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων
To equip the saints
εἰς ἔργον διακονίας,
for the work of ministry
εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ,
for building up of the body of Christ,
The spiritual gifts of the leadership in the church (evangelists and pastor/teachers) is for one sole purpose. My job as a pastor, the purpose of the grace and spiritual gifts that Jesus gave me, is to equip you the saints. That is, to make people fully qualified, thus enabling you to serve the Lord by serving one another. I am to equip you the saints for the work of ministry.
God wants all saints in the local church to be equipped so that they can do the WORK of ministry. That means that Jesus gives you grace and spiritual gifts for one purpose- to minister to others!
What should your ministry to other accomplish?
The building up of the body of Christ. Jesus wants you to build up the body of Christ, both numerically and spiritually! Everything thing you do in the church should be driving towards that goal. Become equipped for the work of ministry to build up the body of Christ.
How long should we build up the body of Christ? How do we know if we have built up the body well enough? Is there some kind of marker that we have to reach and then we can stop? Yes there is and Paul tells in v. 13.
Ephesians 4:13 ESV
13 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,
Keep on building up the body of Christ for how long?
13μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες
Until we all attain
1). Here is our first marker- keep on building up the body until we all attain:
εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα
unto the unity
τῆς πίστεως
of the faith
καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
Unity of the faith- Jesus wants us all to come to a unified understanding of the faith-
Unity of the knowledge of the Son of God- Jesus wants us all to come to a unified understanding of Himself!
Teach them to observe all things that I have command you! Sound familiar?
2). Here is our second marker? keep on building up the body until we all attain:
εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον,
unto mature manhood (fully mature adulthood)
What does mature manhood look like?
εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ,
unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (attaining the measure of Christ’s full stature)
Illustration: Did you every have one of those height charts growing up as a child? Did you have an older brother or sister? What did you always want to know after you measured yourself on that height chart? Am I taller than my sibling yet?
Jesus wants all of the saints to be equipped in the church for the work of ministering to each other to build each other up until we all reach the mark that has Jesus’ name next to it on the height chart. Full grown disciples of Jesus! That is how the church makes disciples!
What is the exact opposite of that kind of stature?
Ephesians 4:14 ESV
14 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.
14ἵνα μηκέτι ὦμεν νήπιοι,
So that we might no longer be children (infantile like)
What does he mean? What does being a spiritual child look like? It means:
κλυδωνιζόμενοι καὶ περιφερόμενοι παντὶ
tossed back and forth by waves and carried about
ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας
by every wind of teaching
ἐν τῇ κυβείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων,
by the trickery of people,
ἐν πανουργίᾳ
by craftiness / cunning
πρὸς τὴν μεθοδείαν τῆς πλάνης,
in deceitful schemes,
What does that look like?
Illustration: Up Video Clip
Ephesians 4:14 ESV
14 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.
Do you know people like that? One day they seem to be energized and joyful in their obedience to Christ- they next day? Squirrel!
Jesus wants the church to be equipped to minister to others to build up the body of Christ unto full grown adulthood. We need to create a culture in our church were every member takes responsibility to do exactly that!
Do not be infantile like, but instead:
Ephesians 4:15 ESV
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
Ephesians 4:16 ESV
16 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.
This takes every member working together. Every member graced by Jesus and gifted by Jesus. Every member, collectively and faithfully, obeying the command of Jesus, doing the work of ministry, building each other up, making the body grow in love!
How does the church make disciples? In the context of unity, by means of the grace and spiritual gifts given to us by Jesus, and by single-minded faithful obedience to Jesus’ commands, every saint engaging in THE MINISTRY of the local church!
Application: Practical- disciple-making takes a lifetime to accomplish. Foundations is just the beginning. We have something we call our pathway and it provides resources for you to disciple each other all the way to full grown mature adulthood.
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