As Believers, our primary responsibility is to make disciples. You see, only disciples can beget or make disciples in the same way as only sheep can beget sheep. It is easy to lose sight of our primary ministry with all of the challenges and responsibilities of life. Our motto must be to “keep first things first”!
We must be disciples who train others to become disciples. The “Mission Statement” of the church I pastored was and still is “To win the Lost, Train them up, and send them out!” You see, making disciples Is not just a practical thing to do to expand the Body of Christ, but Jesus makes it very clear in each of the Gospels that we are to make disciples. In other words, we are commanded to make disciples. Evangelism is not an option. Show More
What is a Disciple?
In the last three or four episodes, I made some statements about what a disciple of Christ is.
- You must be Born-again. This means that you have repented of your sin; the sin of not believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Also, to believe that He died for you and you are forgiven.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
- You are not a Christian by elimination! Testimony of intake at CPC, not a Hindu, Muslim, or Buddhist therefore, I must be a Christian?!
- Baptized in the Spirit. This means that you are embracing the work of the Holy Spirit in you and through you. Learning to be led by the Holy Spirit is necessary to become the person the Lord wants you to be, and the Holy Spirit essential to fulfill the call of God upon one’s life.
- 2 Peter 1:2, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
- Testimony of my experience. As a Believer, it is impossible to produce lasting change without the Holy Spirit’s work in your life.
- Zechariah 4:6, “So he answered and said to me: This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”
- Recognizes the mission Jesus was sent for and has accepted the manner in which he or she is called to fulfill that mission. My testimony of surrendering to the call of God.
- Learning how to be a “voice for God and not an echo of man!”
Commission
Before we take a look at what Jesus said in each of the Gospels about making disciples, let’s define the word commission.
The word commission is made up of two parts, com and mission.
The prefix Com– is defined as to be “with” or “along side.” Think of these two important examples:
- Communion – “to be with”, fellowship, kinship, friendship, fellow feeling, community, togetherness, closeness
- Comforter – the Holy Spirit who is with you, or the one who comes beside you.
The word Mission is defined as- “The vocation or calling of a religious organization, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its truths or faith.”
In the Great Commission, Jesus is asking us to join Him in His mission of “Destroying the work of the devil.”
Commissioning of the Apostles/Disciples/Us
Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Mark 16:15, “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Luke 24:46, “Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
- Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
John 20:21, “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
We are working with Jesus; we are not working for Jesus.
Recall what Jesus said in John 15:15, He call us His friends! As Jesus’ friends we become partners in His mission remember what Jesus said in 1 John 3:8b, “… For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. The devil is at the root of every kind of pain and suffering and by the Spirit of God we have the authority and power to overcome Satan’s plans and deeds!
The works of the devil cover three of the miseries of mankind.
- Spiritual loss
- Emotional loss (Soul)
- Physical loss of health
So, what would be the evidence that Jesus has overcome the works of the enemy? The answer is obvious; Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom of God by healing those who were sick and oppressed. He used the scriptures and He used the Holy Spirit’s anointing to heal the sick, in body and mind.
- John 10:37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
In Closing
When I was a full-time pastor, I would preach on the threefold message of Hope, Healing, and Wholeness!
- Hope- The Gospel is the message of Hope. (John 3:16)
- Healing- The ‘Laying on of hands” for the healing of the body and soul.
- Wholeness- The making of disciples and helping them find their place in the Body of Christ.
May God richly bless you in this season of time…
