By: Pastor Zane Sporleder
At this point we've discussed what a disciple is (a devoted follower) and who we and they should be devoted to following (Jesus), but the question remains: How do we make disciples? How do we get, encourage, or compel someone to follow Jesus? While there is much more to explore then we have time for here, I would like to draw our attention back to the great commission. Furthermore, this time let's look at the great commission as given to us by Mark. Here's how Mark records Jesus' final command to his disciples.
“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation"
As much as we talk about "making disciples" being the Great Commission, Mark doesn't even use that term in his great commission account. And if Luke is the tie breaker, his doesn't either. Have you ever noticed this before? I haven't. What does this mean? Do we throw out "making disciples" as the church's grand mission? Is there inconsistency here? No and No. Rather than trying to choose who got it right, I think it best to let the parts of scriptures illuminate each other. We make disciples BY proclaiming the gospel. If someone is going to become a devoted follower of Jesus, they need to know who He is and why He is worthy of following. Paul in Romans says it like this.
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! - Romans 10:14-25
We make followers, by telling people about Jesus. In Luke's account of the great commission, he highlights that Jesus told His disciples that they can proclaim because they are witnesses. In Acts chapter 1 we see also that Jesus calls his disciples to be His witness to the ends of the earth. To be a follower of Jesus is to witness about Jesus, in this we do not make people follow Jesus by our human cunning, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.
At The Vine Church, we just had our annual Testimony Service in which we focused our entire service on testifying about God's goodness in our lives. This is a way in which we corporately practice and encourage the whole body to be a witness of God's grace. We each have a story and God is benevolently involved in each of our lives. Followers of Jesus can all testify/witness of God's saving work in our lives, part of making disciples is sharing about the gospel and God's saving work in our lives with those around us. We are recipients and witnesses of the saving effect of the gospel, through which God brought us from death to life and continues to work in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Being witnesses of God's goodness is how we make disciples, and we do that in a variety of ways as each person is uniquely gifted and led by The Spirit of God.
If we want to make disciples, and I hope we do, we will be people who speak of and show our devotion to Jesus because of who He is and what He's done. While praying the Holy Spirit empowers our witness to those who have ears to hear the goodness of God. As those who are devoted to Jesus, we should seek to share the object of our devotion to those who God puts into our lives.
We make disciples of Jesus by being His witnesses. While we each have an individual call to witness, we are also individual members of the body of Christ, the church. And as you might recall from the first blog, I highlighted the fact that the earliest disciples fulfilled Jesus' command by starting churches and teaching the churches how to function well together. I'm convinced that it's hard to overstate the importance of the church working together, in the pursuit of making disciples of Jesus. Together with all of our different testimonies, gifts, talents, resources, backgrounds, etc. we can witness to God's goodness in a far more profound and compelling way than we can on our own. By participating in the life of the church and using the gifts and experiences that the Holy Spirit has given each of us, we build one another up and witness of a God who loves all people, works in all circumstances, and gifts each of us for the work of the ministry. We see in the earliest days of the church that the devotion of God's people was communal and God used their communal devotion in making new disciples.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. - Acts 2:42-47
These that the Lord was adding to their number, were more disciples of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was working through the community of disciples as they lived their lives together in devotion to Jesus. Devotion to Jesus as a community of His disciples is the greatest witness to his goodness, and doing it together keeps us from making too much of one person. God will use us together to do what we could not do on our own. Even the Apostle Paul highlighted the fact that he and Apollos had different roles in bringing people to Jesus, and that it was God's work using both of them.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. - 1 Corinthians 3:7-8
In Jesus' Great commission He told 11 of his closest disciples 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". This is a task for the Church. The Vine Church and its individual members will have a role to play in fulfilling this task just as the early Apostles did, just as Paul and Apollos did, just as each Christian and congregation have from that time until now. Until Jesus comes back his followers will work together to tell of His goodness to the lost world, baptizing those who believe, and continuing to teach them all that Jesus has commanded.
I'd encourage each of us to consider our testimony. Thinking through all the ways in which God has been and continues to be good to you. This will help in your worship and will also serve to make you more ready to tell of His goodness. I'd also encourage each of us to consider the number of ways in which the Holy Spirit has gifted you for the building up of the body. As we serve, give, build relationships, teach, encourage, etc we are building up the body of Christ and contributing to God's work in our midst. I hope we might see and consider how our service and witness can lead to people hearing about Jesus, in which some will follow and be baptized. We also together take up the task to study and share God's word so that we might all follow Jesus more faithfully.
As I asked before, what comes to your mind when you think about Jesus' command to make disciples? Is this something you think most Christians are doing? Are there people, groups or churches that you think do this well? Have you made a disciple? Are you a disciple? What even is a disciple anyways?
Did any of the thoughts around these questions change at all? What might it look like for each of us followers of Jesus to work together to make more followers of Jesus? I know that at The Vine, we want to make much of Jesus together and we all have something to contribute in our call to make disciples of all nations. May we be utterly devoted to Him, seek to witness to the world around us of His goodness and may God add to our number those who are devoted to Him.