How Disciples are Made: Disciples Making Disciples

Transcription

1 Session 1 How Disciples are Made: Disciples Making Disciples Matthew 28:18-20 Memory Verse 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... Matthew 28:19, HCSB 1

2 Session 1 How Disciples are Made: Disciples Making Disciples THEOLOGICAL THEME: The Great Commission s clear directive was for disciples to multiply themselves in the lives of others, helping them grow in their relationship with Christ until they also produce other disciples. The Great Commission has come to immediately be associated with evangelism throughout the church. While such an association has obvious biblical merit, there is a tendency in the modern church culture to separate one idea into two separate components. In the minds of the New Testament writers and their constituents, the idea of separating evangelism and discipleship into two distinct functions of the believer would have been unthinkable. In the modern church culture, however, the discipline of making disciples is frequently viewed as altogether different from the discipline of sharing one s faith with the desire of leading others to Christ. The danger of separating the two should be apparent. Believing that fulfilling the Great Commission only pertains to creating as many converts as possible may result in many coming to Christ, but it also leaves in its wake a huddled mass of Christians in their spiritual infancy. In such a state, those spiritual babes are no more able to lead another to Christ, ward off temptation, and discern the most faithful ways to follow Christ ten years after their conversion than they were ten minutes after. On the other hand, focusing only on developing robust, theologically-sound, deepthinking believers frequently results in Christians with no influence on unbelievers because they no longer know any. Disciple making, then, must include the seamless reunification of both aspects of following Christ. In his book Making Disciples: Developing Lifelong Followers of Jesus, pastor and author Ralph Moore explains, Disciple making targets the goal of 2 Date of My Bible Study:

3 Christian maturity if you define maturity as the ability to reproduce yourself. Again, this is not about gathering facts but about getting caught up in the net of fishing for men and women. If I make a disciple who does not disciple others, then I am a failure. This process is all about reproduction and multiplication. 1 Who have been the most influential people in your life as it pertains to your growth in Christ? If someone were to ask you what it means to disciple someone, what ideas or actions would you include in your response? Why did you pick those? What examples of disciple making do you recall in the Bible (other than Jesus and His disciples)? What similar characteristics or elements do those examples share? In this week s session, Matthew recorded Jesus giving of the Great Commission to the eleven disciples following His resurrection. His instructions were pointed and clear. Jesus reminded them that all authority over everything was His, then gave them their marching orders. The disciples were to make other disciples, understanding that in the face of this monumental task, Jesus was with them through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 1. Authority for the Sent (Matthew 28:18) Jesus giving of the Great Commission, as recorded in Matthew s Gospel, was directly preceded by the disciples faithfulness to travel to Galilee and wait for His arrival. Appearing to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, Jesus told them not to be afraid and Session 1 3

4 to tell the disciples to travel to Galilee, where Jesus would meet them. The disciples traveled to the specified mountain and, upon seeing Him, worshiped Him. The doubt that Matthew mentioned as part of the disciples response had more to do with hesitation than disbelief. Certainly, there was ample reason for them to tread lightly in approaching the resurrected Christ. How would He treat them in light of their desertion at the cross? Did the resurrected Christ look different than the Jesus they had walked with? Perhaps it was general confusion over being in the presence of the inexplicably supernatural. Immediately, Jesus began His preparatory instruction to His disciples in light of their new role in the redemptive work of God in the world. For the past three years, the disciples had journeyed with Him, observed Him, questioned Him, and even fulfilled divine tasks of being sent out in pairs to mimic the ministry of Jesus. Now, however, they would move into a much more significant role than they had ever experienced. Anticipating their response in the coming days, Jesus reminded them that all authority had been given to Him in heaven and on earth. Nothing was beyond His limitless jurisdiction. In language that recalled Daniel 7:13-14, which would not have been lost on His Jewish disciples, Jesus affirmed that He was not only the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy, but also that He was, without doubt, God. What does it mean to have authority? Who currently has the ability to exercise authority over you in your various circles of life? How does that change how you relate to them? Where do you personally exercise authority home, work, school, civic functions, etc.? What responsibilities come with your ability to do so? What boundaries does your personal authority have? Jesus both presented a clear indication of His divinity and kept a measure of distinction between Himself and God the Father. The difference was underscored 4 Personal Study Guide

5 by Matthew s use of the divine passive, All authority has been given to me Jesus received the authority that God the Father lovingly extended to Him following His resurrection, which God the Father affected through the power of the Holy Spirit. The beautifully intricate and elegantly simple depiction of the various roles of the three Persons of the Godhead forms the foundation of a biblical understanding of the Trinity. 2. Making Disciples, Not Just Converts (Matthew 28:19-20a) The authority of Jesus over all things meant that He had the absolute right to give His followers orders. However, His authority was not limited to giving a commission; He also exerted authority over all with whom they would come into contact. The tense of the verb, Go, has been widely emphasized. The force of the word communicated that the directions to follow were to be done in an ongoing fashion. As you are going would be a suitable translation, so long as the directive nature of the word was understood. There was nothing casual or haphazard about Jesus tone. The activity the disciples were to undertake was to have a lasting impact on those they engaged. The verb mathetuo literally meant, to make a learner. Making a learner obviously had a broader scope than merely a brief encounter. As scholar Robert Mounce explained, A disciple is not simply one who has been taught but one who continues to learn. 2 The elements of making a disciple, then, included baptism, teaching, and modeled obedience. These three elements would have begun at the point of accepting Christ as Savior, so evangelism was clearly intended. Teaching and the corresponding obedience, however, were equally part of what it meant to make a disciple. Because that was true, the process of making a disciple was time-consuming, personal, and relational. When you read Go as, As you are going, what places that you normally visit come to mind? Which of the people in those familiar locales strikes you as needing the investment of being made a disciple? How does that involve you? Session 1 5

6 With which of those you come into contact regularly have you initiated gospel conversations? How would you start one of those conversations with someone? Referring to all nations made the commission that Jesus gave immediately larger than the disciples could have ever accomplished alone. This is particularly true given the complementary nature of the baptizing and teaching. Scholar Craig Blomberg carefully noted that baptizing will be a once-for-all, decisive initiation into Christian community. [Teaching] proves a perennially incomplete, life-long task. 3 There was nothing of an instant nature in the making of a disciple in Jesus directive. The heart of disciple making, then, was the teaching of Jesus commands to the point at which the new believer began to follow those commands faithfully. Only when such was the case could evangelism be considered holistic. 3. Power Attends the Disciple Maker (Matthew 28:20b) Matthew closed his Gospel by including Jesus promise to be with His disciples until the end of the age. The end of the age referred to the end of human history, at which point Christ would return in bodily form. The presence of Christ with His disciples was realized with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which was to be inaugurated in these first disciples at Pentecost. John explained much more in depth in his Gospel how the Holy Spirit would affect the believer (John 13-17). For Matthew, however, the promise that the disciples would never be left or forsaken was enough. With a copy of the full canon of Scripture, the twenty-first century believer can appreciate the incredible importance of knowing that Christ is always with him or her. For the call to holistic evangelism, though, the unceasing presence of Christ has a more immediate impact. As Jesus had opened His brief address to the disciples by declaring His authority over everything, His promise to always be with them on the heels of His commissioning them to make disciples resonates with reassurance. The One who was sending them was also the One who had the power to make their witness effective and their teaching beneficial. The disciples success or failure, as perceived by the world, was 6 Personal Study Guide

7 not ultimately dependent on them then. The initiator of their mission, the authority for its priority, and the yielder of its fruit were eternally and gloriously One in the same. How does recognizing that Jesus has authority over everyone you engage in gospel conversations with inform your confidence to be faithful? How does knowing that Jesus will never leave you or forsake you frame the way you view challenges and rejections that come along with sharing your faith? These three verses at the close of Matthew s Gospel actually tied all the way back to Matthew 1:23, in which Matthew explained the words of the angel to Joseph regarding Jesus coming birth. In fulfillment of prophecy, Matthew reminded his readers that Jesus name would be called Immanuel God with us. Now at the conclusion of his Gospel, Matthew underscored the fulfillment of that promise in the giving of the Holy Spirit to believers. God with us is an eternal reality for those who are in Christ. Blomberg gloriously declared, In Jesus, God remains with us for now and eternity! What more do we need to persevere in Christian living? We must go out and obey His commission. But the final word of the gospel remains Christcentered. Even when we fail, He remains faithful. 4 Conclusion Making disciples is a frequent topic of discussion in the local church. Systems, structures, and processes abound for the manner in which to do so most effectively. The reality is disciple making is an intentional, time-consuming, sometimes frustrating investment. However, this is precisely what Jesus called Session 1 7

8 His followers to do. In light of that, here are some things to note from this week s passage. First, Jesus is absolutely authoritative, without rival. This foundational truth is desperately important to remember. Everything in our culture would fervently seek to obscure that fact. Where numerous sectors of society would push that Jesus was just a good man, an insightful teacher, a fraud, or the punch line to a crass joke, the reality remains that He is limitlessly authoritative and sovereign over all things. His authority gives both undeniable credence to His commission and ultimate control over its fruitfulness. This is what gives disciple making its mandate. Second, disciple making requires significant personal investment. Understanding this on the front end can alleviate tremendous frustration when the process does not go as quickly as planned, is slowed by mistakes, or even seems to stall for a season. Bear in mind, disciple making involves a person coming to Christ, changing allegiances from the world to Jesus, and then learning to apply His truth to be conformed to a new manner of living in obedience. Considering the vast change that requires, it is safe to expect a wheel to come off every now and again in the sanctification process. Third, gospel conversations are an integral part of disciple making. Gospel conversations are great in-roads to gradually (or not so gradually, depending on the person) open a person to knowing Christ. In light of that, developing confidence and skill in initiating those conversations is an important part of each believer s personal discipleship. Fourth, discipleship is never ending for the believer. That means for a believer to delay gospel conversations until he or she feels like a significant amount of the Christian journey has been mastered is an exercise in futile disobedience. It is futile because no believer ever reaches full maturity in Christ on this side of eternity. It is disobedience because Jesus commanded those following Him to be disciple makers immediately. Disciple making means helping others grow in Christ, as the believer grows in Christ. 8 Personal Study Guide

9 If Jesus has authority over all things (and He does), what does that mean for His commission to make disciples? Why do you think believers frequently treat something as optional that Jesus never intended to be optional? How confident do you feel initiating gospel conversations with people you come into contact with? Who do you know that would be a great person to learn from in that regard? How can you take a step in that direction this week? How are you personally growing in Christ right now? How can your own discipleship fuel your obedience to be a disciple maker for others? CHRIST CONNECTION: The Great Commission was essentially Jesus command for His disciples to follow the example He provided as He taught them. MISSIONAL APPLICATION: The purpose of the church making disciples is empowered by the authority of Christ and affected by His constant presence with believers as they minister to those around them. Session 1 9

10 FOR NEXT WEEK Who is a Disciple? Main Passages --Matthew 4:18-22 Session Outline 1. Believing and Following Jesus (Matthew 4:18, 20) 2. Being Changed by Jesus (Matthew 4:19) 3. Living on Mission With Jesus (Matthew 4:21-22) Memorize 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... - Matthew 28:19, HCSB References 1. Moore, Ralph. Making Disciples: Developing Lifelong Followers of Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, Mounce, Robert H. Matthew. New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, MA.: Hendrickson Publishers, Blomberg, Craig L. Matthew. New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman Press, Ibid. 10 Personal Study Guide