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It is part of the great commission of Jesus, that nearly every believer is aware of, in Matthew 28:29, where it says to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (NIV).
Many of us, sitting in an average church today, have heard this taught to a certain extent and have probably been part of different initiatives over the years, in order to achieve the goals as set out in the so called great commission. It may be that you have been on a mission with your church or it may be that you have attended or even facilitated discipleship programs in your church or in your mid-week groups, in an attempt fulfill this challenge.
Any local denominational or non-denominational church with any measure of gospel revelation will have, somewhere along the line, tried to implement strategies in order to achieve the goals as set out in the Great Commission. However, without the revelation of grace and applying its principles to making disciples, the efforts of any disciple-making program will fall flat over the hurdle of legalism and ensuing guilt.
Jesus lived the great commission and yet He said that we would do greater works, than He ever did, once He ascended up to heaven. If He didn’t go up to heaven, we would never have received the gift of the Holy Spirit in order to be able to carry out such an enormous task.
In 2 Timothy 2:3, Paul says to “commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also”. This is a New Testament, church age example of the great commission in action. As Paul was admonishing Timothy, his own disciple, to replicate what he had taught him, into the lives of other people. Adding to the admonishing of Jesus, Paul not only knew that making disciples was the only way of changing the world, but He also knew that discipling them into grace, would form a strong back-bone for church growth in the future. The books of Romans, Galatians and Hebrews, forming the foundation of his doctrines on grace and righteousness and therefore the same principles we should be implementing today.
The following is a broad outline of how making disciples of all nations (ethnic group), can be a reality in our present generation, without turning the gospel into a circus of legalistic hoops, that we force people to jump through, in order for them to pass the gauntlet of discipleship. With love as the ultimate motivator, fuelled by a deep revelation of grace, it will compel even the most introverted believer to spread the message that they have on their heart, because it really is nearly too good to be true.
The focus is not on results, under the guise of bearing fruit, but rather the focus is on a transformation of the heart of the individual. Once the heart is transformed and your mind is renewed (Romans 12:2), then the faith which it produces, will automatically turn into actions (James 2:17) and not the other way around!
Discipleship is ultimately the vessel into which, a more mature believer can help a lesser mature believer, attain a deeper revelation of the gospels and ultimately Jesus and His message of grace: “For the Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17 NKJV). Mentoring people unto yourself is not the goal, that’s pride, it is helping them overcome the obstacles you once faced in order that they might come into an intimate relationship with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Look out for the second post on "What is a Disciple?"
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