Author: Chuck & Deb

Chuck & Deb love Jesus!

WHAT IS A DISCIPLE?

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19)

 Ever try to make something — only to have it turn out to be a disaster? Many times, it’s because we put something together without looking at the instructions. And then we wonder why it doesn’t work like it was designed to! The same thing can happen with making a disciple. In fact, Jesus has strong words for those who make disciples and have no clue what they’re doing (Matthew 23.15). So what is a disciple of Jesus supposed to look like when we get done? Let me make this really simple. A disciple of Jesus is supposed to be like…well…Jesus! (Luke 6.40, 1 John 2.6, Ephesians 5.1) The first thing we need to do is to take a long, hard look at Jesus in the Scriptures and begin to emulate His character and ways. Then, we become not only a student of Him, but we begin to practice His ways and words and make them our own. The highest form of adoration is emulation. Now, we’re on our way to becoming disciples of Jesus and making disciples.

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A DISCIPLE ASKS QUESTIONS

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19)

I recently complimented an atheist on the fact that he asked good questions. I met him in the Food Court while I was sharing the gospel with strangers. That led to a friendship where we would periodically get together and talk about Jesus. It was important for me to provide an safe environment, where he could ask any question he wanted. And he asked a lot of them. Jesus did the same thing with His disciples. And what were the results? They were given the mysteries of the Kingdom of God! (Mark 4.11) That’s another crucial attribute of a disciple. They listen carefully and ask a lot of questions. As you read the Scriptures, ask God questions and pray that He will answer them. When you’re around other Christians, ask questions. Have two or three questions ready at all times to ask Christian leaders. Become a good question asker. By the way, my atheist friend is no longer an atheist –He’s now a follower of Jesus!

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A DISCIPLE HUNGERS FOR TRUTH

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28.19)

I shared Jesus with a young man and he was very interested in learning more. I told him to begin reading the Gospel of Mark and we would talk about it the next time we got together. By our next meeting, he had not only read Mark –but Matthew, Luke and halfway through John, too. He really wanted to know Jesus, which was a demonstration of his hunger. He soon became a follower of Jesus and sure enough, God used the Living Word to change his thinking and his eternity (Heb 4.12, John 6.68). In every true disciple, there is a hunger for truth. They long to be set free from the bonds of lies and deception of this world and our enemy Satan (John 8.32). They boldly step into the light with integrity (John 3.21, Ephesians 5.9). Ultimately, it translates into a hunger for Jesus Himself (John 4.16; 18.37). A disciple of Jesus hungers for the truth!

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A DISCIPLE IS A GOOD LISTENER


“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… (Matthew 28:19)

 When I was a kid, I loved the word ‘okay’. It had magical power in pacifying instructing adults. “Make sure you do your homework.” Okay. “Clean your room.” Okay. Only the wise looked into my glazed little eyeballs and realized I didn’t hear a word they said. Have you ever treated God like one of those pesky adults interrupting your escape from reality? Jesus knew this propensity. He began the Parable of the Sower with “Listen!” (Mark 4.3) and ended with “He who has ears, let him hear.” (Mark 4.9). Later, He would give a strong warning about the way we listen (Mark 4:24-25). Even the Father weighs in on this matter, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” (Mark 9.7). The first skill we must learn as His disciples is to be a good listener. But how can we hear Jesus? God can speak to us in many ways, but His primary and clearest way to speak to us is through His Word, the Bible (Heb 4.12, 2 Tim 3.16). How well are you listening?

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INTENTIONALITY

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… (Matthew 28:19)

 The simple act of purchasing four quarts of oil and setting them on the hood of your car doesn’t mean you changed the oil. Nor can you bake a cake by memorizing the recipe on the box. You have to intentionally finish the job. This is so apparent in the natural world. But when it comes to making disciples, we could over mysticize the process. Comments and attitudes like “That’s God’s department” or “I’m not Jesus” not only lack integrity and understanding of the Great Commission, but they also lead to disobedience. We must remember that even though the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the ultimate disciplers, we have been mandated to participate in the process. We must be engaged mentally, emotionally, and physically in helping others become more like Jesus. God does the heavy lifting, but are we playing our role in discipleship and following His command?

What does it take to make a disciple?

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THE CENTERPIECE

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… (Matthew 28:19)

 Smart phones are fun but they can also be very distracting. Once you open it, your eyes are flooded with endless apps that lure you away from your original purpose. If you’re not careful, an hour later, you could be asking “now what was I going to use my phone for?” (Angry Birds, anyone?) The very same thing can happen in our walk with Jesus. We get so involved in all the good things that we miss one of our main purposes in life. There are four verbs in The Great Commission: “Go”, “Make”, “Baptize”, and “Teach”. Only one of those verbs is primary; the others simply help the one. The word “make” is actually one word in the Greek: make-disciples. It’s the center of action for the going, baptizing, and teaching. Jesus focused all His authority and our attention on one single activity in His Great Commission: make disciples. And since this was so important to Jesus, we’re going to spend some time unpacking the centerpiece of His last command.

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ARE YOU PLUGGED IN?

“Go make disciples of all nations…”

(Matthew 28:19)

 As I sit here typing at my keyboard, I realize that it doesn’t matter how excited I am, no words will appear on the page unless my computer is plugged in (even if I have had three cups of coffee). I could type really fast or type really hard – no electricity, no words. I could have the most brilliant and poetic prose, unless I’ve pushed the “on” button, the best I can do is make a bunch of annoying clicking noises. But once I have power, words miraculously begin to show up on the page. The same is true of our going. It’s interesting that after Jesus commanded His disciples to go, He commanded them to wait (Acts 1.4). They were to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them. And then as they went, they went in power (Acts 1.8).The Holy Spirit has been given to all believers (Rom 8.9) and it is our privilege and responsibility to tap into His power for the sake of making disciples (1Thes 1.5, Gal 5.16).

So how does one “plug-in” to the Holy Spirit for making disciples?

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GO!

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…
(Matthew 28:19)

 The race official stands at the starting line and raises a pistol in the air. “On your mark, get set…” As he pulls the trigger everyone knows what to do and how to do it. There’s only one compelling option, GO! But you know, I’ve heard a hundred messages where it is correctly pointed out the this word “go” in verse 19 in the Greek can mean, “As you are going.” It’s true that it can be translated that way. But after Jesus’ huge pronouncement of having all authority in the universe, do you think one should take this as, “Oh, by the way, as you meander through life, if you get a chance, make a few disciples?” By no means! There’s a sense of regal empowerment that shocks men and women into action. It’s like flipping the switch on a big generator. Suddenly there’s a million volts of electricity coursing through the cable looking for something to charge full of energy. That’s how we should feel when we hear Jesus say “Go!”

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THE MASTER SWITCH

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…
(Matthew 28:19)

 Every house has a circuit breaker panel where the central electrical line distributes the power to the rest of the home through a series of switches. The most important switch is the master switch. It is the one switch in which all the power passes to all the other switches. The word “therefore” is the master switch in the great commission. As soon as Jesus says “therefore,” He flipped the master switch that allows “all authority in heaven and earth” to flow into every believer to ”make disciples of all the nations.” The Master Switch is in the on position and the power is flowing. But interestingly enough, it takes more than just the master switch being on to bring electricity to the rest of the house. Each individual circuit has a switch that must be turned on in order for power to flow to other parts of the house. So here’s the question; the Master Switch is on, are you?

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