Disciple!

Matthew 28:18 - 20

HAMM Translation - And Jesus, having come, spoke to them saying, "To me is given all authority in heaven and upon earth. THEREFORE, going, disciple all ethnic groups, immersing then into the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to guard all which I commanded you (pl). And realize that I am with you (pl) all the time until the completion of the ages. Amen.

In May, 2007 my wife had the opportunity to go to Thailand to see what God was doing there. We visited one church where we were greeted in perfect English by the Pastor's wife. We found out that she had worked with one of our former church members from Orillia Canada, Leona Gowanlock, who is now working in Cambodia. Soon after we were settled a young lady came into the church and was quietly weeping. Aun, the pastor's wife, went over to her and found out that her mom had told her as she was leaving the house that that Sunday would be her last Sunday she could go to church or she would have to leave home for good. A little later three teens came. Two of them had just trusted in Christ for salvation the week before but the third friend did not because her mom had told her that if she became a Christian, she would be asked to leave the house and be disowned. We prayed for each of these young ladies. This experience is typical of what is going on in the church world wide.

My heart is still in reaching the lost both here in Canada and in other parts of the world. I avidly read mission pamphlets and missionary news letters. I read that approximately 120,000 people come to know Christ each day. Of those 30,000 become believers in China. Why is the church growing so fast in China when there is much persecution and growing so slow in our country? It is because the church is focused on making disciples. They are willing to sacrifice everything including their lives for the sake of the gospel. Many teens are in training for 3 years to become church planters, they get up at dawn and study and memorize Scripture well into the night. They do not complain about their meager meals or cramped sleeping conditions on a hard floor. To them, the privilege of studying the Word for 3 years and then being commissioned to plant churches for their Master was a greater value than any hardships they temporarily endured. What is your goal in life? Are you looking to get an expensive car, nice house, lots of toys? Or is it to serve and love the Master with your whole heart?

How many of you love Jesus? Can you prove it? How does Jesus ask us to show our love for Him? John 14:15 says, " If you love me you will obey what I command." The rewards for loving Jesus are out of this world. I Cor 2:9 No eye has seen nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. How are we doing? Do we really love Jesus?

In our passage today, we have ONE main command.- disciple. There are several other secondary actions - going, baptizing, and teaching - which are a part of the command but what Matthew wrote as the main action was to create learners. You have heard that witnessing is only one beggar telling another beggar where he can find bread. I would like to paraphrase that by saying, discipling is just one learner telling another learner were to find the truth for a dynamic life.

In Christ's day, there were rabbi's who sought out the most intelligent and precocious young men to follow them and become their disciples. Christ calls all the ordinary people who will trust Him to become His disciples - his learners. Do we sit at the feet of Jesus and learn the ways of God so that we will have an abundant life? Before we can share how great God truly is with others, we have to experience HIM. The problem we face is that we are so busy with the good things in life that we miss the best. We are not preparing for eternity.

Making disciples is not to be left to some of the talented evangelists to go out and win people to the kingdom. I Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Everyone who believes is gifted by the Holy Spirit and given power and love to share with the people who God has placed around each one of us. We all are chosen people. Jesus said,"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." John 15:16

As Christians, we form a part of the priesthood of all believers. There should no longer be a clergy class, an elite group of holy people who are in charge of God's Kingdom. First of all, God is in charge and Christ is the head of the church. God has give some the gifts of administration, teaching and evangelism but that does not mean that the rest of us are second class Christians - we are all a part of the royal priesthood and God makes sure that we have the power and gifts to serve His kingdom when on earth.

God's growing disciples are "a holy people". Christ came to cleanse us and wash us with his blood. He paid the price on the cross so that we would be pure and undefiled. Some of us may not living the life that reflects that reality. There may be areas in your life that you know are contrary to the teaching which you have received. As Paul told Timothy, 2 Tim 2: 9, God has called us to a holy life... 13, 14 "What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, the faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us."

Some of the greatest soul winners were just ordinary people who wanted to obey and follow Christ. We have the story of Eunice in the Bible who passed on her faith by training her son Timothy. Timothy was a faithful companion of Paul and received additional training from him as well as being gifted by God for ministry.

Every believer is gifted to make disciples. Jesus told his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit. Scriptures teach that we are to be filled with Holy Spirit who empowers us to be able to do that which is beyond that which we can think or imagine. Why do so many Christians live a mundane life when they could be living a life of extreme joy and excitement? It's probably because their lives are not focused on the eternal.

Most of us have been taught the best way to catch fish is by talking to them. If we can only talk nicely and persuasively to the fish they will just jump into the boat and we will have a real trophy. If you think you can catch fish this way, I would like to go fishing with you. Most of us use a fishing pole and lure. What is the lure that brings people into the kingdom of God?

Mt 5:16 ... let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. None of our good deeds will ever get us into heaven but we are to do good deeds so that others can praise God. Before someone will praise God they must understand who God is and why we are doing things for them. We do good deeds not because we are just nice people. We help others because it brings us joy to see God glorified.

John 15:8. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Some of you may not feel that you are able to make disciples. Jesus promised His disciples that if they remain in him and Jesus would fellowship with you, you would bear much fruit and apart from Christ being in you, you could do nothing but in Christ we can ask what pleases God and it will be given to us. John 15: 5, 7

All of us may be familiar with the command to "As you are going, disciple!" but we often miss what Christ said before he gave that command. He gave a condition and it is because of that condition that all of us can actually be successful in following out that command. Jesus said, "All authority is give to me" Jesus has all the authority in heaven and earth so when he gives us a command, he does not leave us helpless but passes that authority on to us so that we will be successful. We are Christ's ambassadors, therefore we have the authority of the one who sent us. Just as Jesus was sent to earth by the Father and given authority, so when Christ sends us out, he gives us the necessary authority and power.

We have the record of one of the times when Jesus sent out his disciples to go and share in surrounding communities. It says in Mark 6:7 that he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. Because Christ had given them authority, they drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. Did they have the power themselves? No. Christ gave them authority and they did miraculous things.

Satan wants to keep us from knowing the power and authority that we have as disciples of Christ. Scripture tell us that the power that raised Christ from the dead is ours in Christ Jesus. Christ said that his disciples would do greater works than he did. (John 14:12) Is this generally our experience? Why Not?? Are we depending on the authority of Christ or our own strength. We will become spiritually powerful when we are connected to Christ and His Word. Jesus wants us to have a victorious and joy filled life as he says in John 15:11." I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." That joy is ours when we are a growing reproducing disciple.

Not only does Jesus give us His authority but in giving us the Holy Spirit we also receive gifts from the Spirit to do the work that Jesus commands us to carry out. Do you know your spiritual gift and are you using it to the max? Each of us have a unique contribution to make to the Kingdom of God as his chosen people.

When we have the opportunity to see God's transforming work in the heart of a friend, a neighbor or family member, do we just leave them to grow on their own? We are not suppose to make converts, we are to make disciples. What does that entail?

Mt 28:19, 20 tells us that disciples are to be baptized and then taught to obey everything that Christ commanded His disciples. The problem with teaching people to follow Christ's commands is that we ourselves do not know what he has commanded other than loving others and making disciples. The commands of the bible are not to be burdensome legalism but are to be guiding principles that we want to obey because we love the one that gave them to us. We know that anything which Christ commanded was for our guidance and our good, just as parents giving commands to their children to develop their character and keep them from danger is not considered legalism. Study the commands of Christ and obey them as you learn them. They will bring joy and wholeness to your life.

Christ not only bases his command on his authority but also ends it with a promise. I am with you always, to the end If he is with us, he brings his authority with him and bestows his authority on each disciple. What kind of power does each disciple have? We have the authority of Christ if we are his disciple and he is living in us. What a privilege and opportunity we have as his disciples. May God give us the joy and energy to be faithful to carrying out this glorious task and not allow anything to stop us in fulfilling this great commission.

We can trust Him to lead and guide us. The work of the church does not depend on the pastor, it depends on every member to work together to build the kingdom of God. We see from this passage that there is hope as we look to Christ who is the true head of the church and the one who empowers each of us individually. Can we show that we love Christ by obeying his command to reach out and make disciples as we ourselves grow in a dynamic and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Christ is the head of the church and we are to develop such an intimate relationship with him that we are fed by Him continually all day, every day! and we are not dependant on just the 30 minute feeding by a sermon to keep us limping along. We will only have power when we stay connected to God all week long. Are you?