I’ve been wrestling with discipleship for the last couple years now.
How do we – as the Church – make disciples?
How did Jesus make disciples?
What’s the best format to do this in?
Do Jesus followers realize the cost of being a ‘Jesus follower’?
Do Jesus followers know what their mission is?
Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20
This is THE mission of the Church…. Anything short of it, is not fulfilling the mission. As a Jesus follower, this mission is why we are here on earth… this is our purpose…. regardless of what church we attend on a Sunday morning. We are called to action!
Go
Make
Baptize
Teach
Obey
These action words sure do pop the bubble to comfortable Christianity. While people will know we are Christians by our love… this love requires action, and when done in the name of Jesus and with the personal sacrifice that often accompanies it, it’s the defining difference between who the Church is to be and those of the world. The world loves, but not as Jesus loves. His love not only met people where they were at, but it forever changed them as it called them to more. As Jesus followers, our love on His behalf, should do the same. This kind of love changes people…circumstances…communities…the world.
Because Jesus loves His Father, He obeyed the will of His Father. He came to earth to be the pathway by which all of humanity could know the intimate love of their Creator. That by simply believing in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, people could have a forever-repaired relationship with the One Who created them. It’s an incredible gift to us, but it came at great cost to Him. And as Jesus followers, we’re to mirror that kind of willingness to lay down our own plans and follow. Jesus says to his disciples before He ascends to Heaven that “if you love me, obey my commands.” – John 14:15
Here’s the thing: once we’ve made the decision to love Jesus, obedience is not a choice, it’s an expectation. If people are looking for a choose-your-own-adventure type faith, it’s not Christianity. While there is great adventure in a Christ-followers life, we’re not supposed to be the ones in the driver’s seat. And that means it’s not always easy to trust that His ways are best…to let Him be the leading voice that says where to go and when to stay. What to do. How to think. How to be. But after we HAVE trusted Him and seen Him come through for us, it’s easier to slide over and let Him drive.
I’m learning that we can take a platform and speak until we’re blue in the face, all about Jesus and the way He lived and how great a guy He was, but if our life doesn’t show that we obey His commands, how can we say we’re His disciples? Teaching information and modeling obedience are vastly different things.
Do we love Him enough to obey Him?
Do we trust Him enough to obey Him?
Will we obey Him regardless of the cost? Even if everyone else around us doesn’t understand what God has spoken to our hearts?
If information was all this world needed, we’d already have heaven on earth…
But it’s His love and our obedience that really changes everything.
The world needs Jesus.
And we are the hands and feet of His mission…the ones enlisted for action.
Go
Make
Baptize
Teach
Obey
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