MAKING
DISCIPLES: THE IMPERATIVE ABOVE GOING
Mike
Breen recently posted a blog centering around why the missional movement will
fail. I was shocked upon first reading these words; yet, the author makes the
point that radical disciple-making is the church’s call above going. Breen
says:
We
took 30 days and examined the Twitter conversations happening. We discovered
there are between 100-150 times as many people talking about mission as there
are discipleship (to be clear, that’s a 100:1). We are a group of people
addicted to and obsessed with the work of the Kingdom, with little to no idea
how to be with the King.[1]
In the Great Commission (Matt
28:19-20), Jesus commands his followers to go; the imperative, however, comes
after the word, go, when he subsequently commands his people to make disciples,
i.e. the purpose of going and indeed the end means of missions is to glorify
God by forming people who love and obey him. Thus, the imperative is often
wrongly placed on going rather than disciple-making. Furthermore, the Greek
context of the Great Commission implies not merely going to make disciples but
rather to make disciples as you are going, i.e. going is not a separate event
but is rather what we do in our daily rhythms of life. Making disciples then
should be part of our daily walk. I submit that we have missed the point of the
Great Commission because we have missed the point of a disciple and the
Christian life altogether. There are two glaring aspects of our call that we
have missed.
We Miss the Point of Jesus’ Command
Jesus’
command in the Great Commission is rooted in discipleship, not missions. In
fact, the act and ministry of missions is merely a derivative of the entire
point of Christianity and indeed life: the glory of God. By placing the
imperative on “go” rather than “make disciples,” we effectively miss the point
of Jesus’ command. “The New Testament exhibited a unity between evangelism,
discipleship, and Christian formation that provided a sequence of ministry.
This ministry sequence moved new converts through stages of spiritual growth.”[2] The Greek word for
disciple, μαθητεύω (mathéteuó), implies action as a
student, learner, or follower, i.e. as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are not
only called to follow him and learn from and with him throughout our days but
to also play a role in forming other people who do the same. When Jesus said to
go, his followers would have understood his command to equate to making
disciples as they were going, i.e. in work, education, family life, and the
like.
While
many churches focus strongly on missions, the point of missions is to make
disciples. If we are not making disciples and merely helping people
practically, we participate in exercises of futility. No matter the intent and
no matter how good an action might be or seem, anything that does not point
people to Jesus Christ as the author and perfecter of faith and indeed the
treasure greatest above all is a waste of time. If the point of missions is
simply to do good works or to save people from hell, we have missed the point.
Should we go? Absolutely; yet, as we are going, we should continuously realize
our call to make disciples, not converts.
The
acid test of discipleship is service. We should ask ourselves if we are forming
people who merely make good decisions but neglect to serve the Lord in the
local church. If we are doing so, we have only executed half of the Great
Commission, if even that, for making disciples is that from which all else
stems in Jesus’ command. Let us then not miss the point of the command but
participate in making radical disciples who abandon all for the sake of Jesus
Christ.
We Miss the Point and Meaning of a Disciple
The
second glaring mistake we make is we miss the point and meaning of a disciple.
In the context of Jesus’ words, a disciple is more than a student or learner
but is rather someone who radically obeys him and follows him despite the
consequences that may come. The people to whom Jesus directly spoke in Matthew
28:19-20 dwelled in a land and day when Christianity was unpopular and required
sacrifice, often their very lives. They would have understood the concept of
discipleship to mean more than simply learning, for if one learns but does not
obey or is not changed, the gospel has not taken its full effect in his or her
life. A disciple then is one who radically follows and obeys Jesus Christ.
If
one obeys Jesus, going is a non-issue; such a person makes disciples as they
go, i.e. as they work, as they study, as they love, and as they participate in
their daily activities. A disciple, however, does not act only on gratitude or self-satisfaction
except that one’s satisfaction is found in Jesus Christ. When a Christian is
satisfied in Jesus, obedience then comes naturally. A disciple then is first
pleased with and in God alone above anything or anyone else and then secondly
formed in obedience to Christ. The point of being a disciple is not to roll up
your sleeves and take on the world no matter how difficult it is but rather is
to be completely satisfied in Jesus despite any and all circumstances. From
that satisfaction, obedience and following is yielded. We should not spend our
time trying to convert people who do not want to be converted. The Holy Spirit
calls people to salvation so our job is to preach the gospel in everything we
do and take the name of Christ to those who do not know him; yet, if we stop
with going and neglect making disciples, we do not employ our God-given call:
to make disciples of all nations. We miss the point of the command and of being
a disciple and making disciples.
Radical Obedience Is the Proof
How
do we know then if we are fulfilling the command of Jesus to make disciples?
Indeed, how to we know if we ourselves are disciples? The proof is found in
radical obedience. We might form many excuses for not radically obeying Jesus
Christ; yet, nothing suffices. God can do more with the cup you are given than
you ever can alone with the limitless sea so no matter how difficult something
may seem, let us never cease the command of Christ with merely going; let us
make disciples who are satisfied in God and who honor him in daily radical
obedience.
[1] Mike Breen, “Why the Missional Movement Will Fail,” Verge, accessed November 19, 2018, http://www.vergenetwork.org/2011/09/14/mike-breen-why-the-missional-movement-will-fail/.
[2] Robert E. Webber, Ancient-Future
Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-Forming Community (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Books, 2003), 18.
