Go! Make Disciples

Matthew 28:18-19
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and Make Disciples."

Go make disciples......
Locate, identify and train others to be followers/doers of what Jesus had taught.
Replicate what had been modeled and shown in the way of Kingdom work.
Teach how to pray effectively.
Teach how to break the power of demonic spirits.
Feed the poor.
Raise the dead.
Make disciples.
Funny, isn't it? No where does Jesus give the command to "Go and make converts!".
I believe the emphasis was on making disciples.
Now don't get me wrong, conversion is the opening door that leads to discipleship. It just seems that church today is more interested in catching than in making. We are all up in the "head count" business of numbers and noses. How many did you see saved Sunday? How many new church members do you have? And the list goes on and on.

Well, what if the measure of any church is not by the number who attended the service, but the number of disciples that were there. You see, to me, church should be a celebration of what took place over the last week. The times where a person exhibited kingdom behavior at their work place, or at school, or even over the fence talking with a next door neighbor.

We have been programmed to believe that the Kingdom of God can only operate and exist if the effort is a huge conglomerate of people and money all thrown together to put on some kind of event or hoo-haw for Jesus. Time and money are not the key to the Kingdom work of making disciples. Modeling in front of new believers.....telling them that they can do the works of Christ and then showing them is the key to making disciples. 

Making disciples means to seize the moment when it comes. Being aware of the people you come in contact with daily who are hurting and in need of being touched by God. Making disciples means that we are aware that every day is filled with opportunity to advance the Kingdom of God through our simply being available for God to use.  These are the things we need to be teaching. These are the tools that we need to be getting into the hearts and lives of those who come to our meetings. 

That is why I love working in recovery. To see the lights come on in someones heart and they suddenly realize that there is more to life than simply going to church or a meeting. To see them grasp the truth that Jesus wants to entrust His kingdom work to them and equip them to walk it out. To take all the religious baggage away from the call to make disciples and show them the stripped down model that it was originally intended to be.....such gives them hope and energizes them for this new life. Tell me....who better to go and make disciples of other addict's than an addict who has been freed, filled, equipped and given a mandate to operate in such a manner? 

They have lived in the enemy camp. They understand the deception and arguments that the enemy uses to keep disciple-makers away from stealing his souls that are under his control.

There is a new breed of disciple being born in this country. One who, through the work of God's Holy Spirit, is rising up from the ashes of the garbage heap to take their rightful place as a disciple of the Most High God. More than a convert! More than a church goer! They are disciples.

God on you....
mb