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Disciplemaking Makes Disciples:
Go therefore and make disciples ...
Matthew 28:19
The first instruction that Jesus gave His disciples before His ascension
was to "Go and make disciples." Does that mean that disciplemaking
as Jesus taught it was about to end? No way! His earthly ministry was quickly
coming to an end. Jesus would no longer be present to make disciples of those
near to Him. If Christ's words were followed, multitudes would become
disciples in the years to come because the gospel continued to be proclaimed.
From Jesus' last words to His disciples, we are able to get a
good idea of what was important to Him. Our Lord was fully aware of what He was
saying and we can know beyond any doubt that He had something very serious to
tell us. It was to be of primary importance for the church. If the church
failed to carry out His instructions ”in regard to making disciples” it
would easily fall short of God's expectations.
The command to go and make disciples is now what we know as
the "Great Commission." It is the pinnacle of everything Jesus said and taught.
He spent three years ministering, knowing this would be the most climactic
statement to come from His heart and lips. It was an absolute command requiring
the utmost from its adherents. He gave it based on His divine authority expecting
every disciple to follow the example He had set until His return.
Disciplemaking isn't necessarily the work of the pastor or church
staff. Their responsibility is to make sure that there are opportunities for
new believers to learn what being a disciple is, teachers trained to
instruct them and the funds to give each disciple the resource materials
necessary for study and growth. Disciples must become disciplemakers' the very
reason that God left us on earth. A disciple that never becomes a disciplemaker
never becomes what Jesus intended for him or her to be.
The Great Commission is disciplemaking. Therefore, if the Great Commission
is taken seriously, every believer must become a disciplemaker.
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