Everything is Discipleship

Matthew 28:16-20 – Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus told them to go.  When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted.  Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth.  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, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.”

One of my pastoral mentors taught me some important principles of making disciples.  He really takes that seriously and he expects all of his staff to take it seriously as well.  When the church was building their new building they thought ahead and knew that they would need a power lift to get to all the ceilings and light fixtures. So they (unlike every other church I’ve ever been a part of) planned to purchase one.  The first proposal was to buy a one-person lift.  My mentor insisted that they buy a lift that would hold at least two people. He explained that a two-person lift allows for discipleship.  One person who knows how to do the job can take someone up with them and show them how to do it.  Jack insisted on this everywhere.  Every sound booth had to have at least two chairs. Even though the church had a huge campus, he insisted on having a volunteer yard crew with multiples of every kind of equipment.  He would ask us in staff meetings all the time, “how is that discipling?”  The Christian life is not just learning how to love God and love people.  It is also teaching others how to do the same. 

The content of that discipling is defined in this passage as well – “teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you.” We are to teach them to live lives that become the gospel that Jesus gave us.  Matthew records this gospel not only so we would know how God invites us to live, but also so that we would have the means to pass on that way of life in perpetuity.  Finally, Jesus makes clear that we are not alone in this life-living and life-giving.  Jesus Himself will be with us “until the end of the age.”  We are not on our own in this life of discipleship and disciple-making. 

It has been my hope that, as we have journeyed through Matthew’s gospel, the content of the gospel would sink deeper into our hearts and minds and begin to find greater expression in how we live each day.  I pray that you have a deeper love for the teachings of Jesus that will bring you back to Matthew’s masterpiece again and again.  More than anything, I hope that God has used this journey to bring your heart closer to God’s heart, that your faith is deeper than it was when we started, and that you feel more confident about why you have been placed on this earth.  Be blessed!

Question:  Who are you teaching to do what?

Prayer:  God help us see how we can teach others what you have taught us.  Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Pray for teachers/disciplers of all kinds today

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