The Ministry of Multiplication (D)
Isaiah 54:2/59:21 By Daniel Baugh, Jr., Ph.D.
IV. PREDICTABLE POSSIBILITIES
With regard to the multiplication process in disciple-making, there are many degrees of potential, but the possibilities fall generally into two main categories.
First, there is the possibility of failure. This possibility is all too visible in the community of believers. Most Christians have never multiplied themselves in even one generation. Most believers have never even led anyone to faith in Christ, and they surely have not multiplied. The number of soul-winners in embarrassingly small among believers. And think about the tragic failure to multiply!
Why do people fail to multiply biologically? Why do they fail to multiply physically? There are several possible reasons. 1. They never marry. There is no union between the sexes. Thus, children are not born because there are no parents. The spiritual counterpart occurs when a person is not united to Christ by faith, or when a Christian does not practice union with Christ in a vital way. 2. They do not want to multiply. Many married people do not want children. Sometimes they are too selfish in wanting their own private enjoyment. Even so, many Christians simply do not want or intend to multiply. They may be ignorant of the demand and the delight of spiritual multiplication, or they may be indifferent to the process for selfish reasons. 3. They may suffer from disease or impairment to some reproductive part of their bodies. In a Christian’s life, this corresponds to sin in his daily experience. This sin blocks the reproductive process. 4. They are too immature to reproduce. Babies simply don’t reproduce. They may have all the organs of reproduction, but they are not sufficiently developed to allow reproduction and multiplication. The Bible discusses the baby Christian in I Corinthians 3 and in Hebrews 5:11-14. These passages should be studied carefully by every serious Christian.
Every Christian who does not understand spiritual multiplication, or is indifferent to it, or refuses to practice it, cuts the potential for fulfilling the Great Commission in his lifetime exactly in half. Read this sentence several times, and let it sink into your heart. The process of spiritual multiplication begins and ends each time with you, with me. Thus, no delegating of responsibility is allowable.
Everyone knows that Adolph Hitler attempted genocide, or racial annihilation, against the Jewish race. Using the Jews as his scapegoat, Hitler systematically killed at least six million Jews in the gas chambers of Europe during World War II. But he failed. Why? Of course there are several significant reasons for his failure, but we could simplify them into one reason. Hitler failed to destroy the Jews because he started too late. By the time Hitler arrived on the scene, the Jewish race was spread throughout the earth, and he simply could not reach all of them to destroy them. However, if Hitler had been present on Mount Moriah when Abraham was poised over his son of promise, Isaac, with a knife in his hand .... If Hitler could have gotten inside Abraham and controlled his hand for ten seconds, he could have annihilated all Jews forever! Since it was through Isaac that the Jewish race was proliferated, and since it was through Isaac that Jesus, the Promised Seed, came, Hitler could have accomplished his purpose on Mount Moriah with one stroke of his hand if he could have gotten inside father Abraham that day. In one act, he would have destroyed the entire possibility of reproduction and multiplication through Isaac.
Question: On the day that Cain murdered Abel (Genesis 4), and God said to Cain, “The voice of your brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground,” could God also have meant that all the potential children who might have been born through Abel’s loins were crying out in protest to Him? You see, when a person fails to multiply, he eliminates the possibility of an enlarging number of offspring, of innumerable descendants, of an inestimable progeny through all future generations. May God help us as Christians to see this tragedy, and repent of our part in producing it! The history of the Christian church proves the possibility of failure in spiritual multiplication.
But thank God, there is also the possibility of fulfillment, or success in spiritual multiplication. Think of this staggering reality: Every time one Christian is used of God to produce another visionary, world-impacting reproducer of others in kind so that they multiply in an enlarging way, the potential for fulfilling the Great Commission in his lifetime is exactly doubled. You see, Galatians 6:7 is a positive promise as well as a negative warning. “Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he who sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.” But sadly, we are so sin-oriented that we spend our time worrying about the coming harvest of judgment because of the sin-seeds we have sown, instead of rejoicing that the promise of God is true: As we build disciples for multiplication, the harvest will come. Isaiah 60:12 says, “One shall become a thousand, and a small one shall become a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in His time.” All God needs is one person with the constraining love of Christ in his heart, a passion for disciple-building in his mind, and a practical strategy for fulfilling his passion --and God is on His way!
I graduated from High School some forty-five years ago. The last High School reunion I attended was fifteen years ago. On that occasion, several questions were circulating among old classmates, questions such as, “Are you married?” “Do you have any children?” “How many children do you have?” “Do you have any grandchildren?” And they might even ask, “Do you have any great-grandchildren?” I firmly believe that Jesus Christ will have greater interest in these question, asked spiritually, when the Judgment Seat of Christ comes, than the questions about sin and malpractice that haunt us in our self-occupied kind of Christianity. “Are you married?” Yes, I am “married unto Another, even unto Him who has been raised from the dead” (Romans 7:4). “Do you have any children?” Yes, by Your mercy and grace, I have had the privilege of leading some people to You. And though they may have many teachers, they can only have one parent (I Cor. 4:15). “Do you have any grandchildren?” What a joy to answer, Yes, I have had the incredible privilege of seeing two, three, four, and even five generations of spiritual offspring, and many of them are funneling out into enlarging numbers as they continue to reproduce and multiply.
A great Argentine disciple-maker, Juan Carlos Ortiz, wrote these words: “Once an old woman in my country introduced me to a young girl. ‘This is my granddaughter,’ she said. I said, ‘Do you really have a granddaughter as old as this?’ ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘ I have great-grandchildren. One great-granddaughter is fifteen. If she gets married soon, I’ll have great-great-grandchildren.’ ‘How many children did you have?’I asked. She replied, ‘I had six!’ ‘And how many grandsons?’ ‘Thirty-six.’ ‘And how many great-grandchildren?’ ‘I don’t know. I haven’t counted them lately.’ ‘How can you take care of so many?’ I asked. “I don’t. I only took care of my six. And each of them took care of their own.” This is precisely how spiritual multiplication works, also.
Question: When truth reaches you, does it become terminal or germinal?
Question: Since the Greek word translated “disciple” (the word mathetes) gives us the root word for our word “mathematics,” and since God’s strategy is a mathematical strategy, could it be that the Christian’s Final Exam will be a math test? And the one question will concern multiplication?
Think carefully about it, Christian. Which would you rather have in the long run, a bouquet of flowers, or a packet of seeds? What do you suppose the Lord Jesus prefers, a self-centered “good Christian,” or a risk-taking, disciple-making, multiplier?
One man awake
Can waken another
The second can waken
His next-door brother.
The three awake
Can rouse a town
By turning the whole
Place upside down.
The many awake
Can make such a fuss
That it finally wakens
The rest of us.
One man up,
With dawn in his eyes,
MULTIPLIES!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
“THE MINISTRY OF MULTIPLICATION” (C)
Isaiah 54:2; Isaiah 59:21 By Daniel W Baugh, Jr., Ph.D.
III. A POWERFUL PICTURE
The Bible presents to us an incredibly powerful picture of multiplication in the personal history of the Old Testament patriarch Abraham, the man who is identified as “the father of the faithful.” When Abraham was seventy years of age, he left the city of Ur of the Chaldees at God’s call and went out “to go into the land of Canaan” (Genesis 12:5). He stalled in a place named Haran, but then departed from there when he was seventy-five, “and into the land of Canaan they came” (Genesis 12:5). When Abraham departed from Ur, God had made this promise to him: “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great.” It is doubtful at this time that Abraham had much awareness of the extent of this promise, but he obeyed God and went to the land of Canaan.
In Genesis 15:1, “God came unto Abram in a vision,” and in the ensuing conversation Abram said, “Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless? to me thou hast given no seed” (verses 2, 3). “And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, He that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be” (verses 4, 5).
Note that at this point in the story his name is “Abram.” The name means, “father of many.” The Biblical record tells us that Abram lived on the route of the camel caravans that carried the commerce of the ancient world between Egypt and the lands to the north and east. Abram was rich in cattle and financial wealth (Genesis 13:2), and he controlled the wells and water rights of the area. This meant that all the merchants and trade caravans had to depend on him for water and provisions as they passed through the area. The rules of Eastern hospitality meant that he entertained them. Thus, they spent much time in visitation and conversation. When they asked him his name, he was forced to make an embarrassing acknowledgment to them. “Really?” they would muse, “Abram .... father of many .... and just how many sons do you have?” Each time he answered, the bitter embarrassment must have increased. “None,” he would mutter, avoiding their eyes as he spoke, and always wanting to hurry to another, more comfortable, topic. This enabled him to not face the peculiar looks that passed back and forth among his guests, and to not see the furrowed eyebrows and sly smiles as they puzzled over the contradiction of his name and his history. Even his household servants must have gossiped over such topics as, “Who is sterile, Abram or Sarah?” The “father of many” was actually father of none. Was he really a full man?
I heard about a couple who were childless after several years of marriage. One day, someone asked the man why they had no children. The husband fumbled for words as he tried to explain the reason. First, he said, “I guess you could say my wife is impregnable.” Realizing this was unsatisfactory, he tried again. “No, no. I mean that she is inconceivable” Again, he knew that wouldn’t do, so in frustration, he said, “Let’s just say that she is unbearable.” I can imagine that Abram was at just such a loss time and again.
But Abram was not alone in his frustration. Sarai, his wife, must have especially felt the bitter inconsistency of the situation. She must have often wondered if it was she herself who was barren. So she did an unconscionable thing. Abram had brought a “handmaid” named Hagar back with him when he sojourned in Egypt some time before, and Sarah boldly said to Abram, “Go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai” (Genesis 16:1, 2). Verse 4 tells us that Abram “went in unto Hagar, and she conceived.”
Can you imagine the community gossip that was aroused when Hagar became pregnant, and everyone knew that Abram was the child’s father? Two women were talking. One said, “Tell me more.” The other retorted, “Listen, I’ve already told you more than I know!” People around Abram and Sarai were probably freely telling what they knew—and more! According to the text, this occurred when Abram was eighty-five years of age, and Ishmael, his son by this union, was born when he was about eighty-six years old. Now the “father of many” at least had one son, and some of the double stigma of childlessness and contradiction was gone. Surely Abram was extremely proud of that son, and he was equally proud of himself. The boy was his, and he was proud of his virility.
However, there was a major problem in the whole episode on God’s side. God intended to make a multiplier out of Abram according to His rules, not through a moral misadventure involving a pagan handmaid. The union between Abram and Hagar represents the maneuvering of human flesh to be productive before God. However, God clearly had other ideas. Genesis 17:1-2 says, “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; .... And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.” Just as the name of Abram was an important part of the story, the name God used for Himself is also very important. The name is “El Shaddai,” which contains the ideas of great power and great productivity. Someone translated it, “The God Who Is Enough.” “I am the God Who is enough,” he said to Abram, “and I will multiply you exceedingly.” The problem on God’s side was that He intended to fulfill these massive promises of multiplication through Sarai, Abram’s wife, who was eighty-nine years old at the time. However, Abram was beyond child-producing age and Sarai was beyond child-bearing age. But God was relentless in stating His promise and His purpose. In Genesis 17:5, God added insult to injury when He said to Abram, “Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.” Then in Genesis 17:15-16, “God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife .... I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations.”
At this point, Abraham showed all the vanity and false hope that a man can harbor in his flesh, and he exclaimed to God, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!” It was a cry of unbelief, of ignorance, and of vanity, but it was typical of the proud flesh in every man. Even though we may be totally sterile as far as God’s command of multiplication is concerned, we may take false refuge in the artificial productivity of the flesh just as Abraham did. “Oh, but look at my record. I am a regular and faithful church member. I read my Bible often. I am not a bad person. Others have far greater failures on their record than I do.” Etc., etc. And all of these claims are echoes of Abraham’s cry, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Friends, the flesh will always hide in a substitute productivity, but God has no place for the flesh in His standard.
“Beloved self must be denied, And the mind and will renewed;
Passion suppressed, and patience tried, And vain desires subdued.”
There was no miracle connected with the birth of Ishmael, and if there is no miracle in the product of your Christian life, then you have missed the ministry of multiplication! Ishmael was born of the natural bodily powers of Abram. And God finally told him to send Ishmael away, just as He dismisses our best effort when we offer it as a substitute for the miracle of genuine spiritual multiplication He desires. God adamantly said to Abraham, “‘But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.’ And He left off talking with him.” No argument, no discussion, no questions. Conversation ended!
Note the ingredients of this story. Number one: it was God’s stated purpose to bless all the world through Abraham’s offspring. Even so, it is God’s stated purpose to bless all the world through your spiritual offspring!!! Number two: Abram was sterile and childless, a walking contradiction of God’s purpose. Even so, most Christians are sterile and non-productive (no multiplication whatsoever), a walking contradiction of God’s purpose. Number three: God rigged the history of Abraham so that he could only fulfill God’s intention by a miracle. Even so, God has rigged your personal history as a Christian so that His personal intention for you can only be fulfilled by a miracle. Number four: Abraham was forced to trust “the God who raises the dead, and calls those things that are not as though they were” (read Romans 4:17-21 very carefully). Even so, only miracles of resurrection and fiat declaration given by God will enable you to receive the miracle of multiplication that will bless the world to the ends of the earth and until the end of time. Dear Christian, if you are not multiplying yourself in others in such a way that future generation impact is guaranteed, you are a walking contradiction of the clear intention (indeed, the command) of God. However, God’s grace can cover the sin with His forgiveness, and God’s miracle will solve the problem!
Think long and hard about your responsibility to multiply spiritually, then focus your attention on the God Who quickens the dead, and counts those things which are not as though they were — and ask Him for a miracle! Then, begin to equip yourself to be a multiplier, and look for a disciple. It was to Abraham’s son, Isaac, that God later said, “I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven” (Genesis 26:4), and He added, “I will multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.” Hebrews 11:12 summarizes the entire miracle of multiplication in Abraham’s life in these words: “Therefore there sprang of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the seas shore innumerable.” And the same miracle is available, in a spiritual way, to any Christian who hears the Master’s Mandate to multiply, believes God for the miracle, and begins to equip himself to “raise the children” when God gives them. When God gives you the miracle of a multiplying disciple, and future generations are on the horizon, you will see that you never had a problem that a Divine miracle could not resolve. And soon, people will use your story as an example of the miracle of multiplication just as we are rehearsing the story of Abraham today!
Isaiah 54:2; Isaiah 59:21 By Daniel W Baugh, Jr., Ph.D.
III. A POWERFUL PICTURE
The Bible presents to us an incredibly powerful picture of multiplication in the personal history of the Old Testament patriarch Abraham, the man who is identified as “the father of the faithful.” When Abraham was seventy years of age, he left the city of Ur of the Chaldees at God’s call and went out “to go into the land of Canaan” (Genesis 12:5). He stalled in a place named Haran, but then departed from there when he was seventy-five, “and into the land of Canaan they came” (Genesis 12:5). When Abraham departed from Ur, God had made this promise to him: “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great.” It is doubtful at this time that Abraham had much awareness of the extent of this promise, but he obeyed God and went to the land of Canaan.
In Genesis 15:1, “God came unto Abram in a vision,” and in the ensuing conversation Abram said, “Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless? to me thou hast given no seed” (verses 2, 3). “And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, He that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be” (verses 4, 5).
Note that at this point in the story his name is “Abram.” The name means, “father of many.” The Biblical record tells us that Abram lived on the route of the camel caravans that carried the commerce of the ancient world between Egypt and the lands to the north and east. Abram was rich in cattle and financial wealth (Genesis 13:2), and he controlled the wells and water rights of the area. This meant that all the merchants and trade caravans had to depend on him for water and provisions as they passed through the area. The rules of Eastern hospitality meant that he entertained them. Thus, they spent much time in visitation and conversation. When they asked him his name, he was forced to make an embarrassing acknowledgment to them. “Really?” they would muse, “Abram .... father of many .... and just how many sons do you have?” Each time he answered, the bitter embarrassment must have increased. “None,” he would mutter, avoiding their eyes as he spoke, and always wanting to hurry to another, more comfortable, topic. This enabled him to not face the peculiar looks that passed back and forth among his guests, and to not see the furrowed eyebrows and sly smiles as they puzzled over the contradiction of his name and his history. Even his household servants must have gossiped over such topics as, “Who is sterile, Abram or Sarah?” The “father of many” was actually father of none. Was he really a full man?
I heard about a couple who were childless after several years of marriage. One day, someone asked the man why they had no children. The husband fumbled for words as he tried to explain the reason. First, he said, “I guess you could say my wife is impregnable.” Realizing this was unsatisfactory, he tried again. “No, no. I mean that she is inconceivable” Again, he knew that wouldn’t do, so in frustration, he said, “Let’s just say that she is unbearable.” I can imagine that Abram was at just such a loss time and again.
But Abram was not alone in his frustration. Sarai, his wife, must have especially felt the bitter inconsistency of the situation. She must have often wondered if it was she herself who was barren. So she did an unconscionable thing. Abram had brought a “handmaid” named Hagar back with him when he sojourned in Egypt some time before, and Sarah boldly said to Abram, “Go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai” (Genesis 16:1, 2). Verse 4 tells us that Abram “went in unto Hagar, and she conceived.”
Can you imagine the community gossip that was aroused when Hagar became pregnant, and everyone knew that Abram was the child’s father? Two women were talking. One said, “Tell me more.” The other retorted, “Listen, I’ve already told you more than I know!” People around Abram and Sarai were probably freely telling what they knew—and more! According to the text, this occurred when Abram was eighty-five years of age, and Ishmael, his son by this union, was born when he was about eighty-six years old. Now the “father of many” at least had one son, and some of the double stigma of childlessness and contradiction was gone. Surely Abram was extremely proud of that son, and he was equally proud of himself. The boy was his, and he was proud of his virility.
However, there was a major problem in the whole episode on God’s side. God intended to make a multiplier out of Abram according to His rules, not through a moral misadventure involving a pagan handmaid. The union between Abram and Hagar represents the maneuvering of human flesh to be productive before God. However, God clearly had other ideas. Genesis 17:1-2 says, “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; .... And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.” Just as the name of Abram was an important part of the story, the name God used for Himself is also very important. The name is “El Shaddai,” which contains the ideas of great power and great productivity. Someone translated it, “The God Who Is Enough.” “I am the God Who is enough,” he said to Abram, “and I will multiply you exceedingly.” The problem on God’s side was that He intended to fulfill these massive promises of multiplication through Sarai, Abram’s wife, who was eighty-nine years old at the time. However, Abram was beyond child-producing age and Sarai was beyond child-bearing age. But God was relentless in stating His promise and His purpose. In Genesis 17:5, God added insult to injury when He said to Abram, “Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.” Then in Genesis 17:15-16, “God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife .... I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations.”
At this point, Abraham showed all the vanity and false hope that a man can harbor in his flesh, and he exclaimed to God, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!” It was a cry of unbelief, of ignorance, and of vanity, but it was typical of the proud flesh in every man. Even though we may be totally sterile as far as God’s command of multiplication is concerned, we may take false refuge in the artificial productivity of the flesh just as Abraham did. “Oh, but look at my record. I am a regular and faithful church member. I read my Bible often. I am not a bad person. Others have far greater failures on their record than I do.” Etc., etc. And all of these claims are echoes of Abraham’s cry, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Friends, the flesh will always hide in a substitute productivity, but God has no place for the flesh in His standard.
“Beloved self must be denied, And the mind and will renewed;
Passion suppressed, and patience tried, And vain desires subdued.”
There was no miracle connected with the birth of Ishmael, and if there is no miracle in the product of your Christian life, then you have missed the ministry of multiplication! Ishmael was born of the natural bodily powers of Abram. And God finally told him to send Ishmael away, just as He dismisses our best effort when we offer it as a substitute for the miracle of genuine spiritual multiplication He desires. God adamantly said to Abraham, “‘But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.’ And He left off talking with him.” No argument, no discussion, no questions. Conversation ended!
Note the ingredients of this story. Number one: it was God’s stated purpose to bless all the world through Abraham’s offspring. Even so, it is God’s stated purpose to bless all the world through your spiritual offspring!!! Number two: Abram was sterile and childless, a walking contradiction of God’s purpose. Even so, most Christians are sterile and non-productive (no multiplication whatsoever), a walking contradiction of God’s purpose. Number three: God rigged the history of Abraham so that he could only fulfill God’s intention by a miracle. Even so, God has rigged your personal history as a Christian so that His personal intention for you can only be fulfilled by a miracle. Number four: Abraham was forced to trust “the God who raises the dead, and calls those things that are not as though they were” (read Romans 4:17-21 very carefully). Even so, only miracles of resurrection and fiat declaration given by God will enable you to receive the miracle of multiplication that will bless the world to the ends of the earth and until the end of time. Dear Christian, if you are not multiplying yourself in others in such a way that future generation impact is guaranteed, you are a walking contradiction of the clear intention (indeed, the command) of God. However, God’s grace can cover the sin with His forgiveness, and God’s miracle will solve the problem!
Think long and hard about your responsibility to multiply spiritually, then focus your attention on the God Who quickens the dead, and counts those things which are not as though they were — and ask Him for a miracle! Then, begin to equip yourself to be a multiplier, and look for a disciple. It was to Abraham’s son, Isaac, that God later said, “I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven” (Genesis 26:4), and He added, “I will multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.” Hebrews 11:12 summarizes the entire miracle of multiplication in Abraham’s life in these words: “Therefore there sprang of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the seas shore innumerable.” And the same miracle is available, in a spiritual way, to any Christian who hears the Master’s Mandate to multiply, believes God for the miracle, and begins to equip himself to “raise the children” when God gives them. When God gives you the miracle of a multiplying disciple, and future generations are on the horizon, you will see that you never had a problem that a Divine miracle could not resolve. And soon, people will use your story as an example of the miracle of multiplication just as we are rehearsing the story of Abraham today!
“THE MINISTRY OF MULTIPLICATION” (B)
Isaiah 54:2; Isaiah 59:21 By Daniel W. Baugh, Jr., Ph.D.
II. PHENOMENAL POTENTIAL
Secondly, these texts suggest a phenomenal potential to us. The potential of spiritual multiplication is the same as that of biological multiplication. The only reason we don’t recognize this is that the process of spiritual multiplication has been hidden beneath a thousand other practices and techniques which have prevailed in the church throughout its recent history. We have substituted the building of crowds and institutions for the qualitative building of individuals. Charles Spurgeon, who certainly did not minimize preaching, showed the difference between preaching and disciple-making in this illustration. Suppose, he said, that you place twenty small-mouth bottles some twenty feet away from you. Suppose you took a big bucket of water and tried to fill the bottles. Preaching would be like swinging the bucket in an arc from a distance of twenty feet and trying to fill the bottles by throwing the water toward the bottles. But disciple-making would be like taking the bucket to each bottle one by one, pouring in the water until it is filled, and then moving to the next one. In no way was Mr. Spurgeon (of all people!) depreciating preaching. He was simply admitting the limitations of it and showing the further advantage of New Testament disciple-making.
The fact is that Jesus was too smart to start large, but we seem to be too stupid to start small. The rules for multiplication could be stated like this: Start smart (with the wisdom of God, James 1:5), start small, start slow, start here, start now, and stay steady. Heavy emphasis must be placed upon each of these steps, with great attention given to the study of the standard Jesus followed in building His twelve men. His standard is astounding, and it is doubtful we will ever fathom all of its insights and riches.
I have often said that the multiplying Christian life—the one commanded in the New Testament—is like a game of dominoes. How is a game of dominoes played?
First, it is assumed that the player in the game agrees to play relationally—and according to previously established rules. In the matter of being a Christian, the believer must “play the game” relationally—and according to the previously established rules. There is no such thing as an isolated, free-lance, autonomous Christian! The rulebook must be mastered, or the believer will invariably fail in the game.
Second, the game begins with each player receiving a “hand,” or a “playing mix,” of dominoes. Even so, the Christian life begins at conversion, when the believer receives his “playing mix.” This mix includes the “birthday gifts” which Jesus brings when He comes into the person at salvation, as well as the personality characteristics with which he is endowed.
Third, the first move in the game is the playing of the biggest possible double, and all plays thereafter are made on the basis of that double. The entire Christian movement began when God played His Big Double, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is both God and man! And all plays made thereafter are made from the base of that Double!
Fourth, each player is required to reinvest his hand in the game according to the rules. Even so, the Christian is required to reinvest his life, his gifts, his ministry—his “playing mix”—back into the game, but always according to the rules. Are you carefully following this illustration? Are you practicing the standard set forth in it? Are you personally involved in the disciple-making process according to God’s rules?
Fifth, at the end of the game, the player who has reinvested his entire “hand” back into the game, wins. The player who has nothing left in his own hand at the end of the game wins!
Sixth, the player who has anything left in his hand has it taken away, and its value is given to the person who has reinvested his entire “hand” back into the game!!!!! In His parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus was speaking of a man who had received a “mix” from his master, a “talent,” but had failed to reinvest it in the game. Jesus said, “You ought to have put my money (the talent) to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received what was mine with a dividend. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him who has ten talents.” Dear Christians, we must be very, very careful with the principles and the practice of the game, because it is WINNER TAKE ALL! But he “wins” by giving everything away, by reinvesting all of his assets in the game. Jesus told us this when He said, “He that saves his own life (hoards his ‘hand’) shall lose it, but he who loses his life (reinvests it recklessly in the game) shall save it.” *I am indebted to my very good disciple-friend Dom Fosco, who is deeply involved in the multiplication process, for the refinement of this illustration.
Remember that New Testament disciple-making requires us to reinvest our total resources in other people according to the rules. The “rules” are modeled in the ministry of Jesus and in the practice of Paul and others in the early church. To see the phenomenal potential of multiplication, one may observe it in spectacular fashion in the world of living organisms. Speaking about biological cell division, Dr. Daniel Mazia, professor of zoology at the University of California at Berkeley, said, “The rule for life is double or nothing. With few exceptions a living cell either reproduces or it dies: the principle is so simple that no one has bothered to call it a principle. A cell is born in the division of a parent cell. It then doubles in every respect: in every part, in every kind of molecule, even in the amount of water it contains.”
Think of this process as revealed in human reproduction and multiplication. One fertilized human cell multiplies itself, in a mere nine months of pregnancy, no less that 120,000,000,000 times! And this does not occur haphazardly, but in such a way as to create the marvel of a human baby with all of its personality and the organic complexity of its human nature built into it. The same phenomenal potential applies to spiritual multiplication, but we are so accustomed to thinking in terms of addition (and division and subtraction!) that we have difficulty conceiving of the phenomenal possibility of multiplication in the spiritual realm. The New Testament, however, often refers to the Church of Jesus Christ as a “Body” of living cells, each one of which is expected to reproduce and multiply many times over.
Did you know that the principle of multiplication is even presented in the Bible in an astounding negative manner? In the Old Testament, whenever Israel followed the Lord and obeyed His laws, they were blessed abundantly (Leviticus 26:3-13). But whenever they disobeyed the Lord, if the nation did not repent, God said, “I will punish you seven times more for your sins” (Lev. 26:18). The former amount of discipline was increased sevenfold (see further, Lev. 26:19-20). If that does not lead to their repentance, God will increase the discipline in a multiplying ratio. Note, this is not mere addition. This is multiplication! “They have sown the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind,” the Bible says. By the time the third cycle of discipline has arrived, the original declared amount of the discipline has been multiplied forty-nine times! You see, dear friend, there is a great deal more judgment in our world, in our communities, in our lives, than we realize. The Eugene Peterson translation of Galatians 6:7 says, “Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest.” And everyone knows the staggering potential for multiplication there is in a harvest—if the farmer keeps re-sowing the seed that is produced in each season’s crop! A human being may continue in sin, but stand warned—there is an ever-enlarging harvest coming!
An old adage says, “Anyone can count the number of seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.” Here is the power of multiplication again, and this time the illustration is positive and beneficial.
Some years ago, a strange exhibit appeared in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. It was in the form of a large checkerboard with the usual sixty-four squares. The square in the lower left hand corner of the board had one wheat seed glued on it. The second square had two, and the third square four; then, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four, one hundred twenty-eight. Then the process stopped. The rest of the board was empty. A plaque in front of the exhibit explained it. “Note that the wheat seed is doubled with each new square. At the eighth unit, the square was so full of wheat seeds that there was not room for the next succession in the next square. However, had we continued the process through the sixty-fourth square, doubling the sum each time, there would have been enough wheat seeds to fill the entire sub-continent of India fifty feet deep!” You see, this is very difficult for us to realize or appreciate, because we have great difficulty in conceiving such prolific multiplication. Tragically, this handicap applies to our spiritual understanding as well. Each Christian is intended to multiply in a nearly infinite way—but remember, God has established the rules of multiplication, and most Christians are “coloring outside the lines.” Let Christian pastors provide the illustration. Hear this quote: “Often today a pastor will spend perhaps thirty to forty years in the ministry, in perhaps eight or more churches, and would be hard-pressed to name a half dozen people who, as a result of his ministry, have become devoted and effective disciple-makers.” Of course, this statement is not universally true among pastors, but it is tragically far too typical. I was at lunch with a prominent pastor some years ago, and we were discussing the Biblical ministry of disciple-making (at his lead). When I had answered a number of his questions about the disciple-making process, he sadly acknowledged, “Well, after two long pastorates in which I have faithfully preached the Word and led the churches, I don’t think that I could name two multiplying disciple-makers who have emerged out of the two pastorates.” This was said remorsefully, but I fear that his statement echoes the truth of large numbers of leaders. And the rule holds: “Like leader, like people.” If the leader does not understand and practice spiritual multiplication by Jesus-standardized disciple-making, his people will not understand or practice it, either.
The rules of spiritual multiplication could be summed up in a simple succession which may be traced in several passages of the New Testament. We will use I Thessalonians 1:1-4 as an example.
Stage Number One: The Gospel must be confidently proclaimed in a widespread way in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, “Our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.” Obviously, evangelism is the necessary first step in disciple-making.
Stage Number Two: The life of Christ must be portrayed in the person of the disciple-maker. Paul said, “Ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” The Jesus we preach and share must be incarnated in our lives. We must be what we want to reproduce, because everything reproduces after its kind.
Stage Number Three: Other people must volunteer (or be enlisted) to follow the disciple-maker. “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord.” In I Corinthians 11:1, Paul said, “Be ye imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” In I Corinthians 4:16, he said, “I beseech you, be ye followers of me.” Paul knew that all concepts and practices of the Christian life are best communicated incarnationally and close-up. He literally drew people to himself and shared his life with them. Like Jesus, Paul practiced on-the-job training. Paul wrote to his primary disciple, Timothy, “You have fully known my doctrine, lifestyle, purpose, faith, patience, etc.” Paul assumed the risk of giving his life away to his disciples, and so must we.
Stage Number Four: The disciple-maker must teach the disciple how to multiply through future generations, and hold him accountable to follow the prescribed rules to do so. “Ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.” In every possible way, the disciple must be led to pass the message of the Gospel and the strategy of multiplication on to future generations. Follow the progression in these verses carefully: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy —> the Thessalonian believers —> believers in Macedonia and Achaia —> “in every place your faith in God is spread abroad.” Here is another clear example of spiritual multiplication, and again, the phenomenal potential is revealed.
I want to “interrupt myself” at this point and explain the practical steps in the development of faith. It will be seen that these steps fit into the multiplication process.
Step One: Exposure. The “prospect” for anything Christian must first be exposed to the concept. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Of course, this verse is referring to the imparting of Biblical truth, but it could generally be said that the truth may be walking or written. It may be communicated incarnationally or propositionally. It must be heard and/or seen by the “prospect.”
Step Two: Explanation. Somebody must explain what the prospect has seen. “Be ready always to give an answer (“apologia,” a propositional presentation) to every man who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (I Peter 3:15). Every Christian should be skilled in making this presentation, so that the prospect will clearly understand the truths, demands and benefits of the Gospel.
Step Three: Experiment. The prospect is responsible to repent of personal sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. “As many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name” (John 1:12).
Step Four: Experience. The initial Christian experience is called “being born again,” or “the new birth.” It is as real an experience, and as radical, as physical birth. We are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which lives and remains forever” (I Peter 1:23).
Step Five: Expression. The newborn believer must express his new faith and life. He must confess Jesus publicly. A newborn Christian can no more hide his new life than a newborn baby can hide its new life. Just as new physical life is expressed in a variety of ways—sound, movement, etc. —it is the same with spiritual life.
Step Six: Expansion. The newborn soul will “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18). Living things will grow. The new Christian will grow. And as he does, he will be the “exhibit point” for somebody else’s exposure to Jesus Christ and the Gospel, and the progression begins again. So these practical steps of a believer’s faith are a part of the multiplication process. What phenomenal potential there is in this process.
Let me resort to a well-known illustration. Suppose there was an evangelist (a Billy Graham type) who could and did win 1,000 people every day to Christ. Each of these persons is a genuine convert to Christ (but only a convert). Suppose you could “freeze” the present population of the world so that nobody else is born and nobody dies until the process of converting the world is completed. Do you know how long it would take to win the present population of the world to Christ at the rate of 1,000 converts per day? It would take roughly 15,000 years! If you had a Pentecost every day (3,000 souls a day won to Christ), it would still take 5,000 years to convert everybody on earth today! But if you achieved a multiplication process in which one maturing Christian trained and discipled another Christian for one year, until the disciple could do the same for someone else, and the two of them repeated the process the second year with two more, and then the third year, the four took four more (producing eight in three year) .... The most obvious thing about this process is that it is so slow; this is the reason many pastors and leaders cannot even imagine becoming involved in such a progression. However, this “slow” process would theoretically pass the evangelist’s rate of conversion at the beginning of the 23rd year—and this process is producing multiplying disciples, not mere converts. Spiritual multiplication, when properly done, has phenomenal potential for world impact. Do not misunderstand this illustration. The illustration is too “neat and tidy” to reflect the dynamic realities of actual relational life. The actual process is not this cut-and-dried, and will be far more erratic.
Isaiah 54:2; Isaiah 59:21 By Daniel W. Baugh, Jr., Ph.D.
II. PHENOMENAL POTENTIAL
Secondly, these texts suggest a phenomenal potential to us. The potential of spiritual multiplication is the same as that of biological multiplication. The only reason we don’t recognize this is that the process of spiritual multiplication has been hidden beneath a thousand other practices and techniques which have prevailed in the church throughout its recent history. We have substituted the building of crowds and institutions for the qualitative building of individuals. Charles Spurgeon, who certainly did not minimize preaching, showed the difference between preaching and disciple-making in this illustration. Suppose, he said, that you place twenty small-mouth bottles some twenty feet away from you. Suppose you took a big bucket of water and tried to fill the bottles. Preaching would be like swinging the bucket in an arc from a distance of twenty feet and trying to fill the bottles by throwing the water toward the bottles. But disciple-making would be like taking the bucket to each bottle one by one, pouring in the water until it is filled, and then moving to the next one. In no way was Mr. Spurgeon (of all people!) depreciating preaching. He was simply admitting the limitations of it and showing the further advantage of New Testament disciple-making.
The fact is that Jesus was too smart to start large, but we seem to be too stupid to start small. The rules for multiplication could be stated like this: Start smart (with the wisdom of God, James 1:5), start small, start slow, start here, start now, and stay steady. Heavy emphasis must be placed upon each of these steps, with great attention given to the study of the standard Jesus followed in building His twelve men. His standard is astounding, and it is doubtful we will ever fathom all of its insights and riches.
I have often said that the multiplying Christian life—the one commanded in the New Testament—is like a game of dominoes. How is a game of dominoes played?
First, it is assumed that the player in the game agrees to play relationally—and according to previously established rules. In the matter of being a Christian, the believer must “play the game” relationally—and according to the previously established rules. There is no such thing as an isolated, free-lance, autonomous Christian! The rulebook must be mastered, or the believer will invariably fail in the game.
Second, the game begins with each player receiving a “hand,” or a “playing mix,” of dominoes. Even so, the Christian life begins at conversion, when the believer receives his “playing mix.” This mix includes the “birthday gifts” which Jesus brings when He comes into the person at salvation, as well as the personality characteristics with which he is endowed.
Third, the first move in the game is the playing of the biggest possible double, and all plays thereafter are made on the basis of that double. The entire Christian movement began when God played His Big Double, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is both God and man! And all plays made thereafter are made from the base of that Double!
Fourth, each player is required to reinvest his hand in the game according to the rules. Even so, the Christian is required to reinvest his life, his gifts, his ministry—his “playing mix”—back into the game, but always according to the rules. Are you carefully following this illustration? Are you practicing the standard set forth in it? Are you personally involved in the disciple-making process according to God’s rules?
Fifth, at the end of the game, the player who has reinvested his entire “hand” back into the game, wins. The player who has nothing left in his own hand at the end of the game wins!
Sixth, the player who has anything left in his hand has it taken away, and its value is given to the person who has reinvested his entire “hand” back into the game!!!!! In His parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus was speaking of a man who had received a “mix” from his master, a “talent,” but had failed to reinvest it in the game. Jesus said, “You ought to have put my money (the talent) to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received what was mine with a dividend. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him who has ten talents.” Dear Christians, we must be very, very careful with the principles and the practice of the game, because it is WINNER TAKE ALL! But he “wins” by giving everything away, by reinvesting all of his assets in the game. Jesus told us this when He said, “He that saves his own life (hoards his ‘hand’) shall lose it, but he who loses his life (reinvests it recklessly in the game) shall save it.” *I am indebted to my very good disciple-friend Dom Fosco, who is deeply involved in the multiplication process, for the refinement of this illustration.
Remember that New Testament disciple-making requires us to reinvest our total resources in other people according to the rules. The “rules” are modeled in the ministry of Jesus and in the practice of Paul and others in the early church. To see the phenomenal potential of multiplication, one may observe it in spectacular fashion in the world of living organisms. Speaking about biological cell division, Dr. Daniel Mazia, professor of zoology at the University of California at Berkeley, said, “The rule for life is double or nothing. With few exceptions a living cell either reproduces or it dies: the principle is so simple that no one has bothered to call it a principle. A cell is born in the division of a parent cell. It then doubles in every respect: in every part, in every kind of molecule, even in the amount of water it contains.”
Think of this process as revealed in human reproduction and multiplication. One fertilized human cell multiplies itself, in a mere nine months of pregnancy, no less that 120,000,000,000 times! And this does not occur haphazardly, but in such a way as to create the marvel of a human baby with all of its personality and the organic complexity of its human nature built into it. The same phenomenal potential applies to spiritual multiplication, but we are so accustomed to thinking in terms of addition (and division and subtraction!) that we have difficulty conceiving of the phenomenal possibility of multiplication in the spiritual realm. The New Testament, however, often refers to the Church of Jesus Christ as a “Body” of living cells, each one of which is expected to reproduce and multiply many times over.
Did you know that the principle of multiplication is even presented in the Bible in an astounding negative manner? In the Old Testament, whenever Israel followed the Lord and obeyed His laws, they were blessed abundantly (Leviticus 26:3-13). But whenever they disobeyed the Lord, if the nation did not repent, God said, “I will punish you seven times more for your sins” (Lev. 26:18). The former amount of discipline was increased sevenfold (see further, Lev. 26:19-20). If that does not lead to their repentance, God will increase the discipline in a multiplying ratio. Note, this is not mere addition. This is multiplication! “They have sown the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind,” the Bible says. By the time the third cycle of discipline has arrived, the original declared amount of the discipline has been multiplied forty-nine times! You see, dear friend, there is a great deal more judgment in our world, in our communities, in our lives, than we realize. The Eugene Peterson translation of Galatians 6:7 says, “Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest.” And everyone knows the staggering potential for multiplication there is in a harvest—if the farmer keeps re-sowing the seed that is produced in each season’s crop! A human being may continue in sin, but stand warned—there is an ever-enlarging harvest coming!
An old adage says, “Anyone can count the number of seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.” Here is the power of multiplication again, and this time the illustration is positive and beneficial.
Some years ago, a strange exhibit appeared in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. It was in the form of a large checkerboard with the usual sixty-four squares. The square in the lower left hand corner of the board had one wheat seed glued on it. The second square had two, and the third square four; then, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four, one hundred twenty-eight. Then the process stopped. The rest of the board was empty. A plaque in front of the exhibit explained it. “Note that the wheat seed is doubled with each new square. At the eighth unit, the square was so full of wheat seeds that there was not room for the next succession in the next square. However, had we continued the process through the sixty-fourth square, doubling the sum each time, there would have been enough wheat seeds to fill the entire sub-continent of India fifty feet deep!” You see, this is very difficult for us to realize or appreciate, because we have great difficulty in conceiving such prolific multiplication. Tragically, this handicap applies to our spiritual understanding as well. Each Christian is intended to multiply in a nearly infinite way—but remember, God has established the rules of multiplication, and most Christians are “coloring outside the lines.” Let Christian pastors provide the illustration. Hear this quote: “Often today a pastor will spend perhaps thirty to forty years in the ministry, in perhaps eight or more churches, and would be hard-pressed to name a half dozen people who, as a result of his ministry, have become devoted and effective disciple-makers.” Of course, this statement is not universally true among pastors, but it is tragically far too typical. I was at lunch with a prominent pastor some years ago, and we were discussing the Biblical ministry of disciple-making (at his lead). When I had answered a number of his questions about the disciple-making process, he sadly acknowledged, “Well, after two long pastorates in which I have faithfully preached the Word and led the churches, I don’t think that I could name two multiplying disciple-makers who have emerged out of the two pastorates.” This was said remorsefully, but I fear that his statement echoes the truth of large numbers of leaders. And the rule holds: “Like leader, like people.” If the leader does not understand and practice spiritual multiplication by Jesus-standardized disciple-making, his people will not understand or practice it, either.
The rules of spiritual multiplication could be summed up in a simple succession which may be traced in several passages of the New Testament. We will use I Thessalonians 1:1-4 as an example.
Stage Number One: The Gospel must be confidently proclaimed in a widespread way in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, “Our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.” Obviously, evangelism is the necessary first step in disciple-making.
Stage Number Two: The life of Christ must be portrayed in the person of the disciple-maker. Paul said, “Ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” The Jesus we preach and share must be incarnated in our lives. We must be what we want to reproduce, because everything reproduces after its kind.
Stage Number Three: Other people must volunteer (or be enlisted) to follow the disciple-maker. “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord.” In I Corinthians 11:1, Paul said, “Be ye imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” In I Corinthians 4:16, he said, “I beseech you, be ye followers of me.” Paul knew that all concepts and practices of the Christian life are best communicated incarnationally and close-up. He literally drew people to himself and shared his life with them. Like Jesus, Paul practiced on-the-job training. Paul wrote to his primary disciple, Timothy, “You have fully known my doctrine, lifestyle, purpose, faith, patience, etc.” Paul assumed the risk of giving his life away to his disciples, and so must we.
Stage Number Four: The disciple-maker must teach the disciple how to multiply through future generations, and hold him accountable to follow the prescribed rules to do so. “Ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.” In every possible way, the disciple must be led to pass the message of the Gospel and the strategy of multiplication on to future generations. Follow the progression in these verses carefully: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy —> the Thessalonian believers —> believers in Macedonia and Achaia —> “in every place your faith in God is spread abroad.” Here is another clear example of spiritual multiplication, and again, the phenomenal potential is revealed.
I want to “interrupt myself” at this point and explain the practical steps in the development of faith. It will be seen that these steps fit into the multiplication process.
Step One: Exposure. The “prospect” for anything Christian must first be exposed to the concept. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Of course, this verse is referring to the imparting of Biblical truth, but it could generally be said that the truth may be walking or written. It may be communicated incarnationally or propositionally. It must be heard and/or seen by the “prospect.”
Step Two: Explanation. Somebody must explain what the prospect has seen. “Be ready always to give an answer (“apologia,” a propositional presentation) to every man who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (I Peter 3:15). Every Christian should be skilled in making this presentation, so that the prospect will clearly understand the truths, demands and benefits of the Gospel.
Step Three: Experiment. The prospect is responsible to repent of personal sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. “As many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name” (John 1:12).
Step Four: Experience. The initial Christian experience is called “being born again,” or “the new birth.” It is as real an experience, and as radical, as physical birth. We are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which lives and remains forever” (I Peter 1:23).
Step Five: Expression. The newborn believer must express his new faith and life. He must confess Jesus publicly. A newborn Christian can no more hide his new life than a newborn baby can hide its new life. Just as new physical life is expressed in a variety of ways—sound, movement, etc. —it is the same with spiritual life.
Step Six: Expansion. The newborn soul will “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18). Living things will grow. The new Christian will grow. And as he does, he will be the “exhibit point” for somebody else’s exposure to Jesus Christ and the Gospel, and the progression begins again. So these practical steps of a believer’s faith are a part of the multiplication process. What phenomenal potential there is in this process.
Let me resort to a well-known illustration. Suppose there was an evangelist (a Billy Graham type) who could and did win 1,000 people every day to Christ. Each of these persons is a genuine convert to Christ (but only a convert). Suppose you could “freeze” the present population of the world so that nobody else is born and nobody dies until the process of converting the world is completed. Do you know how long it would take to win the present population of the world to Christ at the rate of 1,000 converts per day? It would take roughly 15,000 years! If you had a Pentecost every day (3,000 souls a day won to Christ), it would still take 5,000 years to convert everybody on earth today! But if you achieved a multiplication process in which one maturing Christian trained and discipled another Christian for one year, until the disciple could do the same for someone else, and the two of them repeated the process the second year with two more, and then the third year, the four took four more (producing eight in three year) .... The most obvious thing about this process is that it is so slow; this is the reason many pastors and leaders cannot even imagine becoming involved in such a progression. However, this “slow” process would theoretically pass the evangelist’s rate of conversion at the beginning of the 23rd year—and this process is producing multiplying disciples, not mere converts. Spiritual multiplication, when properly done, has phenomenal potential for world impact. Do not misunderstand this illustration. The illustration is too “neat and tidy” to reflect the dynamic realities of actual relational life. The actual process is not this cut-and-dried, and will be far more erratic.
“THE MINISTRY OF MULTIPLICATION”(A)
Isaiah 54:2; Isaiah 59:21 By Daniel W. Baugh, Jr., Ph.D.
“Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation; spare not, lengthen thy cords, strengthen thy stakes.”
“As for Me, this is My covenant with them, says the Lord: My Spirit Who is upon you (and Who writes the law of God inwardly in the heart), and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your (true, spiritual) children, or out of the mouth of your children’s children, says the Lord, from henceforth and for ever” (Amplified Bible)
In this study, I am borrowing these two texts from the prophet Isaiah. Though these passages address another matter altogether, each contains a clear outline of God’s New Testament strategy for Christians. We can draw a massive New Testament principle from the Old Testament location of these passages. These passages follow the great 53rd chapter of Isaiah, which is the Gospel of the Cross presented in the Old Testament. The principle is that the Conquest must always follow the Cross. The Book of Acts followed hard on the heels of Calvary. It is the Cross that carries us into the territory of conquest, and it is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to conquer.
Look at Isaiah 54:2. Though it is an Old Testament text, it clearly reveals both God’s goal for the Christian and the plan to reach it. The goal, stated in picturesque language, is to “enlarge the place of thy tent.” This is an Eastern figure taken from the nomadic life of the Eastern shepherd. Your “tent” is your place of operation, your sphere of magnitude, your center of influence. So the verse tells you to expand your life, to enlarge your influence for Christ. The plan for accomplishing this goal is in the phrases, “lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.” And we must not miss the strategic phrase, “let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations.” This suggests the strategic place of your disciples in advancing the multiplication process. The command to “spare not” lets us know that cost should not be a consideration, that any investment of time, effort, or money will more than repay the investor. This verse covers all the bases in disciple-making, and the disciple-making that is entailed here will produce a ministry of multiplication. The detectable steps are:
1. Educate your vision, so that it is increasingly a reflection of “God’s point of view”;
2. Expand your life and trust God to enlarge your influence for His sake;
3. Extend your outreach, a matter of ministry;
4. Establish a solid base of operations at home; and
5. Expect your disciples to enlarge your ministry beyond calculation.
Then look at Isaiah 59:21. The progression is clear: “My (God’s) words” are to be perpetuated through:
1. “Thy mouth”;
2. “The mouth of thy children” (Amplified Bible: “thy true, spiritual children”);
3. “The mouth of thy children’s children”;
4. “From henceforth and forever.”
In these texts we can clearly see our formula of “building world-visionary, world-impacting disciples who will reproduce the same in kind, and thus will penetrate and impact the world to the ends of the earth and until the end of time.” I believe that this formula can be conspicuously seen in the life and ministry of Jesus and in the life of the profiled early disciples.
I. A PROVEN PRINCIPLE
First, these texts submit a proven principle to us, the principle of multiplication. God’s plan is to reach the world spiritually exactly the same way it was populated—by multiplication. The first command God gave to the human race was to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28)—and this is probably the only command of God that man has obeyed! Starting with two people, our original parents, the earth is now bulging with some six billion (and more) people. The “corruptible seed” has certainly multiplied! I could wish that the “incorruptible seed” had multiplied as prolifically.
With regard to Jesus Christ and His Gospel, it is obvious that addition can never reach the exploding population of the world. Addition simply cannot keep pace with population expansion. Also, it is a statistical reality that less than five percent of the professing Christians of the world ever “add” anyone to Christ. Multiplication is the strategy of God presented in the Scriptures, and is a vital necessity if the world is to be impacted for Christ. What do we mean by “multiplication”?
Spiritual multiplication is God’s planned vision and strategy for reaching our present world population and all future generations through those we win and train now. Note that it is God’s planned vision and strategy. This plan is referred to again and again in Scripture, and leaps to the front in the strategic early chapters of Acts as the regular practice of the early church. Note the phrase, “For reaching our present world population.” The strategy of multiplication simply must be included as the top-priority goal in any viable, Biblical evangelism. Mere soul-winning, mere witnessing, mere adding of converts, as crucially important as they are, will continue to abort the purpose of God for world impact if the complete strategy of God is not implemented after converts are won to Christ. This last sentence must not be taken as a depreciation of soul-winning and witnessing, but rather as an acknowledgment that the task has only begun when people are won to Christ, just as life has only begun when a baby is born.
Motivational speaker John Maxwell said, “A leader who develops people, ADDS; a leader who develops leaders, MULTIPLIES.” Spiritual multiplication is one maturing Christian building another person in Christ and continuing with that person until he in turn is reaching and building others who will reproduce in kind. And another dimension must be firmly stated, though it might not find full favor as it is received. The strategy of multiplication by disciple-making must not be thought of merely as a strategy for building a local church, but for total world impact. A church that merely implodes to enlarge its membership and then incidentally adds world impact as a by-product of its growth will never satisfactorily impact the world, however large it may become. Total world impact should be the first ministry goal of every Christian and every local Body of Christ. The principle is simple: The light that shines farthest must necessarily shine brightest nearest home.
Spiritual multiplication is modeled by Jesus, by Paul, and in the early Church. Jesus Himself knew that only through multiplication could the Gospel be proclaimed to the ends of the earth and Christianity proliferated throughout the world and to the end of history. So, in the midst of the masses and while ministering to them, He concentrated on a personal ministry with twelve men, and for roughly three years, He prepared them for their ministry of multiplication. Through these twelve would come the first generation thrust toward world evangelization. Jesus saw in these men “the foundations of many generations.” Jesus was the perfect teacher, preacher, and counselor, yet disciple-making was the top priority of His ministry. And He fulfilled this priority through small group inter-networking dynamics, with one-on-one discipling done from the small group base when the necessity arose.
As an example of the multiplication process, look for a moment at Andrew, who was Jesus’ very first disciple mentioned in the Gospels. The multiplication chain could look like this: John the Baptist —> Andrew —> Simon Peter —> 3,000 at Pentecost —> Antioch (Acts 8:4) —> Barnabas and Saul. This is a general example, with assumed connections, of six-generation multiplication.
Another example: Paul (Acts 18) —> Acquila and Priscilla —> Apollos (“They took him unto them and expounded unto him the way of God more fully” - Acts 18:26) —> then (Acts 18:28), “Apollos mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” Study this chapter carefully. Here is a clear example of four-generation multiplication, and many more examples could be given throughout Scripture.
Think again of II Timothy 2:2. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” Paul —> Timothy —> faithful men —> others, also. Here we see both the practice of four-generation disciple-making, and the mandate of multiplication.
Isaiah 54:2; Isaiah 59:21 By Daniel W. Baugh, Jr., Ph.D.
“Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation; spare not, lengthen thy cords, strengthen thy stakes.”
“As for Me, this is My covenant with them, says the Lord: My Spirit Who is upon you (and Who writes the law of God inwardly in the heart), and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your (true, spiritual) children, or out of the mouth of your children’s children, says the Lord, from henceforth and for ever” (Amplified Bible)
In this study, I am borrowing these two texts from the prophet Isaiah. Though these passages address another matter altogether, each contains a clear outline of God’s New Testament strategy for Christians. We can draw a massive New Testament principle from the Old Testament location of these passages. These passages follow the great 53rd chapter of Isaiah, which is the Gospel of the Cross presented in the Old Testament. The principle is that the Conquest must always follow the Cross. The Book of Acts followed hard on the heels of Calvary. It is the Cross that carries us into the territory of conquest, and it is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to conquer.
Look at Isaiah 54:2. Though it is an Old Testament text, it clearly reveals both God’s goal for the Christian and the plan to reach it. The goal, stated in picturesque language, is to “enlarge the place of thy tent.” This is an Eastern figure taken from the nomadic life of the Eastern shepherd. Your “tent” is your place of operation, your sphere of magnitude, your center of influence. So the verse tells you to expand your life, to enlarge your influence for Christ. The plan for accomplishing this goal is in the phrases, “lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.” And we must not miss the strategic phrase, “let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations.” This suggests the strategic place of your disciples in advancing the multiplication process. The command to “spare not” lets us know that cost should not be a consideration, that any investment of time, effort, or money will more than repay the investor. This verse covers all the bases in disciple-making, and the disciple-making that is entailed here will produce a ministry of multiplication. The detectable steps are:
1. Educate your vision, so that it is increasingly a reflection of “God’s point of view”;
2. Expand your life and trust God to enlarge your influence for His sake;
3. Extend your outreach, a matter of ministry;
4. Establish a solid base of operations at home; and
5. Expect your disciples to enlarge your ministry beyond calculation.
Then look at Isaiah 59:21. The progression is clear: “My (God’s) words” are to be perpetuated through:
1. “Thy mouth”;
2. “The mouth of thy children” (Amplified Bible: “thy true, spiritual children”);
3. “The mouth of thy children’s children”;
4. “From henceforth and forever.”
In these texts we can clearly see our formula of “building world-visionary, world-impacting disciples who will reproduce the same in kind, and thus will penetrate and impact the world to the ends of the earth and until the end of time.” I believe that this formula can be conspicuously seen in the life and ministry of Jesus and in the life of the profiled early disciples.
I. A PROVEN PRINCIPLE
First, these texts submit a proven principle to us, the principle of multiplication. God’s plan is to reach the world spiritually exactly the same way it was populated—by multiplication. The first command God gave to the human race was to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28)—and this is probably the only command of God that man has obeyed! Starting with two people, our original parents, the earth is now bulging with some six billion (and more) people. The “corruptible seed” has certainly multiplied! I could wish that the “incorruptible seed” had multiplied as prolifically.
With regard to Jesus Christ and His Gospel, it is obvious that addition can never reach the exploding population of the world. Addition simply cannot keep pace with population expansion. Also, it is a statistical reality that less than five percent of the professing Christians of the world ever “add” anyone to Christ. Multiplication is the strategy of God presented in the Scriptures, and is a vital necessity if the world is to be impacted for Christ. What do we mean by “multiplication”?
Spiritual multiplication is God’s planned vision and strategy for reaching our present world population and all future generations through those we win and train now. Note that it is God’s planned vision and strategy. This plan is referred to again and again in Scripture, and leaps to the front in the strategic early chapters of Acts as the regular practice of the early church. Note the phrase, “For reaching our present world population.” The strategy of multiplication simply must be included as the top-priority goal in any viable, Biblical evangelism. Mere soul-winning, mere witnessing, mere adding of converts, as crucially important as they are, will continue to abort the purpose of God for world impact if the complete strategy of God is not implemented after converts are won to Christ. This last sentence must not be taken as a depreciation of soul-winning and witnessing, but rather as an acknowledgment that the task has only begun when people are won to Christ, just as life has only begun when a baby is born.
Motivational speaker John Maxwell said, “A leader who develops people, ADDS; a leader who develops leaders, MULTIPLIES.” Spiritual multiplication is one maturing Christian building another person in Christ and continuing with that person until he in turn is reaching and building others who will reproduce in kind. And another dimension must be firmly stated, though it might not find full favor as it is received. The strategy of multiplication by disciple-making must not be thought of merely as a strategy for building a local church, but for total world impact. A church that merely implodes to enlarge its membership and then incidentally adds world impact as a by-product of its growth will never satisfactorily impact the world, however large it may become. Total world impact should be the first ministry goal of every Christian and every local Body of Christ. The principle is simple: The light that shines farthest must necessarily shine brightest nearest home.
Spiritual multiplication is modeled by Jesus, by Paul, and in the early Church. Jesus Himself knew that only through multiplication could the Gospel be proclaimed to the ends of the earth and Christianity proliferated throughout the world and to the end of history. So, in the midst of the masses and while ministering to them, He concentrated on a personal ministry with twelve men, and for roughly three years, He prepared them for their ministry of multiplication. Through these twelve would come the first generation thrust toward world evangelization. Jesus saw in these men “the foundations of many generations.” Jesus was the perfect teacher, preacher, and counselor, yet disciple-making was the top priority of His ministry. And He fulfilled this priority through small group inter-networking dynamics, with one-on-one discipling done from the small group base when the necessity arose.
As an example of the multiplication process, look for a moment at Andrew, who was Jesus’ very first disciple mentioned in the Gospels. The multiplication chain could look like this: John the Baptist —> Andrew —> Simon Peter —> 3,000 at Pentecost —> Antioch (Acts 8:4) —> Barnabas and Saul. This is a general example, with assumed connections, of six-generation multiplication.
Another example: Paul (Acts 18) —> Acquila and Priscilla —> Apollos (“They took him unto them and expounded unto him the way of God more fully” - Acts 18:26) —> then (Acts 18:28), “Apollos mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” Study this chapter carefully. Here is a clear example of four-generation multiplication, and many more examples could be given throughout Scripture.
Think again of II Timothy 2:2. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” Paul —> Timothy —> faithful men —> others, also. Here we see both the practice of four-generation disciple-making, and the mandate of multiplication.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Terms of Discipleship
The path to true discipleship begins when a person is born again. It begins when the following events take place:
* When a person realizes that he is sinful, lost, blind and naked before God.
* When he acknowledges that he cannot save himself by good character or good works.
* When he believes that the Lord Jesus Christ died as his Substitute on the Cross.
* When by a definite decision of faith, he acknowledges Jesus Christ as his only Lord and Savior.
This is how a person becomes a Christian. It is important to emphasize this at the outset. Too many people think that you become a Christian by living a Christian life. NOT at all! You must first become a Christian before you can live the Christian life.
The life of discipleship is a supernatural life. We do not have the power in ourselves to live it. We need divine power. Only when we are born again do we receive the strength to live as Jesus taught.
Before reading any further, ask yourself the question, "Have I ever been born again? Have I become a child of God by faith in the Lord Jesus?"
If you have not, receive Him now as your Lord and Savior. Then determine to obey Him in all that He has commanded, whatever the cost may be.
True Christianity is an all-out commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Savior is not looking for men and women who will give their spare evenings to Him - or their weekends - or their years of retirement. Rather He seeks those who will give Him first place in their lives.
Nothing less than unconditional surrender could ever be a fitting response to His sacrifice at Calvary. Love so amazing, so divine, could never be satisfied with less than our souls, our lives, our all.
The Lord Jesus made stringent demands on those who would be His disciples - demands that are all but overlooked in this day of luxury-living. Too often we look upon Christianity as an escape from hell and a guarantee of heaven. Beyond that, we feel that we have every right to enjoy the best that this life has to offer. We know that there are those strong verses on discipleship in the Bible, but we have difficulty reconciling them with our ideas of what Christianity should be.
We can accept the fact that soldiers give their lives for patriotic reasons. We do not think it strange that Communists give their lives for political reasons, But that "blood, sweat and tears" should characterize the life of a follower of Christ somehow seems remote and hard to grasp.
And yet the words of the Lord Jesus are clear enough. There is scarcely any room for misunderstanding if we accept them at their face value. Here are the terms of discipleship as laid down by the Savior of the world:
1. A supreme love for Jesus Christ.
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:26). This does not mean that we should ever have animosity or ill-will in our hearts toward our relatives, but it does mean that our love to Christ should be so great that all other loves are hatred by comparison. Actually, the most difficult clause in this passage is the expression, "yes, and his own life also." Self-love is one of the biggest hindrances to discipleship. Not until we are willing to lay down our lives for Him are we in the place where He wants us.
2. A denial of self.
"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself..." (Matthew 16:24). Denial of self is not the same as self-denial. The latter means foregoing certain foods, pleasures, or possessions. But denial of self means such complete submission to the lordship of Christ that self has no rights or authority at all. It means that "self" abdicates the throne.
3. A deliberate choosing of the cross.
"If any man come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross ..." (Matthew 16:24). The cross is not some physical infirmity or mental anguish; these things are common to all men. The cross is a path that is chosen deliberately. The cross symbolizes the shame, persecution and abuse which the world heaped upon the Son of God, and which the world will heap on all who choose to stand against the tide. Any believer can avoid the cross simply by being conformed to the world and its ways.
4. A life spent in following Christ.
"If any man come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). To understand what this means, you simply need to ask yourself, "What characterized the life of the Lord Jesus?" It was a life of obedience to the will of God. It was a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. It was a life of unselfish service for others. It was a life of patience and longsuffering in the face of the gravest wrongs. It was a life of zeal, of self-control, of meekness, of kindness, of faithfulness, and of devotion (Galatians 5:22, 23). In order to be His disciples, we must walk as He walked. We must exhibit the fruit of Christ-likeness (John 15:8).
5. A fervent love for all who belong to Christ.
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35). This is the love that esteems others more than one's self. It is the love that covers a multitude of sins. It is the love that suffers long and is kind. It is not puffed up. It does not behave unseemly; seeks not its own, is not easily provoked; thinks no evil. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things (I Corinthians 13:4-7). Without this love, discipleship would be a cold, and legalistic.
6. An unswerving continuance in His Word.
"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.(John 8:31). For real discipleship there must be continuance. It is easy to start off well, to burst forth in a blaze of glory. But the test of true discipleship is endurance to the end. Any man who looks back after putting his hand to the plow is not fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). Occasional obedience to the Scriptures will not do. Christ wants those who will follow Him in constant, unquestioning obedience.
7. A forsaking of all to follow Him.
"So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:33). This may be the most unpopular of all Christ's' terms of discipleship, and may well prove to be the most unpopular verse in the Bible, theologians can give you a thousand reasons why it does not mean what it says, but this writer assumes that the Lord Jesus knew what He was saying. What is meant by forsaking all? It means an abandonment of all one's material possessions that are not absolutely essential and that could be used in the spread of the gospel. The man who forsakes all works hard to provide for the current necessities of his family and himself. But since the passion of his life is to advance the cause of Christ, he invests everything above current needs in the work of the Lord and leaves the future with God. In seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, he believes that he will never lack food and clothing. He cannot conscientiously hold on to surplus funds when souls are perishing for want of the gospel. He does not want to waste his life accumulating riches that will fall into the devil's hands when Christ returns for His saints. He wants to obey the Lord's injunction against laying up treasures on earth. In forsaking all, he offers what he cannot keep anyway, and what he has ceased to love.
These are the terms of dicsipleship! Are you willing and ready to accept these terms? I pray that we all are willing and able to be true disciples of Christ.
The path to true discipleship begins when a person is born again. It begins when the following events take place:
* When a person realizes that he is sinful, lost, blind and naked before God.
* When he acknowledges that he cannot save himself by good character or good works.
* When he believes that the Lord Jesus Christ died as his Substitute on the Cross.
* When by a definite decision of faith, he acknowledges Jesus Christ as his only Lord and Savior.
This is how a person becomes a Christian. It is important to emphasize this at the outset. Too many people think that you become a Christian by living a Christian life. NOT at all! You must first become a Christian before you can live the Christian life.
The life of discipleship is a supernatural life. We do not have the power in ourselves to live it. We need divine power. Only when we are born again do we receive the strength to live as Jesus taught.
Before reading any further, ask yourself the question, "Have I ever been born again? Have I become a child of God by faith in the Lord Jesus?"
If you have not, receive Him now as your Lord and Savior. Then determine to obey Him in all that He has commanded, whatever the cost may be.
True Christianity is an all-out commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Savior is not looking for men and women who will give their spare evenings to Him - or their weekends - or their years of retirement. Rather He seeks those who will give Him first place in their lives.
Nothing less than unconditional surrender could ever be a fitting response to His sacrifice at Calvary. Love so amazing, so divine, could never be satisfied with less than our souls, our lives, our all.
The Lord Jesus made stringent demands on those who would be His disciples - demands that are all but overlooked in this day of luxury-living. Too often we look upon Christianity as an escape from hell and a guarantee of heaven. Beyond that, we feel that we have every right to enjoy the best that this life has to offer. We know that there are those strong verses on discipleship in the Bible, but we have difficulty reconciling them with our ideas of what Christianity should be.
We can accept the fact that soldiers give their lives for patriotic reasons. We do not think it strange that Communists give their lives for political reasons, But that "blood, sweat and tears" should characterize the life of a follower of Christ somehow seems remote and hard to grasp.
And yet the words of the Lord Jesus are clear enough. There is scarcely any room for misunderstanding if we accept them at their face value. Here are the terms of discipleship as laid down by the Savior of the world:
1. A supreme love for Jesus Christ.
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:26). This does not mean that we should ever have animosity or ill-will in our hearts toward our relatives, but it does mean that our love to Christ should be so great that all other loves are hatred by comparison. Actually, the most difficult clause in this passage is the expression, "yes, and his own life also." Self-love is one of the biggest hindrances to discipleship. Not until we are willing to lay down our lives for Him are we in the place where He wants us.
2. A denial of self.
"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself..." (Matthew 16:24). Denial of self is not the same as self-denial. The latter means foregoing certain foods, pleasures, or possessions. But denial of self means such complete submission to the lordship of Christ that self has no rights or authority at all. It means that "self" abdicates the throne.
3. A deliberate choosing of the cross.
"If any man come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross ..." (Matthew 16:24). The cross is not some physical infirmity or mental anguish; these things are common to all men. The cross is a path that is chosen deliberately. The cross symbolizes the shame, persecution and abuse which the world heaped upon the Son of God, and which the world will heap on all who choose to stand against the tide. Any believer can avoid the cross simply by being conformed to the world and its ways.
4. A life spent in following Christ.
"If any man come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). To understand what this means, you simply need to ask yourself, "What characterized the life of the Lord Jesus?" It was a life of obedience to the will of God. It was a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. It was a life of unselfish service for others. It was a life of patience and longsuffering in the face of the gravest wrongs. It was a life of zeal, of self-control, of meekness, of kindness, of faithfulness, and of devotion (Galatians 5:22, 23). In order to be His disciples, we must walk as He walked. We must exhibit the fruit of Christ-likeness (John 15:8).
5. A fervent love for all who belong to Christ.
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35). This is the love that esteems others more than one's self. It is the love that covers a multitude of sins. It is the love that suffers long and is kind. It is not puffed up. It does not behave unseemly; seeks not its own, is not easily provoked; thinks no evil. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things (I Corinthians 13:4-7). Without this love, discipleship would be a cold, and legalistic.
6. An unswerving continuance in His Word.
"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.(John 8:31). For real discipleship there must be continuance. It is easy to start off well, to burst forth in a blaze of glory. But the test of true discipleship is endurance to the end. Any man who looks back after putting his hand to the plow is not fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). Occasional obedience to the Scriptures will not do. Christ wants those who will follow Him in constant, unquestioning obedience.
7. A forsaking of all to follow Him.
"So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:33). This may be the most unpopular of all Christ's' terms of discipleship, and may well prove to be the most unpopular verse in the Bible, theologians can give you a thousand reasons why it does not mean what it says, but this writer assumes that the Lord Jesus knew what He was saying. What is meant by forsaking all? It means an abandonment of all one's material possessions that are not absolutely essential and that could be used in the spread of the gospel. The man who forsakes all works hard to provide for the current necessities of his family and himself. But since the passion of his life is to advance the cause of Christ, he invests everything above current needs in the work of the Lord and leaves the future with God. In seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, he believes that he will never lack food and clothing. He cannot conscientiously hold on to surplus funds when souls are perishing for want of the gospel. He does not want to waste his life accumulating riches that will fall into the devil's hands when Christ returns for His saints. He wants to obey the Lord's injunction against laying up treasures on earth. In forsaking all, he offers what he cannot keep anyway, and what he has ceased to love.
These are the terms of dicsipleship! Are you willing and ready to accept these terms? I pray that we all are willing and able to be true disciples of Christ.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
“EARMARKS OF A DISCIPLE-MAKER”
(Philippians 1:27-30)
Paul was writing to common Christians, not superstar saints. He was writing to frontline troops in the trenches, not “stain-glass saints wearing haloes and enshrined in a cathedral.”
Philip Yancey, a widely read Christian author, places Christians into two categories. Perhaps the categories are a bit strained and unfair, but we can still learn valuable lessons from his analysis. Yancey says that there are Christian entertainers and Christian servants. He identifies the entertainers as the high-profile leaders who fill the Christian periodicals, dominate Christian conferences, conventions, and seminars, and appear on our television screens. They have fame, prestige, and money. On the other hand, the servants are seldom in the spotlight. They work steadily and faithfully without fanfare, and often in remote places. They often live among the rejects of society and work for long hours at low pay and with no applause. Their talents and skills are given to the poor and uneducated. Though the discernment of these categories can be too rigid, I believe the Bible supports Yancey’s assessment.
One of my favorite writers is the late Cambridge scholar, C. S. Lewis. In almost all of his Christian works, Christians are seen in aprons and overalls, not in clergy gowns or choir robes. For example, in his classic work, The Great Divorce, a great and noble lady is being drawn in a chariot on the streets of heaven. However, the dreamer who is reporting the story discovers that it is “only Sally Smith, a charwoman of Golders Green.” The charwoman is seen in her true character and nobility in heaven, though she was a “commoner” on earth. In The Magician’s Nephew, another classic from the “Chronicles of Narnia” series, a common Cockney cab-driver from London is seen to be the Adam figure of the story — and a “High King,” at that! During his life in London, he had been a man of simple faith in Christ, cheerfulness and trustworthiness of disposition, and had been “kind to his horse and loving to his wife.” You see, in Heaven, faith, joy, kindness and love are the stuff royalty is made of — though it may have traveled in disguise as a cab-driver on earth. In another of Lewis’ classics, That Hideous Strength, a group of simple believing women are choosing gowns at St. Anne’s. As each one tries on her gown, we see her suddenly transfigured and revealed gloriously for what she really is. When all the returns are in, it will likely be the “troops in the trenches,” not the preachers in the pulpits, who will receive the special awards. It is to these troops that Paul addresses our text. He is thinking like a disciple-maker — and why not, for that’s what he is! He is thinking of them as disciples — “Christ’s Pupils and God’s Harvest Hands.” As he combines his disciple-building mentality with their disciple-being responsibility, he presents to us a great list of “the earmarks of a disciple-maker.” Let’s examine them.
I. A COMPASSIONATE CONCERN
Every disciple-maker is consistently dominated by a compassionate concern which governs his life and actions. It is suggested in our text by the use of two words of contrast, the words “perdition” and “salvation” (vs. 28). A true disciple-maker is consistently conscious of the realities of an eternal hell and an eternal heaven. He knows that there is “a hell to avoid, and a heaven to gain.”
The word “perdition” describes the eternal condition after death in which an unbeliever will live forever. Dr. Thayer defined it as “the destruction which consists in the loss of eternal life, in eternal misery.” Perdition is the final, eternal, irrevocable ruin of a person without Christ. In the Bible, the word never means annihilation, or the cessation of existence.
The other word, “salvation,” includes both a crisis of rescue and a process of continuing safety. The one-time crisis of salvation is the great and gracious rescue of a sinner from the penalty and condemnation of his sins. This rescue is accomplished by God objectively through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and subjectively through the new birth, a miracle of conviction and conversion which “unselfs” the sinner and “re-centers” his life in Christ. The ongoing process is the progressive sanctifying of the believer, securing a condition of permanent safety in Christ and a conduct of saintliness and service. The process includes the continual cleansing of sin (I John 1:7), continual child-training for God’s sons and daughters, and continual commitment to service. This salvation already belongs to every person who has received and trusted Christ, but it reaches its glorious consummation in the future in heaven.
Perdition and salvation are two radically different conditions. Someone said it like this: “There is a difference between running a race and walking off a gangplank.” Most people who think they are running a race are actually walking off a gangplank. The person who is truly running the race has signed on with Jesus Christ, the Greatest of Coaches, taken the Coach’s Training, and is on his way to heaven, but the other person is merely marking time to stay out of hell. The disciple-maker must live at the place of uneasy tension -- acknowledging heaven and hell and bringing others to face them as well.
My wife, Judy, and I are presently reading a book together in an early morning reading time. The book is entitled Heroes. It tells the stories of twenty believers, ten great Christian women and ten great Christian men. We recently read the chapter on Amy Carmichael, the great missionary of Dohnavur Fellowship in India. This paragraph describes the great spiritual crisis of her life:
When she was seventeen, seeing on the street in Belfast a poor woman in rags,
carrying a heavy bundle, she had what amounted almost to a vision of the things that really matter in life. She and her two brothers, moved with pity for the poor soul, helped her along, though they were embarrassed to be seen with her. Amy described it as a horrid moment, for they were “not at all exalted Christians,” but on they plodded through the gray drizzle. Suddenly words came to her, “Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble ... the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide ...” From that moment, for the rest of her life, it was eternal things that mattered.
Happy is the disciple-maker who has been brought by the quickening work of God in his spirit to the point that he lives in light of eternity. He will not see people merely “after the flesh,” but rather against the foil of eternal destinies in the making. He will warn those who are in danger of hell, seek to win them to Christ, and work to build those who are won to live in obedience to Jesus and to win others. He will also be aware that he lives in a position of creative tension, and he will pass this redemptive tension on to others. Those who sound warnings and assist in rescues are not leisure-oriented people, and they are often labeled “alarmists” by their society. But remember, history now recognizes Paul Revere as a hero — though he disturbed everybody’s sleep on that fateful night! If a ship is sinking, the passenger’s best friend is the one who urges him to the lifeboat.
Years ago, I heard an evangelist preach on the subject, “Hell Is No Joke,” and he certainly was right. However, I recently saw a tee shirt whose picture and logos humorously enforced the serious realities of heaven and hell. The picture on the shirt showed Satan leering with a wide grin as he holds a knife in one hand and a fork in the other. Flames are leaping from a big fire beneath him. He is apparently enjoying roasting a sinner in hell. Underneath is this pointed question: “Wouldn’t you really rather hear JESUS say, Well Done?”
Suppose that you work as a cook in a restaurant. One day, when the restaurant is crowded with noonday customers, a fire breaks out in the kitchen and is quickly out of control. In the dining room, everyone is relaxed, having a good time, and eating a good lunch. The fire forces you into a very unhappy task. You must interrupt and disturb those happy and contented customers. You must secure quick and decisive action from them, a matter of life and death. But they have no idea of the seriousness of the situation. Either you must abandon them to their fate and bear the guilt of inaction, or you must risk their resentment and protest. They do not want to be interrupted. The waitresses out front don’t want to miss their tips. The owner doesn’t want a negative image. But you have a message that will save their lives, even though it makes them extremely uncomfortable at the moment.
With this awesome responsibility in mind, the disciple-maker invests his life redemptively in the lives of others. He is not likely to be appreciated by society at large, and may even be depreciated by many inside the restaurant (!), but the ultimate realities dominate his life, anyway. He is consistently governed by a compassionate concern.
II. A CONSUMING COMMITMENT
Then, the disciple-maker is marked by a commitment that consumes his thoughts, his time, his talents, his energy, his schedule, and his efforts. Eugene Peterson paraphrases verse 27 in this manner: “(Be) singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message.” “Contending for people’s trust in the Message.” This should be the commitment of every Christian’s life, but it is certainly essential in the life of a disciple-maker. There is a military metaphor pursued in this great passage of Scripture, an atmosphere of war. Here, the Gospel flag is placed in the hands of the common Christian soldier, and the goal is the same always — to plant the flag in other lands and in other lives. The word, “contending,” is by no means too strong a word for this activity. It conjures such ideas as tension, opposition, competition and conflict. The ground will be heavily contested by the enemy every step of the way. The Christian must challenge the enemy in the fellowship — and outside. In the fortress — and outside. In the foxhole — and beyond. When Jesus said, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against my church,” He was not picturing His Church in a “holding” posture, a defensive stance. Gates are defensive devices. The church is on the march, assaulting the very defenses of hell. And it will win! “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” However, the army still must train, discipline itself, and attack. Every front is strategic, every battle will be strenuous, and every Christian is crucial. The true soldier knows that there is no gain without pain, no blessing without bleeding. Horatius Bonar stated it well in these poetic lines:
“Go, labor on while it is day,
The world’s dark night is hastening on;
Speed, speed thy work; cast laziness away;
Only with strong wrestlings are souls won.”
Note Paul’s emphasis on the independent duty of believers. He says, “Whether I come and see you, or else be absent, you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” American Christianity tends to be a leader-oriented, leader-dependent, hero-elevating kind of Christianity. This tends toward a paternalistic spirit, which is altogether too widespread in the community of faith — baby believers hanging on to the coattails or apron strings of a victorious saint, and the leader in turn building his image of success on the number of such followers who cling to him. Great wisdom is needed here. It is wonderful to have good leaders, and they should be duly honored and recognized. But you must not depend too much on them. As usual, the key is balance. Your dependence is to be upon Christ, not on any Christian. If you are to be a faithful disciple-maker, both dependence and independence ( and inter-dependence) will mark your life. Soldiers may get cut off from their commanding officers, and still should fight with efficiency and ability. A disciple should have a great measure of wholesome independence before God, as well as wholesome interdependence on his fellow believers. He should be independent enough to be a self-starter for Christ and to be an efficient producer even if he stands alone. He should represent his commanding officer and his country well, even if he fights alone.
The disciple-maker will think with this military mentality, and will train the disciples God gives him to think in this manner, also. He will do everything he can do to master the disciplines that will enable him to advance the Gospel — the discipline of evangelistic strategy and technique, the discipline of Christian apologetics, the discipline of relational living, the discipline of teamwork, the discipline of wise planning and training, etc., etc. He will be consumed by the commitment to “contend for people’s trust in the Message.”
III. CONSISTENT CONDUCT
The third earmark which a disciple-maker will reveal is consistency of conduct in his daily life.
Verse 27 says, “Let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” Let it be such as “becometh the Gospel,” the King James Version says. One woman says to another, “That dress becomes you,” and we recognize that she is pointing out a match between person and apparel. There is to be a becoming match of Christian and Gospel so that the Christian adorns the Gospel. The Christian is responsible to let the world see the beauty of the Gospel by the quality of his life. Each Christian should be very careful that his behavior doesn’t clash with the basic beliefs of the Gospel. Paul indicated that there are some practices that should “not be once named among you, as becometh saints” (Ephesians 5:3).
Paul uses a rather puzzling word for “conduct” in this verse. However, it is worth our time to try to solve the puzzle. The Greek word is “politeuesthe,” the word from which we get our words, “polity, politics, policeman,” etc. The word literally means “citizenship.” It refers to our duty because we are members of a certain group. As Christians, we have both individual and corporate duties. We are individual believers, but it is impossible to function as a true Christian with an independent spirit. The moment a believer is saved, he is incorporated into Christ’s body, and his relationship thereafter is the same as one member of his body to all the other members. Fingers and toes do not act independently of the body of which they are a part, and no Christian should act independently of the fellowship in which God has placed him. Your position in Christ and His Body brings you unbelievable resources and privileges, but it also entails great responsibilities and duties. There is an internationally used French expression that presents this idea. “Noblesse oblige,” they say. “Rank imposes obligation, privilege brings responsibility,” is the meaning of the phrase. Notable rank requires honorable conduct. Jesus said it first: “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48). Remind yourself that the Philippians were Roman citizens because Philippi was a Roman colony. As Roman citizens, they enjoyed special privileges, but these privileges entailed special responsibilities, also. So, too, Christians are an outpost of heaven’s citizens on earth (Philippians 3:20), and their entire demeanor should be a miniature reflection of their true homeland.
The word translated “worthy of” carries the idea of weight. In fact, the idea is that of equal weight. Picture an old set of scales with a center pole and a crossbar. At each end of the crossbar is a pan in which objects are placed to be weighed. In Paul’s illustration, one pan contains the glorious and weighty Gospel of Christ. The other pan holds your life. The startling fact presented here is that your life is to be of equal weight to the claims and expectations of the Gospel. “Who is equal to such a task?” It is easy to see that the Christian needs daily discipline, daily vocation, and daily miracles to live the Christian life. Only then will his conduct by consistent with the glorious realities and claims of the Gospel of Christ.
IV. CONSTANT COOPERATION
The fourth mark of a disciple-maker is constant cooperation with other believers. “All of you are to stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel” (verse 27). The word “together” translates the Greek preposition “sun,” which is equivalent to our English prefix, “co-,” as in such words as “cooperate,” which means “to operate together.” A “co-partner” is a partner together with someone else. The preposition “sun” is used 16 times in Philippians in conjunction with verbs, showing Paul’s emphasis upon teamwork and cooperation. The word translated “striving together” is the word “sunathleo.” The root word gives us our English words “athlete” and “athletics.” But the prefix “sun” lets us know that Paul is not thinking of sports that require only individual participation, such as boxing, singles tennis, golf, etc. Rather, he is thinking of team participation in which success depends largely on standing together and being united.
When Lefty Gomez, the Hall of Fame baseball pitcher, was asked the secret of his success as a pitcher, he replied, “Clean living and a fast outfield.” He knew that any participant in team sports is only as good as the team that supports him. In the same manner, a disciple-maker is only as good as the team that supports him. How many times have I been made to look far better than I really am because of the great disciples God has graciously given to me. A disciple-maker should be a relational person, always looking for and cultivating relationships for Christ’s sake. John Wesley said, “There is no such thing as a solitary saint.” He was right. If a burning coal is isolated, it will burn out quickly, but in a fire of many coals, it will burn long and bright.
Two books with similar settings are Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson (I call them the “Robinson books”). Both tell of the efforts of survivors of shipwrecks at sea to maintain their lives on lonely islands. The obvious difference, however, is that Robinson Crusoe was alone while the others were a family. There is an analogy here to the Christian, and especially to the disciple-maker. No disciple-maker should be a Robinson Crusoe struggling alone against fear and loneliness on an isolated island of individual faith. If he remains alone for very long, he should check his vision, his understanding of the disciple-making process, his availability to the Holy Spirit to make disciples, and his relational aptitudes with other people. These are areas of deficiency where the disciple-making process may break down in an individual’s life. Every disciple-maker should be more like an active, aggressive, functional, contributing member of Swiss Family Robinson — dependent on a close, vital family relationship to survive and be productive in a hostile environment. Paul’s words clearly reveal his conviction that there is great power in relationships, cooperation and teamwork — the very ingredients that are at the heart of the disciple-making process.
Permit a personal testimony at this point. I have traveled to many foreign lands to teach national pastors and leaders how to fulfill the Great Commission by building world-visionary, world-impacting, multiplying disciples. Sometimes (usually because schedule has not permitted time to enlist a team) I have traveled alone. The efficiency reduces greatly when I am alone, the temptations are much greater to be slack and indulgent, the drain is much more obvious, and the process is left without a visual example. However, when I have at least one other disciple/trainer with me, all of these problems are resolved. Some of the greatest men I have ever known on earth have attended me on many of these trips, and the transfer of truth to life-changing reality is always much greater when they are with me. How I thank God for them, and I pray earnestly that God will give them the same great privileges that He has given me. Disciple-making is marked by the absolute necessity of constant cooperation with a large network of other disciples and disciple-makers.
V. CONSPICUOUS COURAGE
The last mark of a disciple-maker which I see in this text is conspicuous courage in standing for Christ and with other Christians. This entire passage of Scripture reveals the great need for conspicuous courage in the Christian community. No disciple-maker can afford to be without a Spirit-produced courage, a spiritual boldness, in being a disciple, in building disciples, and in leading disciples. Such terms as “stand fast,” “striving together,” “conflict,” “in nothing terrified by your adversaries,” highlight the need for courage. If anybody ever exhibited and exemplified courage, it was surely the Apostle Paul.
Samuel Johnson wrote of courage, “Unless a man has the virtue of courage, he has no security for preserving any other virtue.” In the Bible, courage has less to do with macho strength and more to do with heart and character. In fact, in the French language, the word “corage” means “heart.” “Lift up your hearts, be of good courage,” the Bible says. Henry Van Dyke said, “Courage is the soul’s standing army, which negatively keeps it from conquest, pillage and slavery, and positively guarantees its advance and victory.”
J. M. Barrie, author of the child’s fantasy, Peter Pan, was giving a convocation address at Saint Andrews Church. He held up a tattered letter written to him from Captain Scott, the explorer who died exploring the South Pole. It was discovered on his frozen body and sent to Mr. Barrie. Listen to a segment of the letter:
Hoping this letter may be found and sent to you. I write you a word of farewell.... Goodbye — I am not at all afraid of the end, but sad to miss many a simple pleasure I had planned. We are in a desperate state — feet frozen, etc., no fuel, and a long way from food, but it would do your heart good to be in our tent to hear our songs and our cheery conversation. We are very near the end.... We did intend to finish ourselves when things proved like this, but we have decided to die naturally.
Paul calls for this kind of singing, triumphant courage in our text. He himself exemplified it, and felt confident in inviting others to reveal it as well. The term “striving together” is an invitation to show a common courage in advancing the Gospel. Philippi was named after Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. Philip was the one who first used the military strategy known as the “phalanx,” the formation of a solid front of soldiers advancing upon an enemy. The need for courage was equal and common on such a front. The same is true in the community of faith.
“In nothing terrified by your enemies,” Paul says. Commentator R. P. Marting says, “‘Terrified’ is a strong term, unique in the Greek Bible, and denotes the uncontrollable stampede of startled horses.” Use your imagination. See a startled horse shying at something which is only half seen, or which is mistaken for something else. The horse is thrown into sudden confusion, and then into possibility of accident or disaster. This is especially meaningful to me just now because my wife, an accomplished rider, was riding with a friend some months ago when their horses were suddenly “spooked” by the intrusion of other unexpected horses. Their horses broke into a wild gallop and both ladies were thrown from their horses. Fortunately, they both escaped with only severe bruises. This is Paul’s illustration in verse 28. As we journey along the road of life, we may encounter threatening circumstances which may break up our serenity and throw us into panic. This may cause us to shy from our appointed course, and might even cause moral or spiritual disaster. Because of fear, we may lose our way. We need to be shored up with a store of courage.
In Bunyan’s classic allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian was climbing the Hill Difficulty. He saw two giant lions along the path, but he did not see the chains that bound them. The same may be true of us. We can see the menace, the peril, from far away, but we do not see the defensive grace God has provided until it is too late.
There is an old fable about a little boy who saw a witch turn herself into a cat. The cat began to run after the frightened little boy, who ran away as fast as he could. But when he turned around the cat had grown and become the size of a calf and was gaining on the boy. When he looked around again the cat had grown even more and was now the size of a house. The little boy ran with all the energy that he had. Finally he couldn’t run anymore. There was nothing else to do but to turn and face the danger. So he turned toward the cat. The cat turned and ran and the boy began pursuing it. The farther it ran the smaller it became until finally it was small enough to scamper back into the witch’s house. A fable full of truth! Courage will chase away the cat. Faith will overcome fear. In every situation, we must disregard our fears, trust God, and go forward. When we reach the lions, we will find that they are chained. To learn again from Pilgrim’s Progress, there may be cold water on this side of the wall, but the oil of inexhaustible grace is sustaining the fire on the other side.
A Gospel illustration will help here. A shadowy form appeared to the Apostles on the water in a stormy night, and they were thrown into uncertainty and fear. They cried in panic, “It is a ghost!” “And Jesus answered, It is I, be not afraid!”
One summer night during a severe thunderstorm a mother was tucking her little boy into bed. She was about to turn the light out in his bedroom and close the door when she heard his trembling voice say, “Mommy, will you stay here with me tonight?” Mother walked back to his bed, gave him a big hug, and said tenderly, “I can’t, son, I have to sleep in daddy’s room.” There was a moment of silence. Then in a shaky voice the little boy said, “The big sissy!”
The world needs Christians who are not chocolate soldiers, melting in fear before any enemy; it must see believers instead who will seek grace from God to “stand fast” to their purpose. Paul and Silas had modeled this courage at the time of the founding of the Philippian church when they had sung songs of praise in their jail cell at midnight. A Christian must not be startled or stampeded by the enemies of the Gospel. “Having done all, he must stand.”
These, then, are the marks of a disciple-maker. He is recognizable by a compassionate consideration that dominates his life — heaven and hell are real, and will last forever. He is marked by a consuming commitment — he is always “contending for people’s trust in Christ and His Gospel.” He shows a consistent conduct — his life confirms, and does not contradict, the Gospel. He practices constant cooperation — he shows an ability to get alongside all kinds of people, enjoying them, enlisting them, and engaging them for Christ’s sake. And he exemplifies a conspicuous courage — his walk with God puts steel in his backbone.
A final word. The disciple-maker must seek to be steady and faithful in showing all of these marks. “Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9). You will not object to a humorous conclusion to a very, very serious message. A 104-year-old man was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter. “How did you do it?” the reporter asked. The centenarian answered, “I ate the right food, got plenty of sleep each night, didn’t fool around, and never drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, or chewed tobacco.” The reporter said cynically, “I had an uncle like that but he died at fifty-five. How do you explain that?” The old man answered, “Oh, he just didn’t keep it up long enough!” Are the five marks of the disciple-maker present and growing in your life?
(Philippians 1:27-30)
Paul was writing to common Christians, not superstar saints. He was writing to frontline troops in the trenches, not “stain-glass saints wearing haloes and enshrined in a cathedral.”
Philip Yancey, a widely read Christian author, places Christians into two categories. Perhaps the categories are a bit strained and unfair, but we can still learn valuable lessons from his analysis. Yancey says that there are Christian entertainers and Christian servants. He identifies the entertainers as the high-profile leaders who fill the Christian periodicals, dominate Christian conferences, conventions, and seminars, and appear on our television screens. They have fame, prestige, and money. On the other hand, the servants are seldom in the spotlight. They work steadily and faithfully without fanfare, and often in remote places. They often live among the rejects of society and work for long hours at low pay and with no applause. Their talents and skills are given to the poor and uneducated. Though the discernment of these categories can be too rigid, I believe the Bible supports Yancey’s assessment.
One of my favorite writers is the late Cambridge scholar, C. S. Lewis. In almost all of his Christian works, Christians are seen in aprons and overalls, not in clergy gowns or choir robes. For example, in his classic work, The Great Divorce, a great and noble lady is being drawn in a chariot on the streets of heaven. However, the dreamer who is reporting the story discovers that it is “only Sally Smith, a charwoman of Golders Green.” The charwoman is seen in her true character and nobility in heaven, though she was a “commoner” on earth. In The Magician’s Nephew, another classic from the “Chronicles of Narnia” series, a common Cockney cab-driver from London is seen to be the Adam figure of the story — and a “High King,” at that! During his life in London, he had been a man of simple faith in Christ, cheerfulness and trustworthiness of disposition, and had been “kind to his horse and loving to his wife.” You see, in Heaven, faith, joy, kindness and love are the stuff royalty is made of — though it may have traveled in disguise as a cab-driver on earth. In another of Lewis’ classics, That Hideous Strength, a group of simple believing women are choosing gowns at St. Anne’s. As each one tries on her gown, we see her suddenly transfigured and revealed gloriously for what she really is. When all the returns are in, it will likely be the “troops in the trenches,” not the preachers in the pulpits, who will receive the special awards. It is to these troops that Paul addresses our text. He is thinking like a disciple-maker — and why not, for that’s what he is! He is thinking of them as disciples — “Christ’s Pupils and God’s Harvest Hands.” As he combines his disciple-building mentality with their disciple-being responsibility, he presents to us a great list of “the earmarks of a disciple-maker.” Let’s examine them.
I. A COMPASSIONATE CONCERN
Every disciple-maker is consistently dominated by a compassionate concern which governs his life and actions. It is suggested in our text by the use of two words of contrast, the words “perdition” and “salvation” (vs. 28). A true disciple-maker is consistently conscious of the realities of an eternal hell and an eternal heaven. He knows that there is “a hell to avoid, and a heaven to gain.”
The word “perdition” describes the eternal condition after death in which an unbeliever will live forever. Dr. Thayer defined it as “the destruction which consists in the loss of eternal life, in eternal misery.” Perdition is the final, eternal, irrevocable ruin of a person without Christ. In the Bible, the word never means annihilation, or the cessation of existence.
The other word, “salvation,” includes both a crisis of rescue and a process of continuing safety. The one-time crisis of salvation is the great and gracious rescue of a sinner from the penalty and condemnation of his sins. This rescue is accomplished by God objectively through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and subjectively through the new birth, a miracle of conviction and conversion which “unselfs” the sinner and “re-centers” his life in Christ. The ongoing process is the progressive sanctifying of the believer, securing a condition of permanent safety in Christ and a conduct of saintliness and service. The process includes the continual cleansing of sin (I John 1:7), continual child-training for God’s sons and daughters, and continual commitment to service. This salvation already belongs to every person who has received and trusted Christ, but it reaches its glorious consummation in the future in heaven.
Perdition and salvation are two radically different conditions. Someone said it like this: “There is a difference between running a race and walking off a gangplank.” Most people who think they are running a race are actually walking off a gangplank. The person who is truly running the race has signed on with Jesus Christ, the Greatest of Coaches, taken the Coach’s Training, and is on his way to heaven, but the other person is merely marking time to stay out of hell. The disciple-maker must live at the place of uneasy tension -- acknowledging heaven and hell and bringing others to face them as well.
My wife, Judy, and I are presently reading a book together in an early morning reading time. The book is entitled Heroes. It tells the stories of twenty believers, ten great Christian women and ten great Christian men. We recently read the chapter on Amy Carmichael, the great missionary of Dohnavur Fellowship in India. This paragraph describes the great spiritual crisis of her life:
When she was seventeen, seeing on the street in Belfast a poor woman in rags,
carrying a heavy bundle, she had what amounted almost to a vision of the things that really matter in life. She and her two brothers, moved with pity for the poor soul, helped her along, though they were embarrassed to be seen with her. Amy described it as a horrid moment, for they were “not at all exalted Christians,” but on they plodded through the gray drizzle. Suddenly words came to her, “Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble ... the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide ...” From that moment, for the rest of her life, it was eternal things that mattered.
Happy is the disciple-maker who has been brought by the quickening work of God in his spirit to the point that he lives in light of eternity. He will not see people merely “after the flesh,” but rather against the foil of eternal destinies in the making. He will warn those who are in danger of hell, seek to win them to Christ, and work to build those who are won to live in obedience to Jesus and to win others. He will also be aware that he lives in a position of creative tension, and he will pass this redemptive tension on to others. Those who sound warnings and assist in rescues are not leisure-oriented people, and they are often labeled “alarmists” by their society. But remember, history now recognizes Paul Revere as a hero — though he disturbed everybody’s sleep on that fateful night! If a ship is sinking, the passenger’s best friend is the one who urges him to the lifeboat.
Years ago, I heard an evangelist preach on the subject, “Hell Is No Joke,” and he certainly was right. However, I recently saw a tee shirt whose picture and logos humorously enforced the serious realities of heaven and hell. The picture on the shirt showed Satan leering with a wide grin as he holds a knife in one hand and a fork in the other. Flames are leaping from a big fire beneath him. He is apparently enjoying roasting a sinner in hell. Underneath is this pointed question: “Wouldn’t you really rather hear JESUS say, Well Done?”
Suppose that you work as a cook in a restaurant. One day, when the restaurant is crowded with noonday customers, a fire breaks out in the kitchen and is quickly out of control. In the dining room, everyone is relaxed, having a good time, and eating a good lunch. The fire forces you into a very unhappy task. You must interrupt and disturb those happy and contented customers. You must secure quick and decisive action from them, a matter of life and death. But they have no idea of the seriousness of the situation. Either you must abandon them to their fate and bear the guilt of inaction, or you must risk their resentment and protest. They do not want to be interrupted. The waitresses out front don’t want to miss their tips. The owner doesn’t want a negative image. But you have a message that will save their lives, even though it makes them extremely uncomfortable at the moment.
With this awesome responsibility in mind, the disciple-maker invests his life redemptively in the lives of others. He is not likely to be appreciated by society at large, and may even be depreciated by many inside the restaurant (!), but the ultimate realities dominate his life, anyway. He is consistently governed by a compassionate concern.
II. A CONSUMING COMMITMENT
Then, the disciple-maker is marked by a commitment that consumes his thoughts, his time, his talents, his energy, his schedule, and his efforts. Eugene Peterson paraphrases verse 27 in this manner: “(Be) singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message.” “Contending for people’s trust in the Message.” This should be the commitment of every Christian’s life, but it is certainly essential in the life of a disciple-maker. There is a military metaphor pursued in this great passage of Scripture, an atmosphere of war. Here, the Gospel flag is placed in the hands of the common Christian soldier, and the goal is the same always — to plant the flag in other lands and in other lives. The word, “contending,” is by no means too strong a word for this activity. It conjures such ideas as tension, opposition, competition and conflict. The ground will be heavily contested by the enemy every step of the way. The Christian must challenge the enemy in the fellowship — and outside. In the fortress — and outside. In the foxhole — and beyond. When Jesus said, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against my church,” He was not picturing His Church in a “holding” posture, a defensive stance. Gates are defensive devices. The church is on the march, assaulting the very defenses of hell. And it will win! “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” However, the army still must train, discipline itself, and attack. Every front is strategic, every battle will be strenuous, and every Christian is crucial. The true soldier knows that there is no gain without pain, no blessing without bleeding. Horatius Bonar stated it well in these poetic lines:
“Go, labor on while it is day,
The world’s dark night is hastening on;
Speed, speed thy work; cast laziness away;
Only with strong wrestlings are souls won.”
Note Paul’s emphasis on the independent duty of believers. He says, “Whether I come and see you, or else be absent, you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” American Christianity tends to be a leader-oriented, leader-dependent, hero-elevating kind of Christianity. This tends toward a paternalistic spirit, which is altogether too widespread in the community of faith — baby believers hanging on to the coattails or apron strings of a victorious saint, and the leader in turn building his image of success on the number of such followers who cling to him. Great wisdom is needed here. It is wonderful to have good leaders, and they should be duly honored and recognized. But you must not depend too much on them. As usual, the key is balance. Your dependence is to be upon Christ, not on any Christian. If you are to be a faithful disciple-maker, both dependence and independence ( and inter-dependence) will mark your life. Soldiers may get cut off from their commanding officers, and still should fight with efficiency and ability. A disciple should have a great measure of wholesome independence before God, as well as wholesome interdependence on his fellow believers. He should be independent enough to be a self-starter for Christ and to be an efficient producer even if he stands alone. He should represent his commanding officer and his country well, even if he fights alone.
The disciple-maker will think with this military mentality, and will train the disciples God gives him to think in this manner, also. He will do everything he can do to master the disciplines that will enable him to advance the Gospel — the discipline of evangelistic strategy and technique, the discipline of Christian apologetics, the discipline of relational living, the discipline of teamwork, the discipline of wise planning and training, etc., etc. He will be consumed by the commitment to “contend for people’s trust in the Message.”
III. CONSISTENT CONDUCT
The third earmark which a disciple-maker will reveal is consistency of conduct in his daily life.
Verse 27 says, “Let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” Let it be such as “becometh the Gospel,” the King James Version says. One woman says to another, “That dress becomes you,” and we recognize that she is pointing out a match between person and apparel. There is to be a becoming match of Christian and Gospel so that the Christian adorns the Gospel. The Christian is responsible to let the world see the beauty of the Gospel by the quality of his life. Each Christian should be very careful that his behavior doesn’t clash with the basic beliefs of the Gospel. Paul indicated that there are some practices that should “not be once named among you, as becometh saints” (Ephesians 5:3).
Paul uses a rather puzzling word for “conduct” in this verse. However, it is worth our time to try to solve the puzzle. The Greek word is “politeuesthe,” the word from which we get our words, “polity, politics, policeman,” etc. The word literally means “citizenship.” It refers to our duty because we are members of a certain group. As Christians, we have both individual and corporate duties. We are individual believers, but it is impossible to function as a true Christian with an independent spirit. The moment a believer is saved, he is incorporated into Christ’s body, and his relationship thereafter is the same as one member of his body to all the other members. Fingers and toes do not act independently of the body of which they are a part, and no Christian should act independently of the fellowship in which God has placed him. Your position in Christ and His Body brings you unbelievable resources and privileges, but it also entails great responsibilities and duties. There is an internationally used French expression that presents this idea. “Noblesse oblige,” they say. “Rank imposes obligation, privilege brings responsibility,” is the meaning of the phrase. Notable rank requires honorable conduct. Jesus said it first: “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48). Remind yourself that the Philippians were Roman citizens because Philippi was a Roman colony. As Roman citizens, they enjoyed special privileges, but these privileges entailed special responsibilities, also. So, too, Christians are an outpost of heaven’s citizens on earth (Philippians 3:20), and their entire demeanor should be a miniature reflection of their true homeland.
The word translated “worthy of” carries the idea of weight. In fact, the idea is that of equal weight. Picture an old set of scales with a center pole and a crossbar. At each end of the crossbar is a pan in which objects are placed to be weighed. In Paul’s illustration, one pan contains the glorious and weighty Gospel of Christ. The other pan holds your life. The startling fact presented here is that your life is to be of equal weight to the claims and expectations of the Gospel. “Who is equal to such a task?” It is easy to see that the Christian needs daily discipline, daily vocation, and daily miracles to live the Christian life. Only then will his conduct by consistent with the glorious realities and claims of the Gospel of Christ.
IV. CONSTANT COOPERATION
The fourth mark of a disciple-maker is constant cooperation with other believers. “All of you are to stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel” (verse 27). The word “together” translates the Greek preposition “sun,” which is equivalent to our English prefix, “co-,” as in such words as “cooperate,” which means “to operate together.” A “co-partner” is a partner together with someone else. The preposition “sun” is used 16 times in Philippians in conjunction with verbs, showing Paul’s emphasis upon teamwork and cooperation. The word translated “striving together” is the word “sunathleo.” The root word gives us our English words “athlete” and “athletics.” But the prefix “sun” lets us know that Paul is not thinking of sports that require only individual participation, such as boxing, singles tennis, golf, etc. Rather, he is thinking of team participation in which success depends largely on standing together and being united.
When Lefty Gomez, the Hall of Fame baseball pitcher, was asked the secret of his success as a pitcher, he replied, “Clean living and a fast outfield.” He knew that any participant in team sports is only as good as the team that supports him. In the same manner, a disciple-maker is only as good as the team that supports him. How many times have I been made to look far better than I really am because of the great disciples God has graciously given to me. A disciple-maker should be a relational person, always looking for and cultivating relationships for Christ’s sake. John Wesley said, “There is no such thing as a solitary saint.” He was right. If a burning coal is isolated, it will burn out quickly, but in a fire of many coals, it will burn long and bright.
Two books with similar settings are Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson (I call them the “Robinson books”). Both tell of the efforts of survivors of shipwrecks at sea to maintain their lives on lonely islands. The obvious difference, however, is that Robinson Crusoe was alone while the others were a family. There is an analogy here to the Christian, and especially to the disciple-maker. No disciple-maker should be a Robinson Crusoe struggling alone against fear and loneliness on an isolated island of individual faith. If he remains alone for very long, he should check his vision, his understanding of the disciple-making process, his availability to the Holy Spirit to make disciples, and his relational aptitudes with other people. These are areas of deficiency where the disciple-making process may break down in an individual’s life. Every disciple-maker should be more like an active, aggressive, functional, contributing member of Swiss Family Robinson — dependent on a close, vital family relationship to survive and be productive in a hostile environment. Paul’s words clearly reveal his conviction that there is great power in relationships, cooperation and teamwork — the very ingredients that are at the heart of the disciple-making process.
Permit a personal testimony at this point. I have traveled to many foreign lands to teach national pastors and leaders how to fulfill the Great Commission by building world-visionary, world-impacting, multiplying disciples. Sometimes (usually because schedule has not permitted time to enlist a team) I have traveled alone. The efficiency reduces greatly when I am alone, the temptations are much greater to be slack and indulgent, the drain is much more obvious, and the process is left without a visual example. However, when I have at least one other disciple/trainer with me, all of these problems are resolved. Some of the greatest men I have ever known on earth have attended me on many of these trips, and the transfer of truth to life-changing reality is always much greater when they are with me. How I thank God for them, and I pray earnestly that God will give them the same great privileges that He has given me. Disciple-making is marked by the absolute necessity of constant cooperation with a large network of other disciples and disciple-makers.
V. CONSPICUOUS COURAGE
The last mark of a disciple-maker which I see in this text is conspicuous courage in standing for Christ and with other Christians. This entire passage of Scripture reveals the great need for conspicuous courage in the Christian community. No disciple-maker can afford to be without a Spirit-produced courage, a spiritual boldness, in being a disciple, in building disciples, and in leading disciples. Such terms as “stand fast,” “striving together,” “conflict,” “in nothing terrified by your adversaries,” highlight the need for courage. If anybody ever exhibited and exemplified courage, it was surely the Apostle Paul.
Samuel Johnson wrote of courage, “Unless a man has the virtue of courage, he has no security for preserving any other virtue.” In the Bible, courage has less to do with macho strength and more to do with heart and character. In fact, in the French language, the word “corage” means “heart.” “Lift up your hearts, be of good courage,” the Bible says. Henry Van Dyke said, “Courage is the soul’s standing army, which negatively keeps it from conquest, pillage and slavery, and positively guarantees its advance and victory.”
J. M. Barrie, author of the child’s fantasy, Peter Pan, was giving a convocation address at Saint Andrews Church. He held up a tattered letter written to him from Captain Scott, the explorer who died exploring the South Pole. It was discovered on his frozen body and sent to Mr. Barrie. Listen to a segment of the letter:
Hoping this letter may be found and sent to you. I write you a word of farewell.... Goodbye — I am not at all afraid of the end, but sad to miss many a simple pleasure I had planned. We are in a desperate state — feet frozen, etc., no fuel, and a long way from food, but it would do your heart good to be in our tent to hear our songs and our cheery conversation. We are very near the end.... We did intend to finish ourselves when things proved like this, but we have decided to die naturally.
Paul calls for this kind of singing, triumphant courage in our text. He himself exemplified it, and felt confident in inviting others to reveal it as well. The term “striving together” is an invitation to show a common courage in advancing the Gospel. Philippi was named after Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. Philip was the one who first used the military strategy known as the “phalanx,” the formation of a solid front of soldiers advancing upon an enemy. The need for courage was equal and common on such a front. The same is true in the community of faith.
“In nothing terrified by your enemies,” Paul says. Commentator R. P. Marting says, “‘Terrified’ is a strong term, unique in the Greek Bible, and denotes the uncontrollable stampede of startled horses.” Use your imagination. See a startled horse shying at something which is only half seen, or which is mistaken for something else. The horse is thrown into sudden confusion, and then into possibility of accident or disaster. This is especially meaningful to me just now because my wife, an accomplished rider, was riding with a friend some months ago when their horses were suddenly “spooked” by the intrusion of other unexpected horses. Their horses broke into a wild gallop and both ladies were thrown from their horses. Fortunately, they both escaped with only severe bruises. This is Paul’s illustration in verse 28. As we journey along the road of life, we may encounter threatening circumstances which may break up our serenity and throw us into panic. This may cause us to shy from our appointed course, and might even cause moral or spiritual disaster. Because of fear, we may lose our way. We need to be shored up with a store of courage.
In Bunyan’s classic allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian was climbing the Hill Difficulty. He saw two giant lions along the path, but he did not see the chains that bound them. The same may be true of us. We can see the menace, the peril, from far away, but we do not see the defensive grace God has provided until it is too late.
There is an old fable about a little boy who saw a witch turn herself into a cat. The cat began to run after the frightened little boy, who ran away as fast as he could. But when he turned around the cat had grown and become the size of a calf and was gaining on the boy. When he looked around again the cat had grown even more and was now the size of a house. The little boy ran with all the energy that he had. Finally he couldn’t run anymore. There was nothing else to do but to turn and face the danger. So he turned toward the cat. The cat turned and ran and the boy began pursuing it. The farther it ran the smaller it became until finally it was small enough to scamper back into the witch’s house. A fable full of truth! Courage will chase away the cat. Faith will overcome fear. In every situation, we must disregard our fears, trust God, and go forward. When we reach the lions, we will find that they are chained. To learn again from Pilgrim’s Progress, there may be cold water on this side of the wall, but the oil of inexhaustible grace is sustaining the fire on the other side.
A Gospel illustration will help here. A shadowy form appeared to the Apostles on the water in a stormy night, and they were thrown into uncertainty and fear. They cried in panic, “It is a ghost!” “And Jesus answered, It is I, be not afraid!”
One summer night during a severe thunderstorm a mother was tucking her little boy into bed. She was about to turn the light out in his bedroom and close the door when she heard his trembling voice say, “Mommy, will you stay here with me tonight?” Mother walked back to his bed, gave him a big hug, and said tenderly, “I can’t, son, I have to sleep in daddy’s room.” There was a moment of silence. Then in a shaky voice the little boy said, “The big sissy!”
The world needs Christians who are not chocolate soldiers, melting in fear before any enemy; it must see believers instead who will seek grace from God to “stand fast” to their purpose. Paul and Silas had modeled this courage at the time of the founding of the Philippian church when they had sung songs of praise in their jail cell at midnight. A Christian must not be startled or stampeded by the enemies of the Gospel. “Having done all, he must stand.”
These, then, are the marks of a disciple-maker. He is recognizable by a compassionate consideration that dominates his life — heaven and hell are real, and will last forever. He is marked by a consuming commitment — he is always “contending for people’s trust in Christ and His Gospel.” He shows a consistent conduct — his life confirms, and does not contradict, the Gospel. He practices constant cooperation — he shows an ability to get alongside all kinds of people, enjoying them, enlisting them, and engaging them for Christ’s sake. And he exemplifies a conspicuous courage — his walk with God puts steel in his backbone.
A final word. The disciple-maker must seek to be steady and faithful in showing all of these marks. “Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9). You will not object to a humorous conclusion to a very, very serious message. A 104-year-old man was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter. “How did you do it?” the reporter asked. The centenarian answered, “I ate the right food, got plenty of sleep each night, didn’t fool around, and never drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, or chewed tobacco.” The reporter said cynically, “I had an uncle like that but he died at fifty-five. How do you explain that?” The old man answered, “Oh, he just didn’t keep it up long enough!” Are the five marks of the disciple-maker present and growing in your life?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
“INTRODUCTION TO DISCIPLE-MAKING”
The word “disciple” describes a learner, a pupil, a student, a scholar, an intern, an apprentice, an adherent (one who binds himself like adhesive tape to another, to capture his heart and his vision and to learn his expertise and his skill). In the New Testament, a disciple is a Christian-in-training, enrolled for life in the school of Christ, and under the tutelage of a maturing discipler. At least one text in the book of Acts indicates that a new believer in Christ was expected to become a disciple at the moment of his faith in Christ (Acts 14:21, where the word translated “taught” in the KJV is the Greek word for “discipled”).
From the moment of his conversion, the new believer is expected to maintain a student attitude throughout his remaining life on earth. This “student profile” calls for him to be a regular attendant in the required “classes,” a notetaker who retains in writing the truth so that he can study through it again and again, and a practical model of the things he is learning. What parent of a first-grader would send him to school without a notebook, pencil, and other materials, and expect him to return in time with a textbook and assignments, etc.? Every Christian should see himself as a lifetime “student in the school of Christ,” following the same vocational regimen as a serious student in school.
Thus, the disciple’s very first vocation is to “learn to learn.” It is amazing to note how many college graduates were never taught somewhere along the way how to study and how to learn. It is equally amazing to see the difference in the life of a person who knows how to study, how to learn, and how to maintain studying and learning as lifetime habits after graduation from school (in fact, many accelerate the pace of their learning after graduation; I was one of them). Blessed indeed is the believer in Christ who has had a Christian discipler who has early-on introduced him to the basics of the Christian life and walked him through the learning process with a Bible, a notebook, a prayer list, and books for basic Christian reading. Hopefully, these exercises will lead him to a lifetime vocation of learning, one of the distinctives of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
One of my favorite writers is C. S. Lewis, the great British scholar of Renaissance literature and lay-apologist for the Christian faith. At every reading of one of his books, I have been impressed with the sheer mental genius of the man. Early on, I purchased the big book of personal letters which Lewis exchanged with Arthur Greeves, a young man of similar mind and literary tastes, a volume entitled They Stood Together. One of the great values of the letters was that they exposed Lewis’ growth stages, or his growing edge, in the early part of his life. One of his growing edges was in how he learned to learn. He received his greatest help from the atheistic headmaster (what a sense of humor God has!) of a boys’ school he attended, a stern man whom Lewis affectionately called “the Great Knock” (so-called because, as they said, he knocked the inability to think out of his pupils and the ability to think into them). This man, William T. Kirkpatrick, systematically attacked slouchy thought and slouchy expression in his students. Lewis learned to think with steel-trap logic, to learn, and to be perfectly reasonable in expressing himself under the iron hand of this early teacher. All the while, God was using this time of learning to prepare him for the arena of faith and the battles to be fought and won there. Lewis’ testimony has challenged me again and again to “learn and re-learn to learn.”
When Jesus said, “Learn of me” (Matthew 11:29), He meant either “learn from Me” as your Teacher, or “learn about Me” as your Subject. He probably (surely) meant both. By definition, a Christian disciple is one who fulfills that mandate, pursuing both possible meanings. There is one additional proviso. The New Testament installs two intermediaries between Jesus and the believer in the process of a believer’s learning One is the indispensable Teacher, the Divine Holy Spirit, and the other is the human agent who “makes disciples” (Matthew 28:19). These two assigned teachers should work in close association in advancing the learning of the disciple. The Holy Spirit has enlisted the disciple-maker, and the disciple-maker should know and practice absolute dependence upon this “Stay-within Friend,” the Holy Spirit. The discipler is a kind of assigned tutor or mentor, an agent of the Holy Spirit, who qualitatively triggers the process of total Christian learning/incarnating/living/testifying/soul-winning/teaching/disciple-builing into the life of a new Christian. Jesus played this role with His Twelve, as did Peter with John Mark and Paul with Timothy and many others. The dimensions of this role are so many, so big, and so dynamic that face-to-face communication is required in small-scale settings where assignments, give-and-take, accountability, etc., can be maintained. When Jesus did this with His twelve men, He often spotlighted one or two of the twelve for special attention, determined by their personal needs or the demand of special occasions.
I am personally persuaded after much careful study and much experience through many years that Christ’s Model is definitive for fulfilling His Mandate to “turn people into disciples.” While being very deliberate and intending to be very alert in observation, I have never seen any other model produce the full-blown New Testament disciple on a consistent basis, but I have never seen His Model fail, when followed carefully. Jesus ministered to the masses, teaching (the imparting of Divine information), preaching (the imparting of Divine information, inspiration and invitation) and healing (Divine intervention to correct the many “diseases” of life), but He recruited selectively for His Kingdom’s sake and concentrated almost all of His private ministry (which someone estimated to be maybe 85% of His total ministry) on Twelve Men. Many recent students, teachers, preachers and evangelists (including Billy Graham) have advised pastors and leaders to re-institute this model in their ministries. Since Jesus did not explain the meaning of “turning people into disciples” when He gave the Great Commission, and since His hearers had been subjected to The Process for at least two and one-half years of day-and-night qualitative disciple-making, we may be absolutely sure that His Model was intended to provide their understanding of Their Mission.
However, most Christians today are so oriented to auditing lessons in Sunday School and auditing sermons in an auditorium that they unwittingly abort the intention of Heaven for the communication of truth. Note the take-off on the words for “listening” (auditing, auditorium). This “listening” in an “auditorium” (place of listening!) typically ends with the moment of listening and has little or no future productivity beyond that moment—which means that, when the staggering potential is considered for future productivity through such a moment of teaching/preaching and audience hearing/learning, God largely “wasted His breath” in speaking in that service. Obviously, passive, casual listening (listening that has none of the vast productivity He calls for in communicating His truth) has replaced active (true, dynamic), controlled and committed listening, the listening that generates dynamic active study and repetitive teaching—and inferior replacement is just the beginning of the sterility that proceeds from such reduced listening. No wonder that Jesus talked so much about “hearing,” and said such strange and devastating things about it!
In 1978, English actor Alex McCowan did a theatrical performance in New York City of the Gospel of Mark. Time magazine reported that it was “a feat of remarkable skill.” It seems that McCowan strolled on stage casually dressed, opened his mouth, and dramatically recited the entire Gospel of Mark from memory. Time called it “compelling theater that is at the same time non-theatrical.” The final paragraph of the reporter’s article said, “As delivered by McCowan, Mark is a triumph of the human voice and of the English language.” It was apparently quite good theater, but the words hadn’t taken root. They really weren’t supposed to. After all, they were part of a performance delivered by an actor in a theater. They were spoken for dramatic, theatrical effect, not for practical results. Can such a thing happen in church as well?? Not only can it happen, it almost always does, at least for a great majority of the people, because they have never learned to learn (and repeat) according to the standard of Jesus. They unwittingly sin through presumptuous listening—every time they go to church! When this happens, Christians become crippled in their ears, and the ailment tends to spread through their other spiritual “senses,” getting worse with each new trip to church (see James 1:22ff). Judged by the test of “a fruitful crop” (God’s stated standard), it is evident that many regular attendants in church have tragically not learned to learn (that is, they have never been qualitatively discipled after the Model of Jesus). I would like to invite you to email me for the study on “how to hear,” the one subject to which Jesus devoted more of His attention than any other single subject.
God’s intent in broadcasting His truth in any setting is the same as His intent in sending His Son, Jesus—the Word given is to become flesh so that it can return to (articulated) Word again through a redeemed person on its way into the “flesh” of another person , and the movement is to be Word-to-flesh-to-Word-to-flesh-to-Word-to-flesh, ad infinitum. Most auditors-in-church have never really “learned to learn” in such a way as to make them the multi-generational multipliers of other disciples mandated in the New Testament.
Consider the potential of the truth shared in a teaching/preaching setting as contrasted with the actual result. Suppose each auditor had learned to capture the truth (by taking notes, holding himself accountable to master that truth so that he can repeat it without notes, then actually repeating the truth heard as soon as possible and as often as possible to potential disciples/disciplers/world-impactors) with total world impact as his goal. This is Biblical procedure. “The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach” (Romans 10:8, and note the context) It is God’s intent that the Word proclaimed be preached into the heart and mouth of every listener (and a third crucial part of “spiritual anatomy,” the feet, are mentioned purposefully in the same passage; Romans 10:15), with eternal fruit being the goal (and fruit naturally multiplies itself). Someone said, “Most church attendants are like Halloween pumpkins, or Jack’O Lanterns—a lot of smiles, but no feet.” What pastor/evangelist/preacher/teacher would not rather know that his sermon/study session was skillfully repeated a thousand times beyond the service where it was first heard, and to the ends of the earth, with massive soul-winning and disciple-building results, rather than that it be merely audited in church, never to be thought of or mentioned again shortly after the service? This is a part of a disciple’s learning to learn. Quite obviously, it seldom happens unless people are discipled into it.
Every Christian is intended to see himself functioning in a vocation (Ephesians 4:1). The Latin word is “vocare,” and that word is an education in itself. You can easily detect the similarity between the Latin word and our word “vocal.” The word “vocation” involves: (1) A speaking. For a Christian, God is the Speaker, though He often speaks through assigned human speakers as well. (2) A hearing. For a Christian, this entails the in-depth listening commanded by Jesus. (3) The acceptance of a “calling” (which is the Christian understanding of the word “vocation”). Dear Christian, you are in a vocation, not on a vacation! On a vacation, everything is done on a luxury and leisure basis. There is plenty of leisure on a vacation, and vacations are essential, but they should be temporary, not the lifestyle of a Christian listener. In a Christian vocation, everything must be done on a Lordship basis. Vocational workers apply themselves in learning and in living. They are always “on call,” they are never merely “on their own.” I hope that you will take this book in hand as a vocational catalyst, or as a vocational readjustment—and that you will join the enlarging army of disciple-makers who will impact the world to the ends of the earth until the end of time. Indeed, an enlarging army of such people are already incredibly impacting the world. Praise be to God, who “gives the increase”!
May I say it plainly: every Christian is commanded by Jesus to “turn people into disciples,” and is expected (again, a command) to have multi-generational impact for Him (II Timothy 2:2). The verse cited here is by no means the only place in the New Testament where multi-generational disciple-making is seen. Let me remind you that the verse just cited from Paul’s letter to his own disciple, Timothy, was written to a man who went from “Mr. Timid” to “Mr. World-mover” through the discipling of Paul. Let the timid Christian of today who would “begin to make excuse” realize that there are many ways to “turn people into disciples,” and to learn the way to which he is best adapted—and to practice it continually--is a part of learning to learn. Do you begin to see how qualitative is the process of teaching the disciple so that he will learn to learn?
Several years ago, I wrote the prequel to Fox Fever, a primer on disciple-making entitled, Tally Ho the Fox. It was a simple and stumbling effort to express my findings about being a disciple of Jesus and about building other disciples of the same kind. The book is not marketed at large in Christian bookstores. It is only marketed out of our home in Memphis, Tennessee. With that limitation and without publicity except through the words and efforts of disciples/disciple-makers, I have been astounded to watch as the book has travel into many, many places throughout the world. Many individuals have ordered entire boxes of the two books (again and again), and have given them to other Christians whom they see as potential disciples/disciplers/multipliers. The first book has already been used as a textbook in two Christian colleges in classes on missions, evangelism and disciple-making. Almost daily, I receive letters, notes, requests and contacts from the most distant and unexpected places as people inquire about the book and seek copies of it. It has now gone through five printings. I see this as a miracle of the Holy Spirit. It also reflects the vast number of surrendered Christians who want to obey Jesus in the true fulfillment of His Great Commission, which commands each follower to “turn people into disciples in all nations.” I have become increasingly convinced that it is incumbent upon every disciple who understands the Commission to aggressively carry the Strategy and Standard of Jesus into every nook and cranny of the globe—to “the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). As I write, I have just returned from an eighteen-day trip to the Philippines and China, where the team saw miracle after miracle of communication and transformation. My partners on that team remained in China after my departure, joined there by five other teaching team members and intending to penetrate three or four more teaching venues for another six days of teaching before returning to the U.S. It has been my personal privilege to travel some 168 times at this date to foreign countries to train pastors, teachers, leaders and “laymen” in being and building disciples. On most of these trips, I have been attended by teaching disciples who have been “equipped” (Ephesians 4:12) through the disciple-making process. On such trips, I “tandem-teach” or “round-robin teach” with these capable disciples/disciplers. These efforts have been remarkably anointed and blessed by the Holy Spirit, and a world-wide network of disciples/disciplers/multipliers has emerged. The email network that keeps us in contact with thousands of them has become almost impossible to handle. Our goal on each of these trips is to see at least one motivated disciple and aspiring disciple-maker emerge from the trainees (we will take ten or one hundred, but you can’t have two until you have one, so we ask for at least one), and thus to begin a movement of disciple-making that will soon begin to impact the churches and the culture around them.
Let no one misunderstand this goal. Some distant observers have said that we surely must neglect or ignore evangelism in emphasizing disciple-making. Nothing could be further from the truth! I have personally taught in disciple-making sessions again and again some three or four tools or standards for soul-winning, and have personally used one of them hundreds of times in witnessing to and/or winning people to Christ. On several overseas trips, I have seen thousands of people respond to the Gospel invitation. In a team effort of some thirty lay evangelists on one trip stretched over ten days and climaxed with a weekend crusade, we saw well over 5,000 people register “decisions for Christ.” In another church-centered crusade, I saw 2,300 people respond to my own preaching backed by the team effort of thirteen lay-evangelists. On one trip to Sri Lanka, I even saw six pastors in the discipleship training sessions respond to an impromptu Gospel message (oh, it was strongly prompted by the Holy Spirit!) on Hebrews 7:25 on a Thursday afternoon, with each of these four men brokenly declaring that they had never been saved and were coming to Christ in repentance and faith that day. This was my third trip to Sri Lanka, so I asked for one of the pastors who had been thrice-trained in intensive disciple-making sessions to begin immediately to disciple these four men. A very capable pastor who had also become a skilled disciple-maker took them into a side classroom and spent the rest of the day, probably four or five more hours, discipling them! Anyone who knows my heart knows that I have never neglected evangelism. It is my heart to “witness to everything that moves and looks human” in any setting. That motive and practice are crucial parts of the disciple-making process. When these lay-teachers go on a trip with me, they always preach in services (at least) on Sunday, preaching evangelistic sermon(s) which I have discipled into them. The entire standard is the most gratifying ministry I have ever been involved in over some 55 years of being a Christian, with 54 of them spent in the preaching/teaching ministry.
When a person is first exposed to the life-transforming strategy of Jesus, certain questions are invariably asked. “How do I/we do this?” “What do I do with a disciple?” “Just exactly what procedure do you follow in building a disciple?” These questions simply cannot be answered in propositional form; the answer must be finally seen in practice. Christian strategy is incarnational (remember the Word-to-flesh formula) before it is informational (remember the flesh-to-Word formula); it is personal before it is propositional. Dynamic processes do not easily reduce to formulas. Jesus’ training was done on-the-job and on-the-move. One writer has written of “Jesus’ mobile Bible college.” The word “college” sounds almost too institutional to accurately reflect the practice of Jesus, but you get the idea. Again, do not misread me at this point. I believe that the local church is the focus of Christ’s purpose and movement in a community and in the world, but I believe that it is to be more the base for the movement than the place of the movement. I am sure that Jesus intended tidal waves of influence and impact to emanate from the local church and from each individual Christian (with no exceptions, no exemptions and no exclusions!), and I believe that this spiritual tsunami is to inundate the entire world. The problem is that most “Christians” are spectators instead of participants, observers instead of actors, mere supporters instead of mighty catalysts for world impact, local pew potatoes instead of global strategists. This is a total caricature, a full-fledged distortion, of the standard of Jesus. He will never encourage or endorse that strategy—for any of His followers.
I have sought to follow the admonition which God gave to the prophet Habakkuk as I have written this book. Habakkuk wrote, “The Lord said, ‘Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run who reads it” (Habakkuk 2:2). Here are the “eight Rs” of Habakkuk 2:1-3 for planting and implementing the disciple-making vision: Revelation (vision), rebuke, repentance, ’ritin, readin’, repeatin’, runnin’, and ’rithmetic” (multiplication). I have sought to “write the vision….plain upon tablets.” I pray that it is plain enough, and motivating enough, “that he may run who reads it.” And I pray that he may understand the strategy well enough that God will use him (you personally) to create an army of multiplying disciples who will impact the world to the ends of the earth and until the end of time.
Some years ago, I saw the movie, Camelot. I was absolutely captivated by two scenes in the movie because of their illustrations of the Gospel. One was the scene of King Arthur in heavy inner conflict at the Round Table because of the betrayal of the two people he loved most in all the world—his wife, Guinevere, and his favorite knight, the idyllic Lancelot. Arthur was in the throes of agony because of the dilemma their betrayal thrust him into: “Shall I spare them because of my love for them, and thus destroy the righteous foundation of my kingdom; or shall I judge and destroy them for their sin, thus protecting the kingdom, but thus, also, torturing my own heart with the endless agony of being bereft of the two people in all the world I love most?” The poignancy and pathos bleeds through the scene as Arthur tearfully ponders his choices. How like God’s dilemma—how to be just and yet still be the justifier of sinners (see Romans 3:26). Arthur was too weak to resolve the problem, and the Camelot dream faded. It was indeed a problem that suited a God, and the God of the Bible solved it like the God that He is. The glorious Gospel of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus is the Divine Resolution to an “impossible” dilemma.
The other memorable scene in the movie, the closing scene at the end of Camelot, will remain long etched on my memory. Arthur’s weakness and inability to resolve the conflict in him about Guinevere and Lancelot have ended the “impossible dream” of the Camelot eutopia. As the story closes, the entire plot is captured in the last scene as Arthur and his remaining loyalists are waiting, in fog and mist, the questionable outcome torturing everybody’s heart.
A young boy who calls himself “Tom of Warwick” appears in the scene, a “volunteer” for the Camelot dream. Arthur explains the dream to the boy, and then gives him an assignment. Arthur refuses the boy his request to fight as a knight of the Round Table, and tells him instead to go and tell the Camelot dream to others, and thus keep the dream alive. He tells the boy to run, to run and tell the dream. The film dies from your sight with the throaty voice of good King Arthur shouting at the departing boy, “Run, boy, run! Run, boy, run! Run, boy, RUN!”
How I wish we could hear our Good King Jesus shouting in our souls today. “Take the Mandate of My Commission as your personal assignment, and Run, child of Mine, run! Run…child…RUN!” Godspeed, dear Christian, as you read and run.
“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). “Sanctified” to Whom? Sanctified to what? Set apart to Him, to be sure, but also set apart to His revealed Purpose. The word “sanctified” is as much a utilitarian word as it is a personal piety word. Biblically, things, places, days and persons are called “holy” or “sanctified”—and three out of those four don’t even have a moral nature at all! Those things are sanctified to a Person, certainly, but they are also sanctified for a specific practical sacred purpose. This is true also of every believer in Christ, and surely one of the ultimate practical purposes for each believer is defined by the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. No human being is Biblically “sanctified” who is not ready for any use to which the Sanctifier may want to put him.
I hope these words have whetted your appetite (as they have mine) for this “whirlwind tour” through some ideas about the theory and practice of being and building disciples in obedience to the Great Commission command of Jesus.
(Copied from Herb Hodges)
The word “disciple” describes a learner, a pupil, a student, a scholar, an intern, an apprentice, an adherent (one who binds himself like adhesive tape to another, to capture his heart and his vision and to learn his expertise and his skill). In the New Testament, a disciple is a Christian-in-training, enrolled for life in the school of Christ, and under the tutelage of a maturing discipler. At least one text in the book of Acts indicates that a new believer in Christ was expected to become a disciple at the moment of his faith in Christ (Acts 14:21, where the word translated “taught” in the KJV is the Greek word for “discipled”).
From the moment of his conversion, the new believer is expected to maintain a student attitude throughout his remaining life on earth. This “student profile” calls for him to be a regular attendant in the required “classes,” a notetaker who retains in writing the truth so that he can study through it again and again, and a practical model of the things he is learning. What parent of a first-grader would send him to school without a notebook, pencil, and other materials, and expect him to return in time with a textbook and assignments, etc.? Every Christian should see himself as a lifetime “student in the school of Christ,” following the same vocational regimen as a serious student in school.
Thus, the disciple’s very first vocation is to “learn to learn.” It is amazing to note how many college graduates were never taught somewhere along the way how to study and how to learn. It is equally amazing to see the difference in the life of a person who knows how to study, how to learn, and how to maintain studying and learning as lifetime habits after graduation from school (in fact, many accelerate the pace of their learning after graduation; I was one of them). Blessed indeed is the believer in Christ who has had a Christian discipler who has early-on introduced him to the basics of the Christian life and walked him through the learning process with a Bible, a notebook, a prayer list, and books for basic Christian reading. Hopefully, these exercises will lead him to a lifetime vocation of learning, one of the distinctives of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
One of my favorite writers is C. S. Lewis, the great British scholar of Renaissance literature and lay-apologist for the Christian faith. At every reading of one of his books, I have been impressed with the sheer mental genius of the man. Early on, I purchased the big book of personal letters which Lewis exchanged with Arthur Greeves, a young man of similar mind and literary tastes, a volume entitled They Stood Together. One of the great values of the letters was that they exposed Lewis’ growth stages, or his growing edge, in the early part of his life. One of his growing edges was in how he learned to learn. He received his greatest help from the atheistic headmaster (what a sense of humor God has!) of a boys’ school he attended, a stern man whom Lewis affectionately called “the Great Knock” (so-called because, as they said, he knocked the inability to think out of his pupils and the ability to think into them). This man, William T. Kirkpatrick, systematically attacked slouchy thought and slouchy expression in his students. Lewis learned to think with steel-trap logic, to learn, and to be perfectly reasonable in expressing himself under the iron hand of this early teacher. All the while, God was using this time of learning to prepare him for the arena of faith and the battles to be fought and won there. Lewis’ testimony has challenged me again and again to “learn and re-learn to learn.”
When Jesus said, “Learn of me” (Matthew 11:29), He meant either “learn from Me” as your Teacher, or “learn about Me” as your Subject. He probably (surely) meant both. By definition, a Christian disciple is one who fulfills that mandate, pursuing both possible meanings. There is one additional proviso. The New Testament installs two intermediaries between Jesus and the believer in the process of a believer’s learning One is the indispensable Teacher, the Divine Holy Spirit, and the other is the human agent who “makes disciples” (Matthew 28:19). These two assigned teachers should work in close association in advancing the learning of the disciple. The Holy Spirit has enlisted the disciple-maker, and the disciple-maker should know and practice absolute dependence upon this “Stay-within Friend,” the Holy Spirit. The discipler is a kind of assigned tutor or mentor, an agent of the Holy Spirit, who qualitatively triggers the process of total Christian learning/incarnating/living/testifying/soul-winning/teaching/disciple-builing into the life of a new Christian. Jesus played this role with His Twelve, as did Peter with John Mark and Paul with Timothy and many others. The dimensions of this role are so many, so big, and so dynamic that face-to-face communication is required in small-scale settings where assignments, give-and-take, accountability, etc., can be maintained. When Jesus did this with His twelve men, He often spotlighted one or two of the twelve for special attention, determined by their personal needs or the demand of special occasions.
I am personally persuaded after much careful study and much experience through many years that Christ’s Model is definitive for fulfilling His Mandate to “turn people into disciples.” While being very deliberate and intending to be very alert in observation, I have never seen any other model produce the full-blown New Testament disciple on a consistent basis, but I have never seen His Model fail, when followed carefully. Jesus ministered to the masses, teaching (the imparting of Divine information), preaching (the imparting of Divine information, inspiration and invitation) and healing (Divine intervention to correct the many “diseases” of life), but He recruited selectively for His Kingdom’s sake and concentrated almost all of His private ministry (which someone estimated to be maybe 85% of His total ministry) on Twelve Men. Many recent students, teachers, preachers and evangelists (including Billy Graham) have advised pastors and leaders to re-institute this model in their ministries. Since Jesus did not explain the meaning of “turning people into disciples” when He gave the Great Commission, and since His hearers had been subjected to The Process for at least two and one-half years of day-and-night qualitative disciple-making, we may be absolutely sure that His Model was intended to provide their understanding of Their Mission.
However, most Christians today are so oriented to auditing lessons in Sunday School and auditing sermons in an auditorium that they unwittingly abort the intention of Heaven for the communication of truth. Note the take-off on the words for “listening” (auditing, auditorium). This “listening” in an “auditorium” (place of listening!) typically ends with the moment of listening and has little or no future productivity beyond that moment—which means that, when the staggering potential is considered for future productivity through such a moment of teaching/preaching and audience hearing/learning, God largely “wasted His breath” in speaking in that service. Obviously, passive, casual listening (listening that has none of the vast productivity He calls for in communicating His truth) has replaced active (true, dynamic), controlled and committed listening, the listening that generates dynamic active study and repetitive teaching—and inferior replacement is just the beginning of the sterility that proceeds from such reduced listening. No wonder that Jesus talked so much about “hearing,” and said such strange and devastating things about it!
In 1978, English actor Alex McCowan did a theatrical performance in New York City of the Gospel of Mark. Time magazine reported that it was “a feat of remarkable skill.” It seems that McCowan strolled on stage casually dressed, opened his mouth, and dramatically recited the entire Gospel of Mark from memory. Time called it “compelling theater that is at the same time non-theatrical.” The final paragraph of the reporter’s article said, “As delivered by McCowan, Mark is a triumph of the human voice and of the English language.” It was apparently quite good theater, but the words hadn’t taken root. They really weren’t supposed to. After all, they were part of a performance delivered by an actor in a theater. They were spoken for dramatic, theatrical effect, not for practical results. Can such a thing happen in church as well?? Not only can it happen, it almost always does, at least for a great majority of the people, because they have never learned to learn (and repeat) according to the standard of Jesus. They unwittingly sin through presumptuous listening—every time they go to church! When this happens, Christians become crippled in their ears, and the ailment tends to spread through their other spiritual “senses,” getting worse with each new trip to church (see James 1:22ff). Judged by the test of “a fruitful crop” (God’s stated standard), it is evident that many regular attendants in church have tragically not learned to learn (that is, they have never been qualitatively discipled after the Model of Jesus). I would like to invite you to email me for the study on “how to hear,” the one subject to which Jesus devoted more of His attention than any other single subject.
God’s intent in broadcasting His truth in any setting is the same as His intent in sending His Son, Jesus—the Word given is to become flesh so that it can return to (articulated) Word again through a redeemed person on its way into the “flesh” of another person , and the movement is to be Word-to-flesh-to-Word-to-flesh-to-Word-to-flesh, ad infinitum. Most auditors-in-church have never really “learned to learn” in such a way as to make them the multi-generational multipliers of other disciples mandated in the New Testament.
Consider the potential of the truth shared in a teaching/preaching setting as contrasted with the actual result. Suppose each auditor had learned to capture the truth (by taking notes, holding himself accountable to master that truth so that he can repeat it without notes, then actually repeating the truth heard as soon as possible and as often as possible to potential disciples/disciplers/world-impactors) with total world impact as his goal. This is Biblical procedure. “The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach” (Romans 10:8, and note the context) It is God’s intent that the Word proclaimed be preached into the heart and mouth of every listener (and a third crucial part of “spiritual anatomy,” the feet, are mentioned purposefully in the same passage; Romans 10:15), with eternal fruit being the goal (and fruit naturally multiplies itself). Someone said, “Most church attendants are like Halloween pumpkins, or Jack’O Lanterns—a lot of smiles, but no feet.” What pastor/evangelist/preacher/teacher would not rather know that his sermon/study session was skillfully repeated a thousand times beyond the service where it was first heard, and to the ends of the earth, with massive soul-winning and disciple-building results, rather than that it be merely audited in church, never to be thought of or mentioned again shortly after the service? This is a part of a disciple’s learning to learn. Quite obviously, it seldom happens unless people are discipled into it.
Every Christian is intended to see himself functioning in a vocation (Ephesians 4:1). The Latin word is “vocare,” and that word is an education in itself. You can easily detect the similarity between the Latin word and our word “vocal.” The word “vocation” involves: (1) A speaking. For a Christian, God is the Speaker, though He often speaks through assigned human speakers as well. (2) A hearing. For a Christian, this entails the in-depth listening commanded by Jesus. (3) The acceptance of a “calling” (which is the Christian understanding of the word “vocation”). Dear Christian, you are in a vocation, not on a vacation! On a vacation, everything is done on a luxury and leisure basis. There is plenty of leisure on a vacation, and vacations are essential, but they should be temporary, not the lifestyle of a Christian listener. In a Christian vocation, everything must be done on a Lordship basis. Vocational workers apply themselves in learning and in living. They are always “on call,” they are never merely “on their own.” I hope that you will take this book in hand as a vocational catalyst, or as a vocational readjustment—and that you will join the enlarging army of disciple-makers who will impact the world to the ends of the earth until the end of time. Indeed, an enlarging army of such people are already incredibly impacting the world. Praise be to God, who “gives the increase”!
May I say it plainly: every Christian is commanded by Jesus to “turn people into disciples,” and is expected (again, a command) to have multi-generational impact for Him (II Timothy 2:2). The verse cited here is by no means the only place in the New Testament where multi-generational disciple-making is seen. Let me remind you that the verse just cited from Paul’s letter to his own disciple, Timothy, was written to a man who went from “Mr. Timid” to “Mr. World-mover” through the discipling of Paul. Let the timid Christian of today who would “begin to make excuse” realize that there are many ways to “turn people into disciples,” and to learn the way to which he is best adapted—and to practice it continually--is a part of learning to learn. Do you begin to see how qualitative is the process of teaching the disciple so that he will learn to learn?
Several years ago, I wrote the prequel to Fox Fever, a primer on disciple-making entitled, Tally Ho the Fox. It was a simple and stumbling effort to express my findings about being a disciple of Jesus and about building other disciples of the same kind. The book is not marketed at large in Christian bookstores. It is only marketed out of our home in Memphis, Tennessee. With that limitation and without publicity except through the words and efforts of disciples/disciple-makers, I have been astounded to watch as the book has travel into many, many places throughout the world. Many individuals have ordered entire boxes of the two books (again and again), and have given them to other Christians whom they see as potential disciples/disciplers/multipliers. The first book has already been used as a textbook in two Christian colleges in classes on missions, evangelism and disciple-making. Almost daily, I receive letters, notes, requests and contacts from the most distant and unexpected places as people inquire about the book and seek copies of it. It has now gone through five printings. I see this as a miracle of the Holy Spirit. It also reflects the vast number of surrendered Christians who want to obey Jesus in the true fulfillment of His Great Commission, which commands each follower to “turn people into disciples in all nations.” I have become increasingly convinced that it is incumbent upon every disciple who understands the Commission to aggressively carry the Strategy and Standard of Jesus into every nook and cranny of the globe—to “the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). As I write, I have just returned from an eighteen-day trip to the Philippines and China, where the team saw miracle after miracle of communication and transformation. My partners on that team remained in China after my departure, joined there by five other teaching team members and intending to penetrate three or four more teaching venues for another six days of teaching before returning to the U.S. It has been my personal privilege to travel some 168 times at this date to foreign countries to train pastors, teachers, leaders and “laymen” in being and building disciples. On most of these trips, I have been attended by teaching disciples who have been “equipped” (Ephesians 4:12) through the disciple-making process. On such trips, I “tandem-teach” or “round-robin teach” with these capable disciples/disciplers. These efforts have been remarkably anointed and blessed by the Holy Spirit, and a world-wide network of disciples/disciplers/multipliers has emerged. The email network that keeps us in contact with thousands of them has become almost impossible to handle. Our goal on each of these trips is to see at least one motivated disciple and aspiring disciple-maker emerge from the trainees (we will take ten or one hundred, but you can’t have two until you have one, so we ask for at least one), and thus to begin a movement of disciple-making that will soon begin to impact the churches and the culture around them.
Let no one misunderstand this goal. Some distant observers have said that we surely must neglect or ignore evangelism in emphasizing disciple-making. Nothing could be further from the truth! I have personally taught in disciple-making sessions again and again some three or four tools or standards for soul-winning, and have personally used one of them hundreds of times in witnessing to and/or winning people to Christ. On several overseas trips, I have seen thousands of people respond to the Gospel invitation. In a team effort of some thirty lay evangelists on one trip stretched over ten days and climaxed with a weekend crusade, we saw well over 5,000 people register “decisions for Christ.” In another church-centered crusade, I saw 2,300 people respond to my own preaching backed by the team effort of thirteen lay-evangelists. On one trip to Sri Lanka, I even saw six pastors in the discipleship training sessions respond to an impromptu Gospel message (oh, it was strongly prompted by the Holy Spirit!) on Hebrews 7:25 on a Thursday afternoon, with each of these four men brokenly declaring that they had never been saved and were coming to Christ in repentance and faith that day. This was my third trip to Sri Lanka, so I asked for one of the pastors who had been thrice-trained in intensive disciple-making sessions to begin immediately to disciple these four men. A very capable pastor who had also become a skilled disciple-maker took them into a side classroom and spent the rest of the day, probably four or five more hours, discipling them! Anyone who knows my heart knows that I have never neglected evangelism. It is my heart to “witness to everything that moves and looks human” in any setting. That motive and practice are crucial parts of the disciple-making process. When these lay-teachers go on a trip with me, they always preach in services (at least) on Sunday, preaching evangelistic sermon(s) which I have discipled into them. The entire standard is the most gratifying ministry I have ever been involved in over some 55 years of being a Christian, with 54 of them spent in the preaching/teaching ministry.
When a person is first exposed to the life-transforming strategy of Jesus, certain questions are invariably asked. “How do I/we do this?” “What do I do with a disciple?” “Just exactly what procedure do you follow in building a disciple?” These questions simply cannot be answered in propositional form; the answer must be finally seen in practice. Christian strategy is incarnational (remember the Word-to-flesh formula) before it is informational (remember the flesh-to-Word formula); it is personal before it is propositional. Dynamic processes do not easily reduce to formulas. Jesus’ training was done on-the-job and on-the-move. One writer has written of “Jesus’ mobile Bible college.” The word “college” sounds almost too institutional to accurately reflect the practice of Jesus, but you get the idea. Again, do not misread me at this point. I believe that the local church is the focus of Christ’s purpose and movement in a community and in the world, but I believe that it is to be more the base for the movement than the place of the movement. I am sure that Jesus intended tidal waves of influence and impact to emanate from the local church and from each individual Christian (with no exceptions, no exemptions and no exclusions!), and I believe that this spiritual tsunami is to inundate the entire world. The problem is that most “Christians” are spectators instead of participants, observers instead of actors, mere supporters instead of mighty catalysts for world impact, local pew potatoes instead of global strategists. This is a total caricature, a full-fledged distortion, of the standard of Jesus. He will never encourage or endorse that strategy—for any of His followers.
I have sought to follow the admonition which God gave to the prophet Habakkuk as I have written this book. Habakkuk wrote, “The Lord said, ‘Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run who reads it” (Habakkuk 2:2). Here are the “eight Rs” of Habakkuk 2:1-3 for planting and implementing the disciple-making vision: Revelation (vision), rebuke, repentance, ’ritin, readin’, repeatin’, runnin’, and ’rithmetic” (multiplication). I have sought to “write the vision….plain upon tablets.” I pray that it is plain enough, and motivating enough, “that he may run who reads it.” And I pray that he may understand the strategy well enough that God will use him (you personally) to create an army of multiplying disciples who will impact the world to the ends of the earth and until the end of time.
Some years ago, I saw the movie, Camelot. I was absolutely captivated by two scenes in the movie because of their illustrations of the Gospel. One was the scene of King Arthur in heavy inner conflict at the Round Table because of the betrayal of the two people he loved most in all the world—his wife, Guinevere, and his favorite knight, the idyllic Lancelot. Arthur was in the throes of agony because of the dilemma their betrayal thrust him into: “Shall I spare them because of my love for them, and thus destroy the righteous foundation of my kingdom; or shall I judge and destroy them for their sin, thus protecting the kingdom, but thus, also, torturing my own heart with the endless agony of being bereft of the two people in all the world I love most?” The poignancy and pathos bleeds through the scene as Arthur tearfully ponders his choices. How like God’s dilemma—how to be just and yet still be the justifier of sinners (see Romans 3:26). Arthur was too weak to resolve the problem, and the Camelot dream faded. It was indeed a problem that suited a God, and the God of the Bible solved it like the God that He is. The glorious Gospel of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus is the Divine Resolution to an “impossible” dilemma.
The other memorable scene in the movie, the closing scene at the end of Camelot, will remain long etched on my memory. Arthur’s weakness and inability to resolve the conflict in him about Guinevere and Lancelot have ended the “impossible dream” of the Camelot eutopia. As the story closes, the entire plot is captured in the last scene as Arthur and his remaining loyalists are waiting, in fog and mist, the questionable outcome torturing everybody’s heart.
A young boy who calls himself “Tom of Warwick” appears in the scene, a “volunteer” for the Camelot dream. Arthur explains the dream to the boy, and then gives him an assignment. Arthur refuses the boy his request to fight as a knight of the Round Table, and tells him instead to go and tell the Camelot dream to others, and thus keep the dream alive. He tells the boy to run, to run and tell the dream. The film dies from your sight with the throaty voice of good King Arthur shouting at the departing boy, “Run, boy, run! Run, boy, run! Run, boy, RUN!”
How I wish we could hear our Good King Jesus shouting in our souls today. “Take the Mandate of My Commission as your personal assignment, and Run, child of Mine, run! Run…child…RUN!” Godspeed, dear Christian, as you read and run.
“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). “Sanctified” to Whom? Sanctified to what? Set apart to Him, to be sure, but also set apart to His revealed Purpose. The word “sanctified” is as much a utilitarian word as it is a personal piety word. Biblically, things, places, days and persons are called “holy” or “sanctified”—and three out of those four don’t even have a moral nature at all! Those things are sanctified to a Person, certainly, but they are also sanctified for a specific practical sacred purpose. This is true also of every believer in Christ, and surely one of the ultimate practical purposes for each believer is defined by the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. No human being is Biblically “sanctified” who is not ready for any use to which the Sanctifier may want to put him.
I hope these words have whetted your appetite (as they have mine) for this “whirlwind tour” through some ideas about the theory and practice of being and building disciples in obedience to the Great Commission command of Jesus.
(Copied from Herb Hodges)
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