Developing a Disciple-Making Culture (Faith)
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And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
What’s the History?
What’s the History?
First of all: my church is not the model! We are not perfect. We still have a long way to go. I am not saying that you need to do what I am doing. All I want to do is share with you what God has done in our church.
Developing a disciple-making culture has been, without a doubt, the most spiritual healthy thing I have ever done in 16 years of pastoral ministry.
2018-2019: David Neal hosted a seminar at his church on developing a disciple-making culture.
I had been senior pastor for 5 years.
Noticed a repeatable pattern in the church: growth, plateau, decline.
Why is my church not growing? What are some of our reasons? excuses?
Had no clear direction or vision to lead my church.
No idea how to grow the church! Dependent upon programs.
95% of pastors have not won a person to Christ outside of the home or church.
Realized the model of ministry encouraged people to be audience members and not active participants in ministry.
How does your church think about evangelism and disciple-making?
Institutional / Situational / Personal?
Which style would each saint in your church lean toward?
Explain just how institutional and programmatic we were.
“If it’s biblical it ought to be repeatable in any in any size church, in any culture, anywhere in the world.”
If we are a true first-century church, if we learned a new language, changed our diet, bought appropriate clothing, and did some on-the-job training in a new country, should we be able to thrive as a church in any culture?
What is a Disciple-Making Culture?
What is a Disciple-Making Culture?
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Notice the verbs in this verse- how many verbal ideas do you see?
Matthew 28:19–20 (NKJV)
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Which verb is the main verbal idea of the verse?
One of these verbs is an imperative- it is the primary verb, the rest of the verbal ideas are subordinate. In other words they describe for us how to carry out the main idea. So that is the main idea?
Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)
Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Make disciples- it is a command / an imperative.
μαθητής- this is the verb form of the Greek word- μαθητής. This word is used 25x’s in its verb form in the NT. In the noun form this word occurs over 260 x’s primarily in the gospels and in Acts. (frequency highlights primacy!)
All of the rest of the verbals tell us what it looks like to make disciples.
Matthew 28:19–20 (NKJV)
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
We make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching. But then I really began to ponder that last one.
What are we to teach?
Is there a difference between teaching someone and teaching someone to observe?
How long would this take?
If I can baptize, get them to join, attend regularly, and give then I’m good.
Making disciples seems like it includes much more!
Who is the command of making disciples for? Is this a command for all believers?
Are we equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry?
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
Stature of the fullness of Christ = growth chart!
Four years ago the culture of my church was not this. It was the paid spiritual professional that stood behind the pulpit and everyone else. They were audience members. I knew this needed to change. I knew I needed to move people from being audience members to active participants in ministry.
That is why I began, by God’s grace, a change in the culture of my church.
What Disciple-Making is Not
What Disciple-Making is Not
Disciple making is not a program
Disciple making is not a program
Disciple making is not merely teaching
Disciple making is not merely teaching
Disciple making is not merely reaching (e.g. events)
Disciple making is not merely reaching (e.g. events)
Disciple making is not bound up in a volume or class
Disciple making is not bound up in a volume or class
Disciple making is not a responsibility place upon parachurch organizations
Disciple making is not a responsibility place upon parachurch organizations
Disciple making is not exclusively bound to a one-on-one relationship or small group
Disciple making is not exclusively bound to a one-on-one relationship or small group
Disciple making is not being primarily discipled by someone outside your local church
Disciple making is not being primarily discipled by someone outside your local church
What is Disciple-Making?
What is Disciple-Making?
A normative, local church, individual responsibility that God the Spirit empowers as Christ builds His church.
It is each saint shouldering the responsibility to spiritually reproduce themselves.
It is the commitment of a life to another life for life.
It requires the pastor to be the chief disciple-maker.
Programs vs. Relationship: Which kind of culture produces lasting results
Visual aid / illustration: Aaron & Chris - discipling daughters
Anita’s Good News Story
This is not an easy process, but we don’t get to define the terms. Jesus does! He commanded us to make disciples and he gave us a personal example of how to follow him. Our job is to simply obey him because we love Him! And by the way it is the most spiritually fruitful thing you could ever do! But, it is not easy!
What is it like to obey Jesus’ command to make disciples?
What is it like to obey Jesus’ command to make disciples?
How did Jesus make disciples?
Discipling the few is slow!
Discipling the few is slow!
The Kingdom of God is a mustard seed and always will be.
Discipling the few is hard
Discipling the few is hard
People are complex and formation is messy!
Discipling the few is limiting
Discipling the few is limiting
Keeping the main thing the main thing
Limits and rebellion are closely related. We have been resisting limits since the Garden of Eden.
Discipling the few demands a lot from me
Discipling the few demands a lot from me
I cannot give what I do not possess, and cannot help but give what I do possess. It requires I keep growing and learning.
So what does this mean for you?
So what does this mean for you?
Our prayer is that everyone in the church will engage in at least one part of the process of making disciples.
Follow ONE / Win ONE / Lead ONE
Follow ONE / Win ONE / Lead ONE
Older / not up to date
Why do we need it?
Why do we need it?
Learning Retention Chart
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
May God bless and enable us to be a spiritually healthy church, a spiritually reproducing church, a church with a culture of disciples who make disciples who make disciples, all for the abundant glory of God!