Discipleship

Luke Kirkendall

Discipleship • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Commandments of the Church

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The mission of the church and how to fulfill it.

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The Mission

Please open your Bibles to

Read .

Begin with a story.

I heard a story once about a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks would often occur.

There was a crude little life saving station on the coast.

The building was just a hut.

They had one boat, and a few devoted members, who would keep constant watch over the sea, and gave no thought for their own safety.

They worked tirelessly, day and night, rescuing the lost.

Many lives saved by this wonderful little lifesaving station.

Lives continued to be saved, and the lifesaving station became famous.

Overtime, those who were saved and people from the surrounding areas, wanted to become associated with the station.

They gave their time, money and effort to support the work of the little station.

They were able to buy new boats, and more crews were trained.

And so the little lifesaving station grew.

Some of the members of the lifesaving station were unhappy with the hut they called their base.

It was shabby and poorly equpped.

They felt a more comfortable place should be provided, to be a refuge for those saved from the sea.

They replaced the emergency cots and beds with better furniture.

The lifesaving station became a popular gathering place for its members.

They decorated it beautifully, and furnished it with the best.

It became a club and a hangout.

Fewer members were interested in going to sea on lifesaving missions.

Instead they hired lifeboat crews to do the work.

Lifesaving remained a theme for the club.

Lifesaving was clear in the decorations.

They had life rings and rope hung on the walls as part of the motif.

There was even a practice boat in the main room, where people being initiated to the club could symbolically be saved and save others.

It was about this time that a large boat was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in loads of cold, wet, and half-drowned people.

They were dirty and sick.

The beautiful new club was messed up.

So the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting there was a split in the club membership.

Most of the members wanted to stop the lifesaving activity, because it was a hindrance and unpleasant to the normal social life of the club.

Some members insisted lifesaving was the primary purpose of the club, after all that’s what the station was?

They were voted down, and told that if they wanted to get dirty saving lives, they could build their own lifesaving station down the coast … which they did.

As the years went by, the new station went down the same path as the old station.

It grew and became a club.

It too had a split, and a new station was built.

History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that coast today, you’ll find a number of exclusive clubs along the shoreline.

Shipwrecks are still frequent, but most of the people drown.

It’s so easy to lose sight of what’s important.

It’s easy to lose sight of your mission.

I don’t want to be like the lifesaving stations that lost their way.

Their mission should have been to save lives.

What is ours?

Please open your Bibles to

Read .

This is our mission.

It’s been called The Great Commission.

It’s not called the Great Suggestion.

This is the church’s mission.

Jesus isn’t saying, “I’d really, really like it if some of you went and made disciples ...”

It’s a mission.

These are your marching orders.

And these orders come from someone in command.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He restrained Himself.

He was humble.

He was obedient to the Father.

He obeyed the Law.

He even submitted to earthly governments.

But in His resurrected state … things are different.

The Father has raised Him to a seat of power.

And now Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth.

And what is His command?

In this entire passage, there’s only one command.

There are many verbs.

There are many things that we are to do.

But these verbs are describing or related to only one main verb.

The main verb, the main idea, the command is found in verse 19.

It’s not “Go therefore ...”

It’s make disciples.

We make disciples.

A disciples is a learner.

It’s someone who follows Christ.

It’s someone who is becoming Christlike.

So our goal is to take someone who is not like Christ, and make them like Christ.

This is a command

The command is to make disciples.

That is what we do.

That is what the church does.

Discipleship is the mission of the church.

It’s the mission for all of us.

It’s the mission of:

Pastors

Elders

Sunday school teachers

Youth workers

Moms

Dads

Grandparents

Widows

Married couples

Single people

College students

High school students.

This is our mission.

Notice who gives the command:

That covers a few things, but the overall gist of it is we make disciples.

It’s Jesus.

And Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth.

We make disciples.

And this is a command.

It’s not a suggestion.

The church collectively is equipped for the work of ministry.

Failure to make disciples, is a sin.

There are sins of commission.

Sins of commission are sins where we actively do something.

You kill someone, that is a sin of commission, it is murder.

It is something you do.

Then there are sins of omission.

These are sins where you don’t do something.

You should do something, but you don’t.

In August of 1944, a man named Eddie Slovic, was an American soldier, being sent to France to Company G of the 109th Infanty Regiment.

The soldier is AWOL.

In October, he decided he’d had enough, and he deserted his post.

He was court martialled.

And on January 31, 1945, Eddie Slovik, received the maximum punishment for desertion during a wartime.

He was strapped to a post, and executed by firing squad.

Not all deserters are executed, Eddie Slovik received the maximum punishment.

It served as an example of the danger of desertion.

Desertion is hated and something that should put a bad taste in all soldiers’ minds.

Desertion is a sin of omission, not doing what you are ordered.

At the same time, discipleship is not optional.

Discipleship is a command.

And the thought of not making disciples, is akin to the soldier who deserts his post.

It is a sin of omission.

Earthly governments recognize the gravity of sins of omission, as demonstrated in Eddie Slovik’s case.

That’s how serious this is.

Failure to make disciples is a huge sin, because it’s why we are here.

Perhaps the idea of making disciples is frightening to you.

And maybe the seriousness of it doesn’t lessen your anxiety.

But at least let’s have it established in your mind and be in agreement that we are commanded to make disciples.

Next we answer the question How do we fulfill this mission?

We know it’s important.

We got that.

It’s a command.

Failure to do it is a sin of omission.

But how do we do it.

In verses 19-20, Jesus gives us 3 elements to disciple making.

Go.

Baptize.

And Teach.

First we go.

Believe it or not, the main idea isn’t “Go therefore ...”

I’m sure you’ve heard the sermon, on a missions Sunday, where there is a passionate plea for you to go to the mission field.

We are told, “Go therefore ...”

There certainly are people who are called to go to the mission field.

There are people who have a strong calling to go to some foreign land and preach the Gospel.

Paul was someone like this.

We call them missionaries.

But that’s not what this is.

Perhaps a better way to think of this is, as you go, or while you go make disciples.

And you can easily see the meaning of that.

We aren’t to leave this world.

Discipleship doesn’t happen in a monastery far from civilization.

It doesn’t mean we are to move the desert and become hermits.

It’s while you go through life … you make disciples.

So you make disciples while you:

Take kids to school in the carpool.

While you are at work.

While you are in the neighborhood.

Where you go in life … you make disciples.

You read, “Go therefore and make disciples ...”

And a better way to read it is, “While you go, you make disciples,” or, “As you go, you make disciples.”

And this can only happen if we are discipleship minded.

Always thinking of helping people move closer to Christ, and therefore, no matter where you are going, or what you are doing, you are thinking of discipleship.

This idea of, “As you go ...” is important for us to understand.

Many times we develop this idea, that the Great Commission is actually for the world, not us.

Whether or not we say this, we live as if instead of it saying, “Go therefore and make disciples ...”

We live as if it actually says, “Come, from all nations, to be made disciples ...”

The difference being go and come.

Let’s be honest, the world isn’t going to come to us.

We saw this most clearly in the Czech Republic over the summer.

The culture is so secular, so far removed from Christianity, that people don’t want to go to church.

Lojza’s little church was really cool.

It was an old building.

It had a really cool basement.

Pool table, foosball, ping pong.

They even had a climbing wall in their courtyard.

But no one knew, because no one wanted to come in.

Christianity is viewed as strange.

The world isn’t called to come to us.

It doesn’t say “Come and be made disciples.”

We are called to go to them.

Affective discipleship making happens when we go.

We do that as a body during Gospel to the Valley and at the Mall.

But as individuals it needs to happen while we go.

So that’s the first part, Go.

The next step in disciple making is baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Baptism is the entrance to the Christian religion.

It’s one of the first things that a Christian does.

But it’s not some random initiation into Christianity.

There’s this old tradition, I don’t think it’s true.

It’s the story of the Russian Czar Ivan IV, also known as Ivan the terrible, asking the king of Greece for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

The legend goes, that the king of Greece wouldn’t let Ivan marry his daughter unless he was baptized.

So Ivan agreed to be baptized.

He had 500 soldiers with him, and they wanted to show their support for Ivan by being baptized.

The only problem was that church membership said that you couldn’t be a soldier and a Christian.

So Ivan and his soldiers decided to hold their swords and their sword arms high in the air when they were baptized.

This meant that they could be called Christian, but still fight like a soldier.

In this legend, baptism is just an initiation, but it doesn’t mean anything.

Jesus doesn’t say make disciples just by baptizing them.

We are not told to go, and hang out with the world.

Something needs to happen.

He says they are baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

They need to be taught something.

This is an introduction to the Godhead.

And so, as we go, we communicate something.

In order for a person to be baptized, they must know about Trinity.

They must know about God sending the Son.

They must know about the Son and His death.

And they must have received the Holy Spirit already.

In , Peter preaches this amazing sermon.

And at the end of the sermon, it says “they are cut to the heart.”

The people hear this amazing sermon.

It then says “they are cut to the heart.”

He is publicly saying that his old life is dead.

The Holy Spirit convicts them of sin.

And then they are baptized.

Peter goes to Jerusalem.

He communicates something.

He teaches something.

Something is learned.

People are baptized.

Baptism is related to evangelism, because it’s one of the very first things a person does after hearing and understanding the Gospel.

They are baptized.

Publicly proclaiming Christ.

Publicly identifying with Him.

Publicly saying that their old life is dead, and they have a new life in Jesus.

All Christians are to do this.

This is evangelism.

And He is swearing that He has a new life in Christ.

So we go.

We baptize.

We evangelize.

The third part of disciple making that we see is found in verse 20 right at the beginning.

By evangelizing, sharing the Gospel, they hear the truth, and they are then converted.

"teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Second there is baptize, which is evangelism.

And once converted, they are baptized.

We teach.

And third, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Discipleship is more than going.

It’s more than baptizing.

Once a person’s baptized, it’s not mission accomplished.

Then there is learning.

People need to be taught.

And at this point, you need to realize you are a disciple.

All Christians are disciples.

There is no point where you cease being a disciple.

says, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 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,”

This is something that we continue doing.

New Christians are disciples.

Your average Christian is a disciple.

Your mature Christian is a disciple.

Your elders are disciples.

Your pastor is a disciple.

All Christians are about discipleship.

We all have a responsibility to evangelize.

And we all have a responsibility to teach.

My primary method of teaching is this.

Preaching.

I also teach in Bible studies.

You also have a responsibility to teach.

And so in whatever your context of life is … you teach.

Parents, you teach.

Who do you teach?

Your children.

When do you teach?

As you go.

, says, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Parents never lessen the importance of teaching.

Much discipline can be avoided if you spend more time teaching, before they did something wrong.

As you hang out, take opportunities to teach.

If you are a teacher or a youth worker, don’t waste the time that you spend with children or youth.

Being discipleship minded stems from an attitude of love.

Think of a parents love for his or her child.

A parent is always thinking of making things better for the child.

Preparing him for adulthood.

says to “Train up a child in the way he should go; ...”

That’s discipleship by the way.

As a church, as Christians, we are to have this same mentality towards others that we meet.

Training them in righteousness.

Desiring to see them prepared.

Growing in Christ.

Maturing in Christ.

Disciples are made by being taught something.

We are all disciples.

That means we all should be expecting to be taught.

I know this isn’t popular language, and maybe it’s more telling of our sinful independence, but a disciple is a learner.

Our culture has said that religion is private, and you can’t tell me anything.

But Scripture says otherwise.

You are disciples.

Disciples need to be told something.

So expect teaching that tells you how to live.

Within my own preaching, I’m really trying to do that.

I’m trying to give you more application.

Not to give you more law.

But because I want you to discipled.

I want to see you become more and more Christlike.

And less like Ivan the Terrible.

Who thought he could be called a Christian, but remain the same.

Out of obedience to Christ’s command, I am to teach you all that He has commanded us to do.

This is a huge task, perhaps you hear this and it frightens you, and you wonder How to be affective in the Mission.

That’s a worthwhile thought.

We are told to go and make disciples.

That just sounds hard.

says that God is delivering and transferring people out of the domain of darkness and transferring them into the kingdom of His beloved Son.

And you are a part of that.

Discipleship, making disciples is another way to describe this transfer.

And you think, “Whoh, this just got real! This is serious. I’m a part of this plan?”

The act of making disciples is world changing.

says that the Christians were turning the world upside down.

Disciple making is a radical act.

It changes cultures.

Do you want to see culture change?

Think of all the things we complain about when we give our commentary on our nation and the world around us.

If you want to see culture change.

If you want to see racism dealt with … we need more disciples.

If you want to see marriage protected … we need more disciples.

If you want to see peace in our cities … we need more disciples.

When people become disciples, Christians are made, and the world is turned upside down.

This is what you get to be a part of.

It sounds scary doesn’t it.

It sounds like a lot of responsibility.

Well it’s scary if you are doing it on your own.

If Jesus said, go and turn the world upside down, see you when I return, I’d be frightened.

How could we do it?

But Jesus didn’t send us out alone.

The last words of the Gospel of Matthew, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

There are 3 ways that Jesus is with us to the very end of the age.

First, He’s alive.

He has risen from the dead.

Right now He is seated next to the Father.

He is active.

He intercedes.

He rules.

You can pray to Jesus right now.

You need something.

You pray.

You want Him to intervene.

You pray.

Second, He’s with you by the Holy Spirit.

He has not sent you out to do things on your own.

If you are a believer, you have the Holy Spirit.

says, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

You have the Holy Spirit, you are not alone.

says that if you are a Christian you are a Temple of the Living God.

That’s pretty big.

Not only does the Holy Spirit help you, but He gifts you.

Each Christian has at least 1 spiritual gift.

And this gift is given to you so that you can serve the church.

It’s given to you for the purpose of making disciples.

Superheroes have super powers that they use to fight crime.

They aren’t supposed to use them for their own benefit.

That’s what separates super heroes from super villains.

Super heroes use their powers for others.

They use them to fight crime.

You’ve been given a gift by the Holy Spirit, not for your own benefit, but for the church’s benefit.

And lastly, Jesus is with you through the church.

calls the church the body of Christ.

Where 2 or 3 are gathered, He is with us.

Christ is with us through the church.

What does this mean? Discipleship happens within the context of the church.

Allow others to disciple you and make you more Christlike.

Allow others to help you in discipling others.

You have not been saved to do this on your own.

again, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”

God has given us the church, for the purpose of building up the body.

And if we are not doing that … then we are not doing our job.

Our mission is to make disciples

We as a church haven’t talked about that enough.

In 1983, a 50 year old tradition was quietly dropped by the US House of Representatives.

The tradition was that once a year, there was an annual reading of George Washington’s farewell address on his birthday.

But at some point, Democratic and Republican leaders decided it was useless to continue reading such a lengthy address to a mostly empty chamber.

The Senate continues this practice, but not the House.

One GOP aide said, “It’s too bad, but it’s time for this to be consigned to the dustbin.”

The Calgary Herald said, “In past years, it was almost holy writ that the address must be read. Through war and storm for half a century, a member of each chamber has been chose to read the address. … “Nobody listens to Washington’s farewell address.”

Sadly, the call to make disciples is going the way of Washington’s address.

Fewer and fewer Christians are listening to Christ’s farewell address.

Fewer and fewer Christians are obeying Christ’s farewell address.

And so the church is guilty of a sin of omission, failing to make disciples.

Just like those life saving stations that got lost in their purpose, many modern day Christians have lost their purpose.

May that not be true of us.

“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.”

Go therefore.

Live your life.

But as you live your life, make disciples.

No matter where you are, or who you are with.

Share the Gospel.

Share it with your children.

Share it with your coworkers.

Share it with your neighbors.

And as they are converted, see them baptized.

And teach them.

Teach others.

And expect to be taught.

Pray

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