Recently, I attended a two-day training led by the River Network Church Planting training. It was not only informational but also inspiring. Throughout the two days, we were reminded that the Global Methodist Church was created with the mindset that each church would focus on discipleship and multiplying. Church multiplication in the GMC will happen at the local level rather than from the top. Our mission statement, "to make disciples who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly," affirms the need to multiply. When we prioritize those three things in our churches, I believe God will bless us with many disciples.
The mission statement doesn't clarify how we worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly. However, the Bible clearly outlines the requirements of Christianity and how we "be" Christians in the world. I want to discuss that in the remainder of this post. We are responsible for following the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament writers.
BUT FIRST, JESUS
As I consider the possibility that God is calling me to plant a church, my first question is, if Jesus personally instructed me, where would he have me begin? To answer that question, I turned first to Matthew 28 because the author records what appears to be some of Jesus' final teachings. He told the original disciples, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
I believe this commission Jesus gave his disciples is the core discipline of the church Jesus envisioned and prepared the disciples to create. The church's purpose is so much simpler than we have made it. We think we need technology, buildings, many committees, and an entire staff, or it isn't a church. But as we dissect Jesus' commission, those things don't appear. Jesus instructs the disciples to go, make disciples, baptize them, and teach the commands Jesus gave them. How do we begin? How did the first disciples begin?
GO
The first command is pretty simple: we must go. That means we can't expect to make disciples by sitting in our pews. We must go where the unbelievers are. That may mean joining parents at their sports events some Sundays, or we may need to volunteer for organizations that serve those in need with material items and God's message. We must see ourselves as missionaries in the community around us. In Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade. If this rate doesn't change, in 50 years, the percentage of Christians in the American population will only be 5%.
God can turn this around, but as Jesus said, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few." Luke 10:2 Jesus said this in the first century, but it is still true today. The need for Christ in the world today is immense. And we are God's solution for reaching out to the lost. If we fail to evangelize, we fail our friends and family. Our primary responsibility as Christians is to tell others about Christ.
MAKE DISCIPLES
Once we're on the road, we must follow up the gospel with instructions on being disciples. Accepting Christ is not the end of the journey; it's just the beginning. As a pastor, I have failed to clarify to my congregations that sharing the gospel and leading our unbelievers to Christ is not enough. Christians are responsible for mentoring, teaching, and leading others to sanctification. Too few churches have prioritized discipleship with discipleship groups to help our people be disciples who make disciples.
One reason this is the case is that our churches have ceased to be jumping-off points for new churches. We want to grow our church and expect people to come to us. But Jesus didn't tell us to invite people to come; instead, we are to go. If you look at what Jesus said after making disciples, he tells us to teach these new disciples all the commands Jesus gave to the apostles.
WE'RE NOT ALONE
The most comforting thing about this commission is that Jesus will not leave us to our own devices. He, with the Holy Spirit, will journey with us. He will teach us, place us in places where he wants the gospel shared, and give us openings in conversations that provide a chance to share Jesus with unbelievers. I pray often that God will put me in the right place at the right time. I also pray that he will open my eyes to see these opportunities.
For two years, I have asked God where he is leading me to make disciples. Does he want me to plant a church or create an outreach team at the church where I pastor? I am currently applying myself to developing an outreach team and exploring church planting in my community, where no Global Methodist churches exist. Along with other like-minded individuals, I will follow God's lead and offer weekly updates here. I hope to develop conversations through this blog to encourage and support others who want to make disciples.
תגובות