4D Discipleship: Driven by Mission

Matthew 28:18-20

Have you ever been stuck in an impossible situation or given an impossible task? I was definitely in over my head when I stepped out on my own to do marketing consulting (my first client made a new kind of hearing aid) and felt all the responsibility of helping this company succeed. There has been a popular phrase over the last few years—fake it till you make it—which is supposed to be encouragement for doing your best while you push past your abilities, but the truth is it’s not about faking it, but allowing yourself to be used by connecting to the power source strong enough to bring victory.

Last week we discussed the importance of being dedicated to your community. As people see and begin to know, like, and trust you, you will start to earn opportunities to speak into people’s lives, up to and including opportunities to lead people into a relationship with Jesus. This is the 4th D – DRIVEN by mission. This is our calling – we all have the same one. Our life’s pursuit should be connected to the Great Commission in some way, if we truly are disciples of Jesus. Let’s explore what it means to be driven by Christ’s mission for His followers.

Making Disciples is a Daily Task

The phrasing of the beginning of v19 has often been understood that we need to leave our current situation and go to do this work of making disciples. A better translation would be “while you are going”, meaning that making disciples is supposed to be a part of your daily life, much like tending the crops are to a farmer. A farmer tends to their crops every day, regardless of the season – starting with cultivating, then planting (and tending as they grow), then reaping – leading them to come to their fruitful purpose. And just like each crop and each field are different, that means you are to give individual attention and care to each plant. This works the same with people and is called Eternal CPR (Sonlife). And with everyone coming from different parts on their individual journeys, you never know who you might rub shoulders with – consider the rich man in Mark 10 (unopen to selling his stuff and giving away money) vs the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8 (after a few questions is ready to be baptized). Everyone is at different stages, meaning we need to be aware and connected to the relationships we have. Discipleship making is a daily task that will require us to be engaged with each person in our circle. As in farming, a little tending each day.

Sharing the Gospel is Only Part of the Process

If you were to interview a policeman about their job, you would expect to hear about the arrests, but in reality that’s only a small part of their job. In fact, most of their day is spent doing paperwork. Reaping is the smallest part of sharing our faith, and that is still only a small piece of making disciples. Romans 10 walks us through the progression of disciple-making by asking the question of how they can hear without someone preaching? How can they preach unless they are sent? Etc. Disciple-making includes the full course of a person’s life – consider the win, build, equip model (Sonlife). Everyone in here is in different stages of their discipleship and require individual attention and effort. This is why our chief strategy for making-disciples is to let people watch our lives and see our good works, then ask questions (Matthew 5:14-16). As we live our faith publicly and engage with people along the way, Jesus will build His church. We just need to be aware of the process and help people along as we recognize what God is doing in their life.

God’s Active Presence is Vital

This is a great example of an impossible task like I mentioned earlier. We cannot accomplish this on our own because a) it’s a spiritual mission and we don’t work in the spirit realm (the HS does), and b) we can’t manage a world full of different people and different situations. This is why God runs our social calendars. This section is surround by Jesus – v18 declares His authority and power, and v21 is His promise to be with us every step of the way. Consider Peter in Acts 5 – can his shadow healing people be attributed to his power or the HS? Jesus has the authority and power to give us the task and accomplish it through us.

Next Steps

We don’t have to fake it until we make it. God places you in divine situations to help people move forward on their spiritual journey. Say yes! We only have to be available for the appointments God sets and let Him use us for the benefit of others.

1. Pray for eyes to see the hurting lost and opportunities to invest in them.
2. Memorize the Great Commission and remember He is with you in this.
3. Step out in faith and engage in people’s lives – no matter how messy.

People’s lives are messy and complicated. This is not a task for the weak or afraid. It’s a good thing God doesn’t give us a spirit or timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.