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Discipleship - The Lord's Work, The Lord's Way

June 28, 2015

Passage: Matthew 28:18–20

The church's original mission is to transform the heart through the work of the Spirit to become more like Christ. But how? Matt 28:18-20 helps us see how God intends for us to accomplish His work.

The Authority (v.18)

  • Jesus declares that He has all authority.
  • We can go out confident, because He is in control. What do we fear? 

The Activity (v.19) 

  • The call is to go and make disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them. Note all the action verbs! 
  • What are we doing? 

The Ability (v.20)

  • He ends off with a repetition of this assurance that the Spirit will be with us always

Methods of discipleship

  • Some resources include Purpose Driven Church (by Rick Warren), Complete Book of Discipleship (by Bill Hull), Masterplan of Evangelism (by Robert Coleman), Training of the Twelve (by A.B. Bruce)
  • Common stages:
    1. Evangelism: Come and see (Jn 1:39)
    2. Equip: Come and be with me (Lk 6:13)
    3. Empower: Remain in me (Jn 15:4-7)
    4. Environment: A community of grace and accountability (Jn 13:34-35), where people speak truth in love (Eph 4:15, 25), are forgiving and forbearance (Col 3:13). This community also teaches and admonishes (Col 16) and confesses sins (Jas 5:16). 

How does this impact you and others

  • Be discipled: initiate, dedicate, participate, execute
  • Disciple others: invite, impart, demonstrate, delegate