Discipleship (Radical Chapter 5)

"Regardless of hat country we live in, what skills we possess, what kind of education we have, or what kind of salary we make, Jesus has commanded each of us to make disciples, and this is the means by which we will impact the world. Indeed, Jesus has invited us to join him in the surprisingly simple journey of spreading the gospel to all nations by spending our lives for the good of others and the glory of God." I like to quote others because they put things into words far better than I do. To quote Lecrae "The teaching is a process, it's not over night, yeah its life on life". During our savior Jesus Christ's time here on our earth, He spent all of his time and effort pouring into twelve men whom he called disciples, apostles, brothers, and friends. Think about that, out of all the hundreds of sick and wounded he healed, the thousands that he fed, and the tens of thousands that he taught, when it is all said and done, Jesus spent his entire adult life on this earth with these twelve men. He tolerated their misunderstandings, he forgave them for their sins, he ate, drank, slept, and walked daily with these men. And in doing so, Jesus left a legacy, for He commanded these twelve (or ten, Judas Iscariot betrayed him, and Peter disowned him) to go and take the teachings that He had taught them to all the nations. But it is also important to note that they were not alone in their journey, they had each other, and, more importantly, they had the Holy Spirit within them. So, how do you go about making disciples? Depending on how you look at it, there are several easy ways to accomplish this simple command and vision of Jesus. The most "comfortable" to most of us Americans is to simply stay here in America and try to create disciples of those around you. This is simple in the aspect that you get to stay (relatively) inside your comfort zone. It is difficult in that most people here in America have already heard of the Gospel in some form or another, and many have hardened their heart to it because of the bad example that is set by our culture in regards to Christians. In this aspect, you can spend a lot of time just trying to get one disciple, but if you do, it is worth it. Once you have found someone who genuinely wants to learn about the gospel, is it easier to try to get them to meet with an "expert" once a week and sign them up for the next available "class" at the church, or is it easier to just invite them into your life, into your personal quiet time with God, your routine? The former might be easier, but the latter is what we are really supposed to be doing, because that is the example that Jesus set. Now, on the other hand, you can go out into the world and find numerous disciples in other countries where people have never had the opportunity to hear of the Gospel. This is easy from the aspect that not many have hardened hearts to the gospel and are generally pretty open to hearing the Gospel if for no other reason than it is new information. It is difficult because of getting out of your comfort zone and going to impoverished places (also, language barriers usually tend to get in the way). Either way, making disciples is what we, not even so much as Americans, but as followers of Jesus Christ, are commanded to go forth and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all of God's commands. As Platt puts it "Disciple making is not about a program or an event but about a relationship. As we share the gospel, we impart life, and this is the essence of making disciples. Sharing the life of Christ." Platt also goes into great detail about why baptism is a crucial part of becoming a disciple. Baptism is a public declaration of your faith to a community of fellow believers, so that you can get help from the community in your walk with Jesus. It is important that you grow spiritually if you are going to help others grow. So, you should always be a reciprocator and not a receiver. Those who receive teachings (on Sunday, Bible study, whatever), should actively engage in the teaching. "It is multiplying because the people of God are no longer listening as if his Word is intended to stop with them. They are now living as if God's Word is intended to spread through them." My favorite concept from this chapter is 'Discipling or Disinfecting?'. I will end quoting Platt in full here: "Whereas disinfecting Christians involves isolating them and teaching them to be good, discipling Christians involves propelling Christians into the world to risk their lives for the sake of others. Now the world is our focus, and we gauge success in the church not on the hundreds or thousands whom we can get into our buildings but on the hundreds or thousands who are leaving our buildings to take on the world with the disciples they are making...Disciple making takes place multiple times every week in multiple locations by an army of men and women sharing, showing, and teaching the Word of Christ and together serving a world in need of Christ."