One
of the most memorable moments in our nation’s space program occurred in April
of 1970 with the launch of Apollo 13. What makes Apollo 13 famous is not the
launch, the American people had found those commonplace by that time, nor the
astronauts on board. The reason Apollo 13 is remembered is because of what
happened during the mission. Two days into the flight, a catastrophic failure
in the oxygen system occurred, scrubbing the mission and placing the astronauts
in grave danger. Even those of us not alive during this time are aware of the
story of Apollo 13 because of the 1995 movie based upon the mission. What is
seared into our minds is a quote from the movie – “Houston, we have a problem.”
Though misquoted by the wrong character, that line has found its way into
American conversation. “Houston, we have a problem” has become the catchphrase for those wishing to
identify a problem or need.
In
that spirit, I humbly offer this as a critique of the church – “Houston, we
have a problem.” I wish to sound the alarm, as it were, concerning a desperate
need of the church. My brothers and sisters, we have a discipleship problem.
What I mean is that we are not fulfilling the task given to us by our Lord. As
Original Free Will Baptists we speak often and loudly about fulfilling the
Great Commission, but I am afraid we have misunderstood what Jesus is asking
for us as individuals and as churches to do. All of my life I have heard the
call for us to be “soul winners” for Jesus, and that is a worthy and correct
call. I have noticed something though; with all of the emphasis on “soul
winning” we have forgotten just what Jesus commissioned us to do.
Notice
what that commission is according to Matthew 28:18-20, “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” (ESV,
emphasis added). While we have focused on “soul winning” our Lord has
commissioned us to make disciples. We focus on baptism numbers and attendance
numbers, but we have forgotten to actually disciple those who have placed their
faith and trust in the Savior of the world.
Take
an assessment of your church; what is being intentional done to make sure new
believers become spiritually mature believers? What tools, methods, and
ministries are incorporated in your church to see people become conformed to
the image of the Son? In what ways does your church seek to help people love
God and love others well? Does your church or yourself even consider
intentionally discipling people? What are you doing to help other believers
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior? If we are honest with
ourselves, we will probably have to admit that we are failing to carry out the
Savior’s command. I contend that most Original Free Will Baptists churches do
not intentionally disciple believers.
The church’s desperate need is for us
to fulfill the mission given to us by our Savior. If that mission is to make
disciples, the question must be asked – What is a disciple? More specifically,
what did Jesus mean by disciple? It
appears from studying Matthew 28:18-20 that, when Jesus speaks of making
disciples, his concern is for men and women to accept his teachings, conform
their lives to him, and follow him as his kingdom is inaugurated. Discipleship
is more than learning about Jesus’ teachings. For Jesus, becoming one of his
disciples means that the believer will live out what has been taught. With all
authority given to him, Jesus sends out current disciples to go to the nations
to bring in more people to the kingdom of God.
As disciples, believers are more than learners,
they are unconditionally surrendered to the king and, subsequently, obey the
command to go and teach others to live the same way. Part of that command is to
baptize them into the community built in relationship with the Triune God and
with fellow believers. This baptism serves as an initiation ritual into the
kingdom community, but more is to follow. The believers are to also learn so
that they may go out and bring others into the kingdom.
In Matthew’s Gospel, a disciple is a
learner and a follower of Jesus. The life of a disciple is different because of
an attachment to Jesus. This attachment is based upon the Master who has given
his life as a ransom, which leads to followers committed to more than
life-changing teachings. Jesus’ disciples are to go and make other like-minded
followers.
It appears that a disciple in the New
Testament is considered as one who has been called by Jesus to come and learn
from him. That learning is more than intellectual knowledge; rather, it is life
transforming. This seems to fit with the Gospels’ portrayal of what it means to
be a follower of Jesus. Jesus’ disciples find their attachment in the person
and work of Jesus, not solely his teachings. Without using the term “disciple”,
the rest of the New Testament canon appears to affirm that a Christian will be
a follower of Jesus whose life is transformed by the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.
By being transformed, Jesus’ disciples are called to carry on his work.
Now that “disciple” has been defined,
another question is raised. Does this describe the people who constitute your
community of faith? Connected to this question is the idea that our churches
ought to consist of believers at different spiritual levels of maturity, but
each believer is growing and maturing in his or her faith. Again, is this
reflected in the group with whom you are connected? If so, PRAISE GOD! If not,
then I humbly propose that we begin to think about fulfilling Christ’s command
to make disciples.
The church desperately needs to take
this issue seriously for it is a serious command given to us by our Lord. Here
is the crux of the matter though, if we are serious about being disciples, if
we understand who Christ is and what he has done, then I believe we would not
need convincing that we should be making disciples. We would see it as a joy
and privilege to go and help others meet Christ and grow in their relationship
with him. Pastors and church leaders would not have to cajole and convict
church members to make disciples, they would have to actually rein them in!
Pastor, Sunday School teacher, youth
leader, small group leader, and any other person involved with leading and
teaching, what are you doing to champion the cause of making disciples? Are you
talking about it, leading studies on it, modeling
it? What are our churches doing to encourage each member to make disciples?
What is great is that there are more resources now than ever before to help
individuals and churches make disciples in an effort to fulfill Christ’s
command. More is being written on the subject than ever before, more
information is available than ever before. Take advantage of what is available
and tailor it to your particular needs and context.
I am in no way an expert on the subject
but I have focused my research for my doctoral project in this area. My passion
is to see our churches filled with believers growing in their faith. I would welcome the opportunity to come and
share with your church more about the need to make disciples and how to begin
doing just that. I believe that the church has a desperate need in the area
of discipleship and I want to do my part as a pastor and as a member of this
denomination to see to it that our churches are equipped to address that need.
I mentioned at the beginning the Apollo
13 mission and the problem it faced. While those astronauts did not land on the
moon, they did make it home. Their problem kept them from completing the
mission, but they did return safely because of the help they received from the
NASA engineers. Keep this in mind; our God, who commissioned and sent us, has
also empowered us to fulfill that commission. On our own and in our own
strength we will never make it, but by his power and his grace we can complete
the mission and bring honor to our King. I pray that we all will grasp the
desperate need our churches face, and we will seek to fulfill Christ’s command
to make disciples from among the nations.
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