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Disciple-making is a lifelong journey of becoming like Christ and helping others to do the same. It is the greatest of all journeys and the highest of all callings. Just imagine! We can do what Jesus did if we walk as Jesus walked. We can even do greater things because, by His grace, we have a greater amount of time to invest in others and teach them to do the same. A life of learning to “think and act like Jesus” is a life well lived. This kind of life is called kingdom living.
In his book on disciple-making, Juan Carlos Ortiz writes:
The Bible says the kingdom of God is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of real worth, he sells everything and buys that pearl.
When man finds Jesus, this pearl costs him everything. Man says, “I want it. How much does it cost?”
The seller says, “It’s too dear, too costly.”
“How much is it?”
“It costs everything you have.”
“I’ll buy it!”
“What do you have?”
“I have $10,000 in the bank.”
“What else?”
“I have nothing more. That’s all I have.”
“Have you nothing more?”
“Well, I have a few dollars here in my pocket.”
“How many?”
“I’ll see: 30, 40, 50, 80, 100, 120—120 dollars.”
“That’s fine. What else do you have?”
“I have nothing else. That’s all.”
“Where do you live?”
“I live in my house.”
“The house too.”
“Then you mean I must live in the garage?”
“Have you a garage, too? That too. What else?”
“Do you mean that I must live in my car, then?”
“Have you a car? That becomes mine. What else?”
“I have nothing else.”
“Are you alone in the world?”
“No, I have a wife, two children…”
“Your wife and your children too.”
“What else?”
“I have nothing else. I am left alone now.”
“Oh, you too. Everything. Everything becomes mine: wife, children, house, garage, cars, money, clothing, everything. And, you too.
Now you can use all those things here but don’t forget they are mine, as you are. When I need any of the things you are using you must give them to me because now I am the owner.”1
An exchanged life. His life for ours. A life of fruitfulness in becoming like Jesus, we become pure vessels through whom God can work. Man as God intended man to be. As we continue the journey to become more like Christ, it’s important to keep the following reminders in mind.
1) People are at different stages of this process. It is critical that we understand that people are at different stages of the process of disciple-making. That’s OK! It is okay to be a baby in Christ—you just don’t want to be one for twenty years. It is OK to be a young man and to be learning and experiencing new things. But you don’t want to be in that chair for twenty years. Perpetual immaturity is a sign that something is obviously wrong. On the other hand, it is OK to be a mature parent and not enjoy some of the childish things new believers enjoy. But that doesn’t mean we should quench the joy in others. Parents must learn to allow our children to enjoy being children. Of course, we must also help them mature beyond childish ways. Maturity means we understand the development process and work with people based on their stage of life and always give them plenty of grace for that stage.
2) The Holy Spirit must be at work in each stage of this journey. Without the Spirit of God working in each of us, we can never grow to understand the depth of who Christ is and what He has done for us. Only the Holy Spirit can convict seekers of their sin and bring them to repentance at the foot of the cross. Only those who are called will seek (John 6:44). I think we all can quickly see how desperately we need God’s Spirit to move anyone into Chair 1 as a seeker and then eventually move them to their knees at the cross in repentance.
But growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ in Chair 2 also requires the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. How can a man ever discover the length and breadth and height and depth of God’s love for us without the Holy Spirit? We are incapable of knowing God apart from God revealing Himself. And the good news is that God longs to be known and worshipped by us. In fact, that is why we have been created. And yet, without His revealing Himself to us, we are lost in our ability to discover the greatness of our God.
Additionally, none of us can ever move to the worker chair without God helping us become givers and not just takers. We give because of what He has given to us, we serve because of how He has served us, and we love because we understand how much He loved us. We are because He is. And without His grace and love, we cannot truly be servants to others. Again, even as workers, we are dependent upon Him.
Finally, none of us can become mature disciple-makers, who now oversee a family of disciples, but for the grace of God. To become a spiritual parent means that God has chosen to work through us to impact others. And this is obviously a work of God…His Spirit working in us and through us. As spiritual parents we know better than anyone that “apart from Christ we can do nothing,” but “in Christ all things are possible.” This too is a work of God!
In every part of this journey toward Christlikeness, we must recognize our dependence on the Spirit of God. We cannot do this in our own power. It is the Son’s life in us and through us! “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
3) We must be holy people. Any attempt to make disciples the way Jesus did, in our own flesh, will result in failure. Holiness is the ultimate requirement. A life of living in the Spirit, immediately confessing all known sin and allowing God’s Spirit to become our best friend is what holiness is all about.
We cannot be holy apart from His constant cleansing. And holiness is God’s agenda for each of us, for as we mature we move from grace to grace and become more like Him. As we mature, we should become better and better at multiplying in others the character and priorities of Christ. Every part of this disciple-making journey requires the disciple-maker to be dependent upon the Holy Spirit and pure in their walk with the Lord. The true disciple-maker is being made into a disciple at the same time he is helping others to become disciples. We follow Him as we actively challenge others to follow Him.
This requires holy living. We reproduce what we are.
[1] Juan Carlos Ortiz, Call to Discipleship (Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1975).
Photo source: istock
 | Dann Spader has dedicated his life to disciple-making and teaching others how to take someone from a seeker to a reproducing disciple themselves, all by following the pattern Jesus laid out for us in scripture. More than 750,000 people in 90 plus countries have been trained to make disciples emulating the life of Christ through organizations and initiatives he has led. He is the Founder of Sonlife Ministries and currently serves as Founder and President of Global Youth Initiative (an alliance of organizations in 95 countries committed to "equipping leaders for movements of multiplication”). Learn More » |
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