More Than a Program
So what does disciple making look like? We have to be careful about how we answer this question. For many of us, our church experience has been so focused on programs that we immediately think about Jesusʼ command to make disciples in programmatic terms. We expect our church leadership to create some sort of disciple-maker campaign where we sign up, commit
to participating for a few months, and then get to cross the Great Commission off our list. But making disciples is far more than a program. It should be the mission of our lives. It should define us. A disciple is a disciple maker.
So what does this look like? The Great Commission boils disciple making down to two things: Baptize people and teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded. Simple, right? This is incredibly simple in the sense that it doesnʼt require a degree, an ordination process, or some sort of hierarchical status. Itʼs as simple as encouraging people to follow Jesus (this is what baptism is all about), and then teaching them to obey Jesusʼ commands (which we find in the Bible). The concept itself is not very difficult.
But the simplest things to understand are often the most difficult to put into practice. Letʼs start with the concept of baptism. In your church setting, baptism may not seem like that big of a deal. Perhaps thatʼs why so many Christians today have never been baptized. But in the early days of the church, baptism was hugely important. Baptism was an unmistakable act that marked a person as a follower of Jesus Christ. As Jesus died and was buried in the earth, so a Christian is plunged beneath the surface of the water. As Jesus emerged from the tomb in a resurrected body, so a Christian comes out of the waters of baptism as a new creation.
When first-century Christians took this step of identifying themselves with the death and resurrection of Jesus, they were publicly declaring their allegiance to Christ. This immediately marked them for martyrdom—all of the hostility that the world felt toward Jesus would now be
directed at them. Baptism was a declaration that a personʼs life, identity, and priorities were centered on Jesus and His mission. Depending on where you live in the world, you may not see the same reaction to your choice to be baptized, but that act of identifying with Christ is essential in every context.
3. Have you identified yourself with Jesus through being baptized? If so, why do you think this was an important step for you to take? If not, what is holding you back from being baptized?
Yes, I have been baptized, 11 years ago. It's an important step because Jesus tells us to, Jesus Himself gets baptized and if we are to follow Him that would mean getting baptized. It unites us in the death and resurrection of Jesus! While it is debatable whether or not it is necessary for salvation, if you are a true follower of Jesus with a heart of faith, why wouldn't you?
ReplyDeleteIt seems the trend in todays non-denom mega churches that this sacrament has not been taught and we have many Christians that are not baptized, and simply because they don't know any better. But, if we really read the Scriptures...which many do not, they just take a great speakers word for it, It's very important. I encourage you if you haven't been baptized to read the Scriptures and pray about it. You can even talk to me about it, love to meet with you.