Equipped to Do the Work of Ministry
Disciple making has become the exclusive domain of pastors (and missionaries). Salesmen sell, insurance agents insure, and ministers minister. At least, thatʼs the way it works in most of our churches.
While itʼs true that the pastors, elders, and apostles in the New Testament made disciples, we canʼt overlook the fact that discipleship was everyoneʼs job. Every member of the early church took their responsibility to make disciples very seriously. To them, the church wasnʼt
a corporation run by a CEO. Rather, they compared the church to a body that only functions properly when every member is doing its part.
Paul explains the function of the church in Ephesians 4:11-16:
He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Paul saw the church as a community of redeemed people where each person is actively involved in doing the work of ministry. The pastor is not the minister, at least, not in the way we typically think of a minister. The pastor is the equipper, and every member of the church is a minister.
The implications are huge. Donʼt think of this as merely a theological issue. See yourself in this passage. Paul is saying that your job is to do the work of ministry! Jesus commanded you to make disciples! This is the whole reason this material was written—to equip you to disciple
others. We have been encouraging you to work through this material with other people so that you can learn to take people through it and teach them to be disciples of Jesus.
Most Christians can give a number of reasons for why they cannot or should not disciple other people: “I donʼt feel called to minister.” “I just have too much on my plate right now, I donʼt have time to invest in other people.” “I donʼt know enough.” “I have too many issues of my own. Iʼll start once I get my life in order.”
As convincing as these excuses may seem to us, Jesusʼ commands donʼt come with exception clauses. He doesnʼt tell us to follow unless weʼre busy. He doesnʼt call us to love our neighbors unless we donʼt feel prepared. In fact, if you read Luke 9:57-62, youʼll see several individuals who gave excuses for why they couldnʼt follow Jesus at the time. Read the passage
and take note of how Jesus responds to them. It may surprise you. God made you the way you are; He has provided and will continue to provide you with everything you need to accomplish the task. Jesus commands you to look at the people around you and start making them into disciples. We all have plenty to learn, but the right place to start is by obeying.
5. What excuses tend to keep you from following Jesusʼ command to make disciples? What do you need to do in order to move past these excuses?
I make excuses when it comes to my family. It's hard to make disciples of family. I make excuses like I will soon, or maybe next time, or it's hard to minister to family others can do that. To get over this all I have to do is fall in love with Jesus, read His word. IT is clear.
ReplyDeleteThis passage stuck out to me:
"Most Christians can give a number of reasons for why they cannot or should not disciple other people: “I donʼt feel called to minister.” “I just have too much on my plate right now, I donʼt have time to invest in other people.” “I donʼt know enough.” “I have too many issues of my own. Iʼll start once I get my life in order.”
Not only disciple but even read the Scriptures or spend time with God or serve. Is He a priority, that comes first as being a disciple before we can even make disciples.
During the Reformation one's job and worship were one in the same. That would mean today being a student is the worship and mission field. Somewhere along the way we lost that. We separate what's spiritual and what's not. God is in church, and youth group and bible study and quiet time, but not in work, not in class, not driving. What is we looked at being in class as a mission field. So many times we leave that for the "BIG" mission trips, life is a mission field. When we walk out of the doors of church we enter a mission field.
ReplyDelete