The “Why” of Making Disciples

by Bob Johnson

Matthew 28:18-20 is a well-known passage, usually referred to as “The Great Commission.” But calling it that may cause us to miss a key emphasis of this passage. By putting the focus on “go and make disciples,” we risk overlooking the why of making disciples.

Verse 18 is the key to unlocking this passage. The resurrected Jesus came to his disciples in Galilee, just as he said he would. When some of them saw Jesus, they worshiped him. Some, however, couldn’t believe their eyes. They doubted. Nevertheless, Jesus said to them in verse 18, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me” (emphasis added). There it is. This is the message all four gospel writers, each in their own unique way, is trying to convey.

While Jesus is called many things by others in the gospels — Son of God, Holy One, etc. — the name he most often used for himself was “Son of Man.” For example, in Mark 10:45, Jesus says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In using this term, “Son of Man,” Jesus was referencing a well-known passage in the Book of Daniel. In Chapter 7 of that book, the prophet has a vision of heaven:

“’As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. . . . In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed’” (Dan. 7:9, 13-14, NIV, emphasis added).

Matthew is signaling to us that Daniel’s vision has come to pass in Jesus! He is the Son of Man of Daniel’s vision. Jesus’ resurrection is the validation that he is the one who came to the Ancient of Days on a cloud and has now been given all authority, glory and sovereign power. All peoples, nations and men and women of every language will come to worship him.

So why did Jesus tell us to “go, make disciples of all nations”? Because God has at last come in Jesus to establish his saving rule on earth so that God’s original intent revealed in Genesis 1:26-27 could come to pass. I call this intent “The Genesis Project”:

“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

 

We are to bear and reflect God’s image in God’s temple of heaven and earth. Taking our cue from God’s nature as three in one, we are to reflect oneness in our relationships with God, with others, with creation (as stewards), and even with ourselves. The descendants of Abraham were chosen by God to be the instrument of fulfillment of The Genesis Project. But they failed over and over, instead choosing idolatry and self-worship. God had to come in the person of Jesus to show us what authentic human life as God intended looks like.

Matthew 28:18-20 is very much a message about how we ought to live NOW, not just what we have to look forward to in heaven. N. T. Wright laments, “So often this has been turned into a very different message, about ‘telling people how to go to heaven,’ that we have ignored the far more startling truth that Jesus was ACTUALLY talking about how heaven was coming to us. In other words, how God, the God of heaven and earth, was coming to earth to establish his sovereign, saving rule.” (N. T. Wright in Lent for Everyone)

This passage brings up a question: “If Jesus really is King and Lord, why is the world still such a mess? How does Jesus work out his ‘lordship’?”

Again, taking a cue from N. T. Wright, we can never forget that Jesus also came as a servant who took on our infirmities and suffered insults, mockery, torture, and finally, death. He was obedient throughout his life to a heavenly, not an earthly, vision of power. His resurrection not only established that his servant-anchored kingdom was the right one, but it also established that kingdom once and for all.

Jesus’ followers are to implement his kingdom by going and making disciples. What is a disciple? A follower, a learner, a student who is shaped by Jesus’ example and teaching. Disciples of Jesus are the means by which God’s Genesis Project will be established.

That is the greatest why there ever was. Disciples — followers of Jesus — get to participate with God in establishing the saving rule that has been deep within God’s heart from the beginning and revealed throughout all of Scripture.

Discipling a church is hard. Because the road is long and full of pitfalls, you should never try to make the journey alone. And yet, so many church leaders have had to figure out discipleship alone, because churches and leaders weren’t communicating with each other about it. Seeing this struggle motivated Mike Johnson to create DiscipleOn, an online learning community for church leaders. It’s a safe space for people to share their frustrations, insights, and resources as a community while learning from seasoned discipleship leaders. Meeting online makes it easier for busy schedules and allows you to learn from people all over the country without having to travel.

Julia Johnson, who recently joined Ascending Leaders’ team of discipleship coaches, has participated in four seasons of DiscipleOn (each season is 5 months). After hearing about Mike Johnson through a fellow church staff member, she enrolled in all three of Mike’s DiscipleForward courses. This whet her appetite for joining a DiscipleOn community. Now Julia is in her fourth season of DiscipleOn, and below she shares why she has stayed with it.

“My experience in the DiscipleForward classes was so valuable that I wanted to join DiscipleOn, which would help me continue focusing on the theological and practical aspects of disciple-making.  I knew participating in such a diverse group would challenge me to think differently as the other members and I learned from one another. I’m in my fourth season of DiscipleOn, and once it finishes, I will not hesitate to reach out to those I’ve spent time with and learned from.

I love that the group is small enough (up to 10 people) that you can hear from everyone, and our discussions are engaging and honest every time.  The expert webinars take the experience to an even higher level as we hear directly from people who are passionate about disciple-making. They share rich insight with us.  

Participating in DiscipleOn has totally changed the language I use when discussing spiritual growth and disciple-making.  I have a much more robust understanding of the stages of spiritual growth and am able to communicate them more clearly to our staff and leaders.  DiscipleOn influences the books I’m reading and gives me access to amazing resources from the other participating churches.”

If you’re interested in DiscipleOn, you can look here. The next 5-month season of DiscipleOn starts up in August, but early bird registration closes June 15! Many like Julia have found that DiscipleOn provides the community and guidance they needed for discipling others, and we know it will bless you, too!

Julia Johnson is a Small Groups Director at Grace Fellowship UMC in Katy, TX. She and her husband Dan and have been married 17 years.  Dan is a former youth pastor and has a Christian counseling practice. Julia has been the Small Groups Director at Grace Fellowship for 9 ½ years where she equips, trains, and resources over 100 small groups. Prior to that, she had a 27-year sales career in the mortgage insurance industry. She was raised in Tulsa, OK and received a journalism/public relations degree from Oklahoma State University.

Now that you’ve begun to define your church’s goal and pathway, it’s time to decide how to implement discipleship growth into the life of your church. That takes us to

Growth is limited when discipleship only happens on Sundays. Ideally, the sermon plants a seed that continues growing throughout the week, so give your congregation simple ways to water that seed throughout the week.

Here are a few examples of what some church leaders have done:

• Provide a simple application of the message in printed form or by email
• Teach a mid-week class that delves further into the sermon’s text
• Give bookmarks with daily Scripture readings that follow the sermon series
• Create a daily devotional to accompany the series. It would likely include a text of Scripture, a brief reflection on the text, and response questions with a space to journal.
• Encourage other ministries and small groups to find ways of interacting with the sermon series. The idea is not to take away from the focus of any ministries but to synthesize what people are learning and doing in those ministries with the Sunday message.

To summarize, ask yourself: What simple step can I take to help extend the sermons into the congregants’ daily lives?

Before implementing the concept of the faith stages everywhere else in your church, reflect on your own journey through them. Pray for discernment to know where in the stages you are right now, and remember that no stage is better than another. What matters is your movement and growth, not your location at a particular moment.

Create opportunities for people to write their own stories through the faith stages. Churches have found this happens most successfully when the head pastor and other leaders share their own faith stories with the congregation. This gives people the courage to reflect on their personal journeys and begin sharing them with each other. Ascending Leaders even offers an on-demand workshop on how to write your faith stories through the stages. For a better idea of this workshop, check out this podcast episode in which one pastor describes his church’s experience with it*. You can also learn more and request information ​