21 April 2024

REPRODUCIBLE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

(Going Forward in Christ: GFIC 16

In the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19, the Lord Jesus commanded all disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations”. The word “nations” is “ethne” in the Greek, which means “all peoples” in the nations of the world. At the time when this command was given, Christianity was limited only to Israel. So “all nations” would mean all the nations outside Israel because they have not yet received the Good News of Christ Jesus. Hence, before His Ascension, our Lord reiterated this by saying, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and then you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the world” (Acts 1:8).

Today, the “ethne” would imply all the Unreached Peoples of the world that have not yet heard of the salvation of God in Christ through the Gospel. This is God’s Mission to the Church and to every Christian who loves Jesus. Remember, this is the Great Command of Christ, the Risen Lord. Not to take heed and obey Him will mean that one day we will have to stand before Him to give an account of what we have done or not in this life (2Cor. 5:10). In this Command, the disciples are to “make disciples” out of other people. That means we are to preach the Gospel and win souls and then teach them to become disciples of Christ. This implies that all true born-again Christians are to be disciples so that they can become reproducible disciples. We cannot make disciples out of others without our being disciples first. A disciple is a committed believer totally yielded to the Lordship of Christ.

Our Lord told His disciples, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last” (John 15:16). This is the fruit of evangelism, as every Christian is to be a witness for Christ and win souls. Lasting fruit means that the new believer has been discipled and become firm in faith and will be a faithful disciple to the end. A disciple is faithful to Christ to the end, come what may.

There are too many “nominal” Christians in the Church today. Not many are or choose to become committed believers and disciples. This is the weakness of the Church. Too many are complacent and not living for Christ. They are contented just to attend Church and then do nothing more. Are they really believers who are grateful for God’s love and salvation? If they are, then they will never be complacent or nominal pew-sitters in Church.

In the Book of Acts, all true believers were called “disciples”. That really tells us something very important. One cannot be a Christian and not become a disciple. Are you a disciple or a mere nominal believer and a pew-sitter in Church? A true believer is a committed follower of Christ. The word “follow” is used 77 times in the four Gospels alone. This word means to acknowledge Christ as Lord, to give Him total allegiance and obey Him completely. We show our love for Christ and that He is Lord by our obedience (John 14;15; Luke 6:46). 

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