Make Disciples

Matthew 28:18-20

Immanuel – 10/16/22

In my mind, the New Testament gives the church two great calls to action; two calls that give us our ultimate purpose on earth. You might say worshipping God, or glorifying God, is our ultimate purpose. You would be correct. But through these two calls, God is telling us how we are to glorify Him on earth; and both of them demand action, both of them demand obedience, both of them are the means through which we worship God.

One of these two great calls is what this sermon series is based upon.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

We are new creations in Christ and we are ambassadors. These are the two fundamental elements of our identity in Christ: new creations and ambassadors.

And with this new identity, we are given the ministry of reconciliation. We give the world the gospel of Jesus Christ in order that the world would be reconciled to God. The way God has transformed you is the way God is transforming the world – through reconciliation.

The second great call to action was spoken by Christ Himself. I imagine you already know where I am going with this.

Read Matthew 28:18-20

This, of course, is the Great Commission. Briefly, I want you to see that there are four fundamental elements to the Great Commission.

1. Jesus is King of heaven and earth (where He possesses all authority).

2. The King tells us to go – which means uncomfortablity is built into obedience to Christ.

3. The King tells us to make disciples.

4. The King says that He is with us.

Today we are going to focus on the third element of the Great Commission. We want to focus on this precisely because Jesus is King and He has commanded us to make disciples.

We have already talked quite a bit about the “going” aspect of the Great Commission; we’ve just talked about it in slightly different language. We are ambassadors, and as ambassadors we need to be proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, going to those who need to hear it, calling people to be reconciled unto God. That, indeed, is the “going” part of the Great Commission.

Purpose

But once you have gone, once you have given the gospel, how do you practically begin making disciples? That’s the question I want to answer today.

Last week I showed you an image of a traffic light. This diagram is helpful when considering the people to which you have offered the gospel. This categorizes responses to the gospel, and as a result, helps you know how you should respond.

Red Light – As you can see, someone who is not interested in the gospel is a red light. They are a no. Move on and search for a person of peace, for someone who is receptive to you and to the gospel.

Yellow Light – These are people who say “maybe.” They are not ready to give their lives to Jesus, but they are interested in understanding more.

Green Light – These people say yes. They hear the gospel and respond with repentance and belief.

Then there are those who you have shared the gospel with, and they respond, “I already follow Jesus.” Consider if there is a way you can partner with that person for kingdom purposes.

Last week I mentioned that we are to consider both yellow-lights and green-lights as persons of peace. These are the ones we are to invest in. These are the ones we are to disciple.

But the way a yellow-light and the way a green-light needs discipling is inherently different. And if Christ calls us to make disciples, we should know what that means, and how to do it, in ways that are actually helpful.

(Parenthesis)

To be sure, I cannot give an exhaustive explanation of how to disciple yellow-lights and green-lights in this message. Today I am just giving a few basics.

But know that in the next couple of months, the Elders are bringing a more robust evangelism and discipleship training to Immanuel. Its purpose is to better equip you to be obedient to Christ, to fulfill the Great Commission, and to be more effective ambassadors.

Additionally, this training will be mandatory for anyone that this church sends on future mission trips.

(Close Parenthesis)

Yellow-Light Discipling

Ok, one way or another, you’ve given someone the gospel and they respond with interest. They are a person of peace. They are a yellow-light.

And if it isn’t obvious, a yellow-light is not saved. They are not yet a follower of Christ. As long as they are interested, it is your goal to disciple them so they can become a green-light, so they become a follower of Christ.

How does that happen? What are you supposed to do next?

Remember Paul’s words:

Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

-Romans 10:17

That phrase, “word of Christ,” that means all of Scripture. But it is not just all of Scripture; it is how Jesus is the fulfillment of all of Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, The Bible is pointing towards Jesus. Once people understand that, faith is born; because faith comes through hearing the word of Christ.

Therefore, what you want to do next with a yellow-light is spend time with them in the word of Christ. You want to get them in front of the Bible. You might want to give them a Bible, in a translation that you know and trust.

Take this scenario as an example: You recognize a person is a yellow-light after you have given them the gospel and you hear, “I don’t think I’m ready to become a Christian, but you do raise a lot of questions in my mind.”

You should then respond with, “Well, I’d be glad to get together with you and look at what Jesus said. Perhaps we can find some answers in the Bible.”

If they accept, then schedule a time right then-and-there to meet-up. Once you have it scheduled, feel free to ask, “Do you know anyone else who might be interested in joining us?” This will do two things. First, if they are joined by someone they know, it will help them to feel more comfortable. Secondly, it will give you an opportunity to share the gospel with more people.

Ok, the time for the meeting has come. You want to crack open the Bible and begin showing them Scripture; because you want to introduce them to Jesus. Because you want them to encounter Jesus! You want them to hear and believe!

(Parenthesis)

This means that you must have a basic understanding of Scripture yourself. You don’t need to be an expert, but you do need to know the basics. What kind of ambassador would you be if you don’t know enough to teach someone else what the Bible says?

If you feel like that is you, then start now. Begin studying some passage or book or idea so that you know it well enough to communicate it to someone else. Again, you don’t need to become an expert, and a yellow-light doesn’t necessarily need an expert, but they do need you to understand how a particular part of Scripture relates to Jesus and how it relates to them.

Once again, the trainings that the Elders will be providing will, in part, teach you how to do this through something called an inductive Bible study.

(Close Parenthesis)

If it were me, and I was going to pick some piece of Scripture to walk a yellow-light through, I would begin with one of the gospels.

In fact, a few years back, I was meeting with a yellow-light couple. We scheduled a weekly time where we would get together and study the Bible together, and I walked them through the Gospel of Mark. I chose Mark because it is the shortest gospel, and it is very easy to understand. After about 10 months of studying the life and teachings of Jesus, the husband gave his life to Christ. Some of you might remember, I baptized Arik right behind me.

Right now I am meeting with another person once a month, and we are slowly working through Mark’s gospel. Pick your favorite gospel and walk through it with a yellow-light individual, or individuals.

There was another time where I was meeting with a yellow-light Muslim couple, and I also took them to Mark. But after nearly two years nothing seemed to be changing. So, being respectful, I got very direct with them about Christ’s call to repent and believe, and the consequences of rejecting Him. Still, no movement. I came to recognize that though they might be presenting as yellow-lights, their hearts were red. They were neither devout Muslim nor interested in obedience to Christ.

You might encounter the same thing. In fact, that’s the nature of yellow-light: they are meant to change. In a spiritual sense, yellows can turn either green or red. If they turn red, then you know what to do: peacefully move on.

But what happens when they turn green? How do you disciple green-lights?

Green-Light Discipling

You have shared the gospel with a person and they have accepted, or the yellow-light has turned green; either way, the person has repented of their sins and believed in Jesus Christ.

They also need to be shown Scripture. If faith comes by hearing, and they need their brand-new faith to grow, then they need to hear Scripture!

But because you are interacting with a green-light, your goal is not to introduce them Jesus – as it should be for a yellow-light – your goal is to teach them to obey Jesus. Isn’t that what Jesus said in the Great Commission?

“Make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” -Matthew 28:19, 20

If new followers of Jesus, or new disciples, are going to obey Jesus, then they need to be shown His commands. That’s your job ambassador. Christ commissioned you to do this, not just your pastor; you!

So what are the commands of Christ? Where should you start? How about right here, with the first of the two great calls to action in the Bible. Take them to this passage and read it together.

Read Matthew 28:18-20

Inductive Bible studies are so helpful here. Again, if you want to learn how to lead an inductive Bible study, look for those future trainings.

You have read the Great Commission together. And in that very passage Christ calls you to teach them. So what does the new disciple need to understand about the Great Commission?

1. Jesus is King of heaven and earth (where He possesses all authority).

2. The King tells us to go.

3. The King tells us to make disciples.

4. The King says that He is with us.

Surely, you can teach this to a new disciple! Flesh it out for them. Teach them what it means that the King of heaven and earth is present with them right now. Teach them what it means to go, and to whom. Teach what it means to be an ambassador. Teach them how they, new in the faith as they are, even they must also go and make disciples.

If you have never witnessed it before, you may be surprised with the new disciple’s fervor of obedience. Often what happens is that they tell everyone they know about Jesus and how He has transformed their heart. You will witness dynamic, and even convicting, obedience to the Great Commission.

After you have studied the Great Commission together, you are not finished. There is more to learn. Perhaps you could hop over to 1 Thessalonians 5.

Admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

This teaches them about the Christian life. Here, the commands of Christ speak for themself. They are so simple and so straight forward that the simplest explanation is adequate. And yet, the depth is profound and there is much you could elaborate upon.

Perhaps the new disciple might ask, “What does it mean to pray without ceasing?” What a blessing it is to answer such a question. Invite questions. Encourage them. Do your best to answer, and if you are unsure, say you don’t know, but you would be happy to explore that together. It is good for a new disciple to see that you are still learning too.

The green-light new disciple also needs to be taught something else very early on.

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some.

-Hebrews 10:23-25

Teach the new disciple that they need church. One of the best ways we hold fast to our hope, remember the promises of God, stir one another to love and good works, is through our regular gathering within the local church. Christians who neglect the local church, with this kind of investment, are living in disobedience to the commands of Christ. Don’t let such neglect become your habit! Teach them this.

This command is so important for the new disciple that as soon as they repent and believe, you should be inviting them to church. Christ calls them, just as He calls you, to be a part of a local church.

And part of entering into the unity of the church and obeying Christ, is getting baptized. Remember, in the Great Commission, Jesus called us to baptize new disciples? It is not wrong to take that new disciple and baptize them yourself in a nearby river. But better, is to baptize them within the community of the church.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13

Baptism signifies not just union with Christ, but union to the church body. Therefore, being baptized within the gathering of that body is profoundly honoring to the head of that body, who is Jesus Christ.

Teach the new disciple that Jesus commands them to be baptized, and bring them to church where we can celebrate their baptism together! Here at Immanuel, the door is open for you to participate in a new believer’s baptism.

Brothers and sisters, I have not given you formulas. I have given you tools and ways to think about what Christ has commanded you. As ambassadors of Christ, you are to make disciples – every one of you.

Whether they are yellow or green lights, they need Scripture. Yellow-lights need to be introduced to Jesus. Meet with them as often as possible and teach them the Bible, that they might encounter our King!

Green-lights need to be shown the commands of Christ in Scripture. Teach them what it means to obey. Let them ask questions. Teach them their need for, and bring them to, church. Teach them they need to be baptized, and lead them down that path.

Read Matthew 28:18-20