At the end of His time on earth, Jesus gave us a command that is often called the “Great Commission” which was, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
Since that time, the church has done a relatively poor job on discipleship. The early church, soon after the baton was passed from the Apostles, created two classes of people: clergy and laity. This was equivalent to having the “haves and have-nots”. One group, the clergy, was considered spiritual and the holder of the knowledge of the kingdom and all others were considered to be subservient and not to be trusted with the true knowledge.
While the Reformation of the 16th Century did much to encourage a “Priesthood of all believers”, the process of making disciples is still more hit and miss. While many programs are available to churches and believers, in most of our churches, true Christian discipleship continues to be more of a lofty goal than a practical outcome.
I’ve been taught that there are three essential elements to discipleship: Faith (the forgiveness of sin through the completed work of a Savior), Fellowship (the demonstration of love and acceptance), and Foundations (understanding the foundational truth of the gospel including sin, salvation, grace, mercy and redemption).
Recently, I’ve come to understand that the new discipleship model that is necessary is one that embraces the three components of previous programs Faith, Fellowship, & Foundations but it goes beyond programs as discipleship is not about programs but about people.
The new discipleship model takes the mission of the church and places it squarely on the shoulders of those that are being discipled. This missional model understands that just beyond the property marker of the church begins the mission field.
Having a discipleship model that includes being Missional means that we are involving and requiring participation as a means of becoming a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. One of the cornerstone verses of the Missional model for discipleship is Matthew 25 where Jesus said,
Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”
