THE ONE AND ONLY MISSION - MAKE DISCIPLES!

FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH: THE ONLY MISSION THAT JESUS GAVE TO HIS DISCIPLES WAS TO MAKE DISCIPLES.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

HOW DO WE MAKE DISCIPLES?

Make Disciples: (matheteuo) to teach, instruct people to know, follow and obey Jesus commands/ teachings

  • The goal of a disciple of Jesus Christ is to be like Jesus in every way, thought, mission, attitude and character.

  • A disciple is a student that is enrolled as a scholar.

  • A scholar is one who attends a school under a teacher.

  • A scholar is a person with deep knowledge in a particular. subject/field.

  • A scholar is often expected to maintain high academic performance and participate in leadership and mentoring.

ANSWER: BE WHAT YOU DESIRE TO REPRODUCE!

  • It takes a real disciple to reproduce a disciple.

  • Jesus told His disciples to make disciples because he knew that it takes one to make one.

  • We will reproduce what and who we are.

Matthew 28:18-19 (NLT) 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples. . .

#1

TO REPRODUCE REAL DISCIPLES THAT OBEY THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS WE MUST BE REAL DISCIPLES THAT OBEY JESUS TEACHINGS.

  • We need to be it to develop it.

  • All of Jesus’ commands cause us to live like Christ and look like Christ and do what Christ did.
John 8:31 (GNT) 31 So Jesus said to those who believed in him, “If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples;

  • If we say we are His disciples and don’t obey His teachings we are not really disciples at all.

  • Therefore the disobedient cannot reproduce real disciples.

  • A disobedient disciple is not a real disciple, He is a deceived person.
A. JESUS KNEW THAT WE CAN ONLY REPRODUCE WHO WE ARE.

  • We will not reproduce our beliefs but our lifestyle. 

  • Many times people's beliefs and their lifestyles contradict each other so they only reproduce confused, double minded, lukewarm, religious disciples.

Matthew 7:17-18 (NLT) 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.

B. THE PRINCIPLE OF A TREE PRODUCING SEED THAT PRODUCES AFTER ITS KIND WAS ESTABLISHED BY GOD AT THE VERY BEGINNING.
    Genesis 1:11-12 ( NLT) 11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened.12 The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

    • He commanded all of creation to produce after its own kind. 

    • We don’t have to try to reproduce after our own kind, it is a spiritual law that cannot be changed. 

    • We will produce after our own kind, including the disciples that we make.

    • Sheep produce sheep, goats produce goats, apple trees produce apples, orange trees produce oranges.

    #2

    GOD CREATED US IN HIS IMAGE.

    • Discipleship started at creation. 

    • He made us to represent His image on earth - to be His image bearers.

    Genesis 1:26-27 (NLT) 26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. . . 27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
    A. GOD’S VISION IS STILL TO TRANSFORM BELIEVERS INTO HIS IMAGE.

    • A believer is transformed into the image of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

    • The proof that we have Gods Spirit in us is that we are becoming more and more like Him. 

    • Our transformation shows the World who God is, reveals God to others. 

    • The image that we are bearing is what we will reproduce.

    2 Corinthians 3:18 (EASY) We show the power of the Lord to other people. It is like God has removed a cloth from over our faces. He is changing us so that we become more and more like him. We show how great God is more and more clearly. It is the Lord who does all this, by the work of his Spirit

    B. FROM THE BEGINNING GOD DECIDED THAT WE WOULD BECOME LIKE JESUS SO THAT WE COULD REPRODUCE OTHERS TO BE LIKE HIM.

    • God set the pattern His Son would reproduce others like Him, many younger brothers and sisters. 

    • True Sons and daughters, produce true Sons daughters.

    Romans 8:29 (EASY) God already had those people in his thoughts from the beginning. He decided that they should become like his Son. So then, his Son would have many younger brothers and sisters.

    #3

    JESUS MADE DISCIPLES THROUGH BEING THE EXAMPLE THAT HE WANTED HIS DISCIPLES TO BE.

    • We are the mold, pattern that we will reproduce. 

    • What a great responsibility we have to be examples and image bearers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

    A. JESUS SET THE EXAMPLE FOR HIS DISCIPLES TO FOLLOW.

    • We are called to make disciples the same way He did it.

    • Jesus made disciples with the philosophy: “Do as I do.”

    John 13:15 (NLT) I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

    • Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)

    • He also said, “ You are the light of the world.” (Matt 5:14)

    • It’s not one or the other, it’s both. He is the light and we are the light because we are reproducing them.
    B. WE BECOME MORE AND MORE LIKE THE IMAGES THAT WE EXPOSE OURSELVES TO.

      • The clearer image and revelation of who Jesus is the more we become like Him. 

      • The more we become like Jesus the easier we make it for disciples to become like Him. 

      • We have a responsibility as disciple makers to reveal Jesus to others not only in our teachings but also in our loving, Holy and Godly living.
      1 John 3:2 (EASY) My friends, we are already children of God. We do not yet know clearly what we will become. But we do know this: when Christ returns to this world, we will become like him. We will be like him because we will see him as he really is.