The second command of The Great Commission is to “Make Disciples.” It should probably go without saying that this seemingly small command is absolutely loaded with potential! Let’s get started.
Here is the complete command in context.
“Make disciples of all nations.” Short sentence, right?
English 101
The verb is “make.” The direct object… or what to make… is “disciples.” Make disciples. But we’re missing a subject. A complete sentence must have a noun which makes up the subject of the sentence. And believe it or not, “Make disciples.” is technically a complete sentence. So, where’s the noun? What is the subject of the sentence? Think back to 7th grade English. Remember, this was a fun one. The subject is the implied, “You.” If we were going to say the complete and full sentence, it would be, “You make disciples.” The purpose of the sentence is an imperative. It is a command. So not only is it pointed and personal, it is required. Making disciples is not optional.This, by the way, is the plural “you,” Jesus is talking to the remaining eleven disciples… the apostles. It is to them exclusively he is saying, “You make.” We have no indication there is anyone else present. The commands are given to a very select group of men; the men he has been training for the last three years. The men who have walked closely with him daily. So, “You make,” would be the command in its simplest form. Let’s talk about this part of the full sentence before we get to the “what…” of the sentence.
The definition of “make”
Jesus command is directed to the apostles and he tells them to “make” something. Making something implies effort, it requires an activity. Noah Webster, in his 1828 dictionary, offers over 60 definitions for the word, “make.” Here are just a few.
To compel; to constrain. To create; to cause to exist; to form from nothing. To bring into any state or condition; to constitute.
The word “make” means the act of creating something new which did not previously exist. It also implies a deliberate effort is activated toward that goal. In order for this to happen, the person performing the effort must obviously have a goal in mind and we should understand they have some sort of motivation to achieve the goal for which they are producing the effort. There is some driving force behind their desire to be productive. More on that in a moment.
This little word, “make.” It is packed full of activity. When we couple it with the first command, from our last podcast, to “go,” it becomes even more active. Remember, we are still talking about evangelism. A disciple is a “maker,” just as God is a maker. A disciple of Jesus does not sit in a lofty cathedral or busy themselves with the mundane activities of the church. A disciple of Jesus is laser focused on a process of production. It’s the number one priority of their day. And exactly what does a disciple of Jesus produce?
A Disciple Makes Disciples
The Apostles were told to, “Go.” They were told to “make.” And the things they are told to make are, other disciples. There is nothing confusing here. There is nothing ambiguous. Jesus commands are clear and straight forward. The final part of the “make” command comes in the form of a little prepositional phrase which tells us where to go and make. We go to “all nations.”
This defines the target audience of our efforts. We are to make disciples of all nations! In essence, there is no limit to the process. Even as new nations are formed, those need to hear the Gospel message as well. And by the way, if we are to go to all nations, that kind of destroys the idea of racism and prejudice in the church, doesn’t it?
The point of this lesson is to tightly focus on this word “make,” the second command of The Great Commission. It is a process very few people are involved with today. For the average person who calls themselves a Christian, they are content to go to church on Sunday, pay their respects to God for about an hour and then live any way they want for the rest of the week. They relegate the task of “making,” to a pastor, evangelist, a marketing department or anybody else. The deliberate activity of evangelizing the world is not something they really want to be involved in, and even if they do bring a friend to church, they would still hand off the conversion process to a new members team or some other church leader. This is not how a true disciple of Christ operates.
Your mission… reach and teach.
A disciple of Christ is deeply motivated and deeply devoted to the activity for which the Master has redeemed him. He is about the Master’s business of making disciples. A disciple of Jesus has the ability to reach and teach… at least on some basic level. Think about it. If God did not intend for you to further His kingdom here on earth, why would he leave you here after you became a Christian?
Because Jesus told us (by extension) to “make disciples” in the proclamation of The Great Commission, we understand without confusion, the purpose of a disciple is to make other disciples . This is why we say, “There is no other kind of disciple than one who makes disciples.” If a person is not about the business of making other disciples, then they can not call themself a disciple. Let that one sink in. If we are not disciple makers, we can’t call ourselves a disciple. Disciples make disciples. But, what is a disciple?
What is a disciple?
DISCIPLE, noun [Latin , to learn.]
- A learner; a scholar; one who receives or professes to receive instruction from another; as the disciples of Plato.
- A follower; an adherent to the doctrines of another. Hence the constant attendants of Christ were called his disciples; and hence all Christians are called his disciples, as they profess to learn and receive his doctrines and precepts.
So, a disciple is a student or a learner… but this word carries a much deeper meaning than a person simply sits in a classroom, doesn’t it? A disciple is a close associate of the teacher. We might say, “They ‘walk’ with the teacher.” They spend time with the teacher and become very familiar with the teacher’s ways. When someone is that connected to a mentor, they tend to become “like” the teacher. They don’t just learn bits of information or clever ideas. They begin to “imitate” the teacher. In our modern world, I think the word “apprentice” comes close to how we might understand the word “disciple,” but it still lacks a certain depth and closeness in the relationship.
In college, I had many professors and sat in many classes, but I was a disciple of my photography teacher, Carl Scott. This was a relationship that changed my life. He took the class out of the classroom and into nature. He spent time hanging out with us. He had us over for cookouts and dinners. He introduced us to the beautiful works of art, he and others produced. In many ways, we were profoundly changed by his keen efforts to immerse us in the art of photography. We didn’t just learn the mechanics of photography. We learned the heart of the art. Still today, I find myself thinking about things the way I learned to think back then. I find myself using phrases we used in our common group speak. I even find myself using mannerisms my teacher possessed.
Rugged Individualism?
You know, we all think we are such independent individuals. We all think we arrived at the spot we are in by our clever abilities and astute thinking. But the truth is, we are all just composites of the people we have met and who influenced our lives. Our parents, our grand parents, our brothers and sisters, close friends and teachers have all contributed to who we are. That laugh you laugh…. who do you know that laughs like that? Where did you pick up that “thing you do” when you’re washing the dishes? Who showed you how to tie your shoe? Why are you not patient with your kids? Where did you learn that?
You see, you are not the rugged, independent individual you think you are. You are a mixture of influences.
When you meet a disciple of Jesus and they ask you to meet the Master, understand this. They are under the influence of that master. They have been taught to act like the Master. They have the same heart, mind and Spirit of the Master. They are calling you to become like them, to potentially change anything in your character which your former masters have left behind which is not like Christ. This will be a challenging and maybe even painful experience.
Disciple Equals Christian
Take a look at this scripture. It’s Acts 11:25-26
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
This is a historical record. This is the first time in history, the word “Christian” was ever used. The word “Christian” was meant to be a derogatory epithet. It meant, “little Christ” or “Christ imitator.” It was not supposed to taken as a compliment. Now, stop and think about this. What group of people had this label, “Christian” slapped on them? Was it the members of the Lyons Club? No. Was it the Baptists? No. The only people who had the name “Christian” applied to them was the disciples. Only the disciples were called Christians.
It may fascinate you to know that the word “Christian” is used only three times in the entire Bible. The word “disciple” and its derivatives is used over 300 times! Why is this significant? Because of what it implies. Let’s walk through this.
Even among unbelievers who know a little bit about Christianity, the title “disciple” carries with it a seriousness and dedication not found in the word “student.” Some people even confuse the word “disciple” with the word “Apostle” because they associate it with that kind of dedication found in Jesus closest relationships. The point is, the word “disciple” carries with it a seriousness and a form of dedication which goes beyond the casual, day-to-day idea of a student. Now listen carefully. The only people who were called “Christians,” were these very serious, very committed, evangelistic disciples of Jesus. This means that a Christian is not just someone who has a faith in Jesus but a person who is dedicated to and about the mission of making other disciples. This is why we say, “A disciple makes disciples and there is no other kind of disciple.” Maybe it’s time to stop calling people Christians if they are not actively making disciples! If we understand this clearly, we draw a very bold line between someone who simply believes in Jesus and a disciple of Jesus.
Making disciples is not easy.
Making disciples is not easy. The process of making disciples almost always produces conflict. Man’s tendency is to crave the things of this world. A disciple’s tendency is to crave the things of heaven and shun the things of this world. The two are always in conflict.
It is not an easy task to make a disciple and it is not an easy task to be made a disciple. It takes effort from the teacher and great humility from both the student and the teacher. This stands in sad, stark contrast to the easy methods of conversion offered in modern Christianity. Today, all you need to do is raise your hand in a church service and you’re good to go. This is a far cry from the “iron sharpens iron” type of relationships we see in the New Testament.
The work of making disciples requires that people are first introduced to Jesus, understand who he is and what he has done for us. In the modern church economy it also means ditching a ton of traditional teaching about the Christian religion. It requires that we allow the Bible to be the prime source of our knowledge and training, not a man-made book of membership rules. In making a disciple, we help a person understand what life was like for the first century disciples and explain how they should be our role models.
The standard is the Bible, not traditions.
As we make disciples, we often spend a good bit of time cleaning up old traditional views about religion by pointing people to the Biblical patterns. This is one source of conflict! Old traditions often die violent deaths! But, when a person truly makes Jesus Lord and is committed to studying the scriptures for themselves and allowing those scriptures to be the final authority; bad doctrine and traditions fall away as the truth blossoms fully. This all takes great patience and careful instruction. It takes time together and communication. It takes walking together, talking together, eating together and always opening the Bible together.
Let’s face it, people can claim and do claim great nonsense about the Bible and people will gullibly believe it. Especially if we are unwilling to check it our for ourselves. So, another mark of a disciple is that they open their Bible to study every day. They are constantly on the lookout for deeper understandings regarding their relationship with Christ. In the churches I know which practice discipleship, even outsiders often claim, “Wow, those guys really know their Bible!” And why wouldn’t they know their Bibles super well? They are in love with the Master and want to know Him more than anything else.
So, the second command of The Great Commission, “Make disciples,” carries quite a punch. Just like every other command in The Great Commission, it is a “command” followed by a specific act of obedience and is not open to debate or negotiation. Every disciple of Jesus is involved in making disciples. It is your faith acting! It is not a human work. It is the glorious and exciting response of A Faith that Obeys!
Enjoy!
Dana Haynes