LEADERSHIP GUIDE - MAY 2021
We conclude our discussion of the article “The Stages of Disciple Making” by Bobby Harrington with Stage 5: “Go and Make Disciples.” This stage of the disciple-making process focuses on the final command that Jesus gave His disciples before He ascended to heaven: share the Gospel and make disciples. We know a person has grasped the heart of discipleship when they follow this command.
5. “Go and Make Disciples” Phase: Matthew 28:18–20; John 20:21; Mark 16:15–16
The fifth phase is the replication phase. Disciples need to be sent out to become disciple-makers themselves. They have been trained to be like their teacher (Luke 6:40). Note, the multiplication phase continues to require growth—we multiply while maturing—because we do not fully arrive in this life. In fact, to get to the next phase of maturity, we need to multiply because a certain amount of maturity is only achieved in the midst of the challenges of being a disciple-maker.
Jesus describes this phase succinctly in John 20:21, “as the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And in the great commission of Matthew 28:19–20, Jesus gives us the important details of what is involved in the commission of a disciple-maker.
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
As described earlier, we have found that these verses provide a surprising amount of clarity on disciple-making. Jesus sends his disciples out to make disciples—after he has shown them how to make disciples. Stated differently, Jesus gave the commission after showing his apostles how to fulfill it.
Please note some key elements from within the text of the great commission itself.
There is one key command—“make disciples”—and four supporting parts to that command (according to the Greek):
Go
Baptize
Teach Obedience
Remember
We send people out to make disciples as Jesus made disciples.
Go – they are to go with the goal of making other disciples. Like Jesus, it starts as we go and enter into the lives of people. God has a heart for every people group on planet earth. He wants us to go and enter into the lives of people both near and far. As God’s motivation was his love (John 3:16) so ours is love. There is nothing more loving than making disciples.
Baptize – Jesus told us to baptize people because baptism, as a personal expression of faith, inaugurates a person into the possession of the father, son, and Holy Spirit. It marks conversion—which is both to salvation in Jesus and a new life as a disciple of Jesus. Conversion and baptism are not the goals, but the starting point as a person starts the disciple’s journey.
Teach Obedience – Jesus taught obedience-based disciple-making. He did not commission his disciples to just teach his commands (as we often do today). He commissioned his disciple-makers to teach obedience to all of his commands. So disciple-making must include the practical aspect of obedience—what it is and how to do it. The commission envisions development, after baptism, as disciples learn to obey all that Jesus taught (sanctification).
Remember – there is an expression in Greek found in verse 20 that literally says “and remember.” This expression, often translated, “behold,” or “surely” (NIV) often loses its force. We would state the expression this way today—“hey, remember.” Jesus wanted to punctuate for us the importance of remembering that he is present with us in disciple-making. He wants us to note and remember his presence—disciple-makers never go out, by themselves alone.
Those four expressions are helpful to note in disciple-making.
And, again, we are best served if we remember that Jesus commissions us to follow his method of disciple-making. He taught his disciples the supremacy of agape love (John 13:34–35) and then he commissioned them (and us) to go and make disciples just like he did.
How do we apply the principles from this phase today?
The most important part about commissioning disciple-makers is that, like Jesus, we have intentionally developed and led them to the point where they are spiritually and practically ready (with strategies and knowledge) to become disciple-makers. This is a relational, life-on-life process that takes time.
The apostles had one another so they could help and support each other as they lived out this commissioning phase. We too should walk closely with those we send out. And all disciple-makers will continue to need support and help from other disciple-makers. We will all need each other until the end.
Key points in the fifth phase:
Do your best to make sure that people are both spiritually ready (it is about the kingdom of God) and practically ready (they know what to do) before you send them out.
Pray for them and support them and remind them to rely on God through the Holy Spirit.
Keep them focused on the basics that disciple-making includes an emphasis on baptizing people into Christ and teaching them to obey all of Jesus’ teachings.
Seek to ensure your disciples are ready – spiritual adults and spiritual parents should be the focus for this phase.
Discussion Questions:
Who are you personally sharing the Gospel with and/or discipling?
How can you help the leaders that you oversee to begin making reaching out to the people in their lives to make disciples and to model making disciples to others?
How can you help the people in the small groups that you oversee to begin making disciples and sharing the gospel with others?
Prayer Points:
Pray that every member of our church would share the Gospel and make a disciple this year. Remember: “each one reach one each year.”
Pray that we would see a harvest of people getting saved and becoming disciples that share the Gospel and make disciples as well.
Pray for unity and protection as our state continues to safely reopen.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Fresh Start Class - Every Sunday at 12:30 pm (Main Campus Only)
Salvation, or the decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, is the most important decision we can make in this life. In Fresh Start, we discover how to know God through faith in Jesus and how to begin to have an eternal relationship with God. This class is for both those who are new in their faith and for believers who just transferred to Pearlside. For more information, go to pearlside.org/classes.
Growth Track Class - Sunday, May 16, 23 & 30 (Main Campus Only)
Our faith is not designed to be static. God desires all believers to grow in their faith. The Growth Track is a 3 session class where we will learn how to follow God through the essential practices of Christianity which include how to grow in a spiritual community, how to read the Bible, and how to pray. For more information, go to pearlside.org/classes.
Marriage Huddle - Saturday, May 22 to June 22 (Main Campus Only)
In these unprecedented times, our marriages will encounter bumps and potholes that can bring misalignment or friction into the marriage relationship. In our Marriage Huddle, John and Lisa Bevere, nationally known Christian speakers and authors, teach biblical principles of marriage and share their personal stories of challenge and victory in their video series “The Story of Marriage.” In this 6-session workshop, we will review each session, followed by small group discussions and related activities. These times of reflection and repentance have led to realignment and reuniting for many couples who have attended. For more information, go to pearlside.org/classes.
Freedom Weekend (Main Campus Only)
Freedom Weekend is a powerful class designed to allow God to speak His truth to us, draw closer to us, and transform us in a powerful way. The goal of this class is to help us arise out of our sin and its effects, into a new life of freedom and victory. For more information, go to pearlside.org/classes.