Disciple and Teach

Our key verses for this series are Matt 11:28-30 and Matthew 28:18-20

We have discussed what it means to come to Jesus, and what it means to go into thw world. Today our focus is on making disciples and teaching them to follow Jesus.

Matt 28:18-20
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.”

As we come to Jesus and find our fulfilment in him, as we go into the world with the good news that we have, (be and tell a friend). The next thing I see here is “make disciples” and “teach them to obey” the commands of Jesus.

When we are in the business of making disciples it is more than just telling them the good news. The next step is helping them to take the journey of faith with you. When people accept the grace of God, they always need someone else to guide them on the journey. That is our responsibility. It is not the responsibility of the life group leader or the pastor. It is our responsibility.

Now, before we all get worked up and think we can’t do it, because we don’t know enough, haven’t had enough education etc. know that Jesus made it easy for us. Remember, we come to Jesus. In relationship with him, we come and we then take on what he’s called us to do.

We only need to stay one step ahead of those we are discipling. Jesus used many different techniques to teach his disciples and to teach the people. He spoke to them about God’s word, he spoke to them in stories. He presented truth in a way people could understand, and he loved and accepted them in the process.

There are some things we can do that will help us as we do life with those we are discipling and teaching. They are not difficult, but they are necessary.

1. Be a disciple
The best thing we can do is be a proactive person; being a disciple; being a follower and a learner. This is what the word disciple means. It is someone who follows, learns from another, and then passes it on.

We are followers of Jesus. If we are true disciples, we will learn from him, and place ourselves in an environment that allows us to learn. This is why life groups and hanging out together is good. We learn from one another, and we follow Christ. 

Acts 2:42
The Believers Form a Community
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

The word “devoted” means:
to adhere to one, be his adherent, to be devoted or constant to one
to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing
to continue all the time in a place
to persevere and not to faint
to show one's self courageous for
to be in constant readiness for one, wait on constantly

In other words, the new converts and followers of Jesus were steadfastlty attentive, they made every effort to follow and learn about Jesus, meet with one another, share together and pray. Note that it does not say the apostles had to chase everyone up, check that they were ok and make sure everyone was connecting.

Instead, the followers made decisions in their lives that put the discipleship, learning process as the main priority and they were “steadfastly attentive” to it themselves. This is about a decision to live in a way that means choosing to walk with Jesus.

It means choosing a relationship with him, and with other Christians, choosing to share in small groups, meet at the Temple in larger groups and to pray. They set a pattern we can follow. We all have the power of choice. We will find time for what we value, and the things that are our priority.

What decisions am I making that draw me to Jesus or away from him?

What areas of my life do I need to make different choices in if I am to be a follower of Jesus?

What will I do this week that will help me become “steadfastly attentive” to being a follower of Jesus?

2. Know what Jesus commanded
How do we know what Jesus commanded? If we spend time with him and in his word, we will find out. This does not mean you have to become the next Bible scholar. But if we spend time in his word we will discover his commands.

Here's some examples:
Love one another. Love your neighbour as yourself. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Etc. I’m not going to press this point, but reading the Word of God every day helps.

The early disciples were “steadfastly attentive” to the teaching, to what they were being taught. They followed it up. The Berean’s were commended for not just listenning, but for being attentive, and more honourable, checking out what they were taught and putting it into practice in their lives.  

Acts 17:10-12
Paul and Silas in Berea
10 That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. 12 As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.

If we are followers of someone, it is usual to know what they stand for and what they believe. A follower or member of a political party needs to understand tge manifesto, to understand the beliefs of those they follow. What makes us think that we can follow Christ without knowing what he stands for and what he thinks. We are to teach others, but we can only teach what we know. 

1 Corinthians 2 tells us that we can know what God wants because the Spirit who knows lives in us. As we read the Bible, as we spend time in the word, more understanding is given to us. Let’s be women who are not just proactive in being a disciple ourselves, but who are proactive in reading, listening and learning and then being ready to pass it on. Paul said to Timothy to always be ready to have a word, in season and out of season.

What commands of Jesus do I need to know to help others to become followers of Jesus?

What am I actively doing to learn the commands of Jesus?

3. Pass it on to others.
When we know the Word, when we are active, then we can pass it on to others. This does not mean you have to be word perfect. No-one is asking you to recite word by word long passages of scripture (though it is possible to do so with practice).

The key thing is that the word of God is passed on in a way that does not dilute or detract from its truth. Jesus often used stories, and much of the Bible narrative lends itself to stories. Think about the people Jesus meets, and the way he uses stories to explain things to them. Jesus was a great story teller and he highlighted God’s truths through them.

Stories are easy to learn and to repeat. Think about how the people of Israel learnt about their history and were able to repeat it to others. Now don’t worry if you think you can’t remember a story. We have our Bibles to help us along the way and the Holy Spirit to guide us. 

Jesus says to teach others to obey his commands. Remember, all of this is meant to be done as part of a community, and with the help and support of others. If we are proactive in our followership, if we know the commands and the stories, then it’s easy to pass them on to others. No main auditorium is required. Jesus did most of his teaching walking and eating with others. We can do it the same way.

An Exercise:
When we think about people who are at seeking God, there are some great stories from the Bible that reveal God’s grace. When we are discipling and teaching others we can use other stories. Today, lets think about some stories that will help us understand Biblical truth and how we can apply it. This is learning how to retell Scripture and to pass on God's word without diminishing its truth in any way.

For your friends who have struggles with a difficult life there is the woman at the well - John 4

For friends who are religious but don’t have relationship with God there is Nicodemus - John 3

For the person who has wandered away and really needs to know God’s love, there is the prodigal son. Luke 15

For the person caught up in the love of material things there is Zacchaeus (Luke 19) and The rich young man (Matt 19) – different responses to the same issue.

You can learn these stories. There is some skill involved in learning the story, but that skill is not beyond anyone of us. It is a method that even the unschooled can learn. But there are many other stories that illustrate God’s love and his grace and how he wants us to live.

Here is the exercise. Choose a story:
Read it and then practice retelling it. Help one another. Then ask the following questions.

What does the story say?

What do we learn about God?

What truths does the story portray?

What do we learn about how we are to live?

What is my next step, what do i need to do?

This is a pretty straight forward way to disciple another.

So as we conclude this series, remember to come to Jesus, find your fulfilment in him and take on his agenda for your life. Know that as you do that, you are also equipped and empowered to go into the world, starting where God has placed you now. As you spend time with him, and learn his ways through his Word and apply it to your life, you will be equipped to make disciples, teach them, and help them on their journey of faith.