Making disciples is evangelism, not sanctification

A statement like this raises two questions for me.

1. When is a disciple made?

2. When the church was commissioned to make disciples, what were we being called to do, exactly?

We tend to think disciples are made over a long period of time, the fruit of good training. But this verse in John 4 suggests disciples are made quickly, the fruit of a person's worship and surrender to Christ's friendship and authority.

So, where does 'making disciples' fit in the work of the church?

1. Make manifest the Gospel.

2. Call people to "Come, follow Jesus". Anchor to Him. (Make disciples)

3. Connect disciples to communities of disciples. Kingdom citizenship.

4. Organize and energize ministry to the Body of Christ and the world around us.

“Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John... ”

— John 4:1 ESV

Having this same mind

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

— Paul, in Philippians 2:5-8 ESV

In my English Standard Version Bible, the heading above these first few verses in Philippians 2 is "Christ's Example of Humility". It could just as well read "Christ's Example of Authority".

Those of us who are followers of Christ and have been given any measure of authority (as we all have) should ask:

How do we serve our own well-being, having this same mind?

How do we serve others, having this same mind?

How do we serve the rest of Creation, having this same mind?

Lead, follow, or accept restraint

When shepherds stop leading or sheep stop following, secure pens become inevitable.

I write this following another mass shooting in a school. There isn't much time for grieving over lives lost. Almost instantly, the gun control debate takes center stage.

I appreciate those who defend our Second Amendment right to bear arms. "Guns don't kill people. People do." My own father remembers how he and his friends carried shotguns to school so they could hunt rabbits right after the final bell.

I also appreciate those who notice that times have changed. No one feels it's okay for a student to carry a shotgun to school now.

The point is that freedom demands responsibility. The surest way to surrender freedom is to neglect responsibility. Those who appreciate more freedom need to figure this out. Fast. Because as self-government erodes, externally-applied government will overtake us. You can bank on it.

It's one reason the spread of the Gospel is so relevant and practical. It's one reason why the church needs to rediscover Kingdom culture. It was for freedom Jesus set us free.