Publisher's Synopsis
God's plan, strategy, and methodology, for world evangelization (missions) through reproductive Disciple-Making, as recorded throughout the Bible, is the focus of this work. The Bible records the most succinct, comprehensive statement of this plan, strategy, and methodology, in Matthew 28:16-20 from the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ. This text contains one verb of command given to each of Jesus' followers. That command is to make disciples of all ethnic groups. All obedience to this command must have a total world vision; the contemporary church's focus on its local community is not obedience!
Most believers would interpret this command, make disciples, to mean make converts; if that's what our Lord meant He would've said that. You see, Converts grow old in the Lord. Disciples grow up in the Lord and reproduce. Still, others would interpret the word disciple to be synonymous with the word Christian. Christianus is a Hebrew idea (Messiah), a Greek word, with a Latin ending, which means a slave in the household of. For example, a Caesarianus would be a slave in the household of Caesar. Likewise, a Christianus would be a slave in the household of Christ. Wouldn't it be awesome if followers of Christ actually exhibited the lifestyle suggested by this word! However, as wonderful as this word is it is only used three times in the Bible (Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16) In each of these passages we find the spirit of derision, as the term is employed by enemies of the faith and never by a friend. This word, Christian, is one that believers continuously use in nearly every setting of daily life. In contrast, the word disciple appears 269 times in the first five books of the New Testament! How many times does the author of scripture, the Holy Spirit, have to say something for it to be etched in eternity in the mind of God? Once! So, when HE repeats Himself 268 times it must be that God wants us to catch up with and major on the term, the definition, and the concept! Do you get the picture? The word Christian, coined by enemies, is used perpetually, and only appears 3 times in the Bible; the word disciple hammered by the Holy Spirit, appears 269 times in the first 5 books of the New Testament, and is rarely used, in its context, by believers! As previously stated, the word Christian is a good word. However, the greatest enemy of the best is never the worst, but the good!
The reason we know that Christ's command to make disciples could not mean make Christians is that the term (Christian) doesn't appear in the New Testament until after our Lord has ascended! It seems the contemporary church is confused as to the very definition of the word disciple; since this is the case, there's little wonder why we're woefully deficient in obeying our Lord's command to reproduce disciples!
We must return to the mission, methodology, and strategy of the Master, which is guaranteed to produce eternal dividends. In Matthew 28:20 Jesus promised to attend us with His personal presence as we follow His plan when He said, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." This promise is not to be taken out of context to mean that the Lord will never leave nor forsake the Christian. Hebrews 13:5, and other passages promise that to all believers. No, this promise, in context, is exclusively for His followers that are engaged in pursuing His Mission, fulfilling His mandate, using His methodology, according to His strategy in obedience to Him as Master! This book invites and implores you to join in an in-context, ruthlessly objective, independent of tradition, re-study of the very words of God. This will expose the main thang in the individual Christian's obedience to our Lord's command to make disciples of all nations.
