And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-19 ESV
Discipleship is not only my favorite subject but it is God’s as well; the “Great Commission” makes that point clear. But what is it? If you Google search that question you will quickly discover that the Church is realizing that WE NEED TO MAKE DISCIPLES and not just converts.
The following are quotes on this subject; the first three are mine:
“To fear God more than man is the key which unlocks the door to one’s destiny!”
“Being a disciple requires a life-long commitment to Jesus, to the things of God and to the body of Christ (The Church). None could say, with any sincerity of heart, that he is committed to Christ if he does not care to grow in his knowledge of God through a lifestyle of study, prayer, worship and praise. A true disciple of Christ also carries the burden of His Lord—multiplication through active discipleship.”
“We don’t become a disciple of Jesus solely through conversion. With Jesus’ words “Make disciples” we see that a disciple is made not birthed; one is “re-born” through converting from a life contrary to God then invited to become a disciple of Jesus through interaction with Him via other disciples. Again, with Jesus’ words “…teaching them…” it is clear that discipleship is a life-long process in which each believer is transformed into the likeness of his Master, Christ. This then should be the Christians motto, ‘Those who don’t know…must be taught—those who do know…must be teachers!’ ”
For the rest of this list, I did the best I could to give proper recognition:
“Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Salvation is free... but discipleship will cost you your life.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“The emphasis to-day is being put on the fact that we have to save men; we have not. We have to exalt the Saviour, who saves men and then make disciples in His Name.” Oswald Chambers
“Maturity doesn’t come with age; it comes with acceptance of responsibility”. Ed Cole
“One does not surrender a life in an instant—that which is lifelong, can only be surrendered in a lifetime.” Jim Elliot
“God’s plan for an individual’s life is not incubation, but transformation. The church is a place where God empowers people to become Christlike. Today, heaven is again calling each of us to break free of the shell of “religion” and embrace the liberty and power of a Christlike life.” Francis Frangipane
“Our call is not to be conformed to the world, but by grace to be transformed by God. This call is not to be static, but to move beyond rigidity and relativism, tribalism and compromise. It is not to resist all change, bury our heads and dig in our feet. Rather, it is a cry to be transformed by God in a changing world without being conformed to its contemporary powers. What a challenge for the people of God!” Dick Keyes
“Christianity does not consist in any partial amendment of our lives, any particular moral virtues, but in an entire change of our natural temper, a life wholly devoted to God.” William Law
“If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.” William Law
“Until you have given up your self to Him you will not have a real self...” C.S. Lewis
“No man has the mind of Christ, except him who makes it his business to obey him.” George MacDonald
“How disabled the body of Christ has become because our primary purpose for church attendance has been to hear one man exercise his gifts, rather than to prepare people to develop their gifts for ministry, not only within the church but within society.” David R. Mains
“A Christian is not of hasty growth...but rather like the oak, the progress of which is hardly perceptible, but in time becomes a deep-rooted tree.” John Newton
“The decision to grow always involves a choice between risk and comfort. This means that to be a follower of Jesus you must renounce comfort as the ultimate value of your life.” John Ortberg
“Christianity must evoke from the believer the same response it drew from the first disciples: a passionate desire to obey God - a willingly entered-into discipline. That is the beginning of true discipleship. That is the beginning of loving God” Randy Peck
“You have but one Pattern; follow Him inwardly and outwardly. If other believers will go step for step with you, well; but if not, follow Him!” John Wesley
“Blessed is the man who finds out which way God is moving and then gets going in the same direction.” Unknown
Conclusion… Let’s be about the Kings business and MAKE DISCIPLES!
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