Chapter 9: Following Jesus: Answering the Call to Discipleship

Discipleship is relationship, first with God then with one another.¹

—JOEY BONIFACIO

WE LIVE IN A BROKEN WORLD. REGARDLESS OF WHERE you live, your age or ethnic background, the pain of life is enormous. Currently, there are more than a hundred armed conflicts in the world.² Viruses such as Ebola threaten to sweep the world. (In 1918, more died because of the flu epidemic than did in World War I.) From what some call a looming economic Armageddon to a real one of biblical proportions, this tiny blue dot we call home has never been more vulnerable to self-destruction.

But without question, the most ominous and disturbing threat we currently face is terrorism. If you are a follower of Christ, you are often one of the most likely to be the target of this kind of intentional violence. The images we see on a regular basis are haunting. Men dressed in orange prison fatigues kneeling on a beach as masked members of ISIS prepare to sever their heads from their bodies. Coerced messages of ransom request filmed on cell phones. Often the reason is clearly spelled out—these are Christians, infidels according to these radical Muslims and their interpretation of the Koran.

The courage of these believers who are being martyred for their faith is deeply challenging and inspiring. Centuries ago, it was the same type of faith that the early Christians had to demonstrate in the face of Roman persecution.

In the early second century, Polycarp, a Christian leader who was trained by the apostle John, was offered freedom from prison and death in exchange for renouncing his faith in Christ. In response, he said, “Christ has been faithful to me—how could I not be faithful to Him?”³ I often wonder what I would say in such a situation. I pray that I would be just as strong. These stirring examples remind us that faith in Christ compels us to hold to our testimony, even in the face of persecution or death. In fact, thousands of people lose their lives simply because they believe in Jesus Christ.

On the other hand, the roles should never be reversed. Under no circumstances should anyone ever be forced or coerced into believing in Jesus Christ. Looking back through history during the times of the Crusades and the Inquisition, when violence has been committed in the name of Jesus, it has been a result of disobeying Jesus’ central command to “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44).

Believing in Jesus is a call to follow His teachings of obedience to the law of love that He commanded, not just mental assent to a set of facts or propositions about Him. Very few will ever face this kind of opposition to their beliefs. For most of us, the resistance comes from social pressure or personal desires to conform to a lifestyle that is contradictory to the path Christ calls us to walk.

Over the centuries whenever the church lost its effectiveness and credibility, it compromised and strayed from the truth. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Matthew 5:13). This scripture speaks of the Christian’s role in acting as a preservative to the world around us. When we lose our salt we, in effect, become a nonfactor in helping anyone.

Today the predominant message you hear is centered on the word grace. In America this word has often been reduced to a tame affirmation that God loves you regardless of what you do or how you live. Though the grace of God is at the heart of our faith, it is far greater than many of us have imagined. It’s the kind that gives you the burning desire to live a holy life and the power to do so. It forgives the vilest crime and transforms the darkest heart. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14).

As an example, consider the courageous faith of William Wilberforce. The slave trade was abolished in England in 1833 largely because of his persistent efforts. A member of Parliament and a sincere Christian, Wilberforce labored for more than thirty years to see this pernicious evil end in all the British Empire. He used the force of Scripture to weigh on the minds and hearts of the leaders of the government until this wrong was righted. In his book Real Christianity, Bob Beltz spells out the shallowness and emptiness of this kind of incomplete grace.

This is a problem that doesn’t afflict cultural Christians who do not possess what I have called authentic faith. This is a problem that is particularly problematic for those who legitimately have received Christ and believe all that the Bible teaches. Their belief system is intact, but their lives do not bear the evidence that they have actually had a real encounter with Christ. They regard their faith as something that has been taken care of and then proceed to live as if Christ were not really their Lord. True Christian grace has become cheap grace.⁴

Real grace is indeed unmerited favor from God. He forgives us and cleanses us from sin, regardless of how spiritually destitute and bleak our lives may be. But He doesn’t leave us in this condition. The grace of God transforms and becomes an inner motivation to obey God’s commands. “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:11–12). This kind of complete and true grace is marked by two distinct traits:

• Radical love for God

Loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength. This is what I remember about the people I met when I came to a belief in Christ. They loved the Lord with all their hearts. This was practically expressed in a love for God’s word in Scripture as well as worship. To really love God means to love what He loves and hate what He hates. God hates sin, plain and simple. He hates it because it destroys people.

• Radical love for others

You can’t love God and not love others. This was what I saw in the people I met in college who were truly following Jesus. Not only did they have a passion for God, but they had a deep compassion for others as well. What struck me was how nonjudgmental and caring these people were. They didn’t look down on others for not having the same faith and love for God; they simply demonstrated how real their faith was and made people want to experience that kind of love as well. Their love was relentless.

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP

This leads us to the questions of why so many people who claim to be Christian seem to lack this kind of life. After all, surveys show that one of the top reasons people dismiss the claims of Christ is because of the hypocrisy of those who profess the faith. This was certainly a big factor for me. After looking deeply into the Scriptures, as well as watching the lives of those who seem to come and go from church, I find one clear reason for this that stands out above all others: the absence of a commitment to surrender everything to the authority and lordship of Christ. This doesn’t mean we have to be perfect and attempt to earn our way to heaven by our good works; it is, instead, a heart attitude of submission to the will of God and the truth of His Word. Jesus told a parable about the response someone has when he truly understands the value of this kind of relationship with God:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44–46)

For us to regain the kind of impact we read about that Christianity had on culture at its inception, we must recover the message and challenge that they preached. Jesus told us we must count the cost of being His disciple. Counting the cost means that we consider the claims of Christ and yield our lives to Him in full obedience. This is the very opposite of the common presentation that calls us to pray a quick prayer or walk down an aisle and make a public confession of our belief in Christ. Going back to the words of Jesus, we find a critical aspect of the presentation of the gospel that we may have failed to mention.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ ” (Luke 14:28–30)

Counting the cost means seriously and thoughtfully understanding the full implications of our commitment. It means we give up not only our wrongs but also our rights. Everyone today seems quite concerned about their societal rights; however, we are called to yield to God’s way. We are now following Him; He is not following us.

Usually people hear messages about all the blessings of being a Christian, and, assuredly, there are many. It is also common to hear testimonies about how following Christ has given people real peace and joy. The subjective sense of the value of faith has definitely been heralded as the primary reason to believe.

Yet when you read the accounts of people coming to a place of faith in Christ in the New Testament, the message they heard was slightly different. They were told of hardship and suffering that would accompany their decision. Take for example the apostle Paul. The message he was initially told would be unheard-of in our Western context. “But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’ ” (Acts 9:15–16). In light of this reality we must understand not just the historical truth of the Christian faith but the proper response we must have if we truly believe. Here are a few critical dimensions of this response that might seem odd to most ears but will produce the kind of life you’re really looking for.

1. Deny Yourself

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

—Mark 8:34–37

It seems counterintuitive, but if we want to find true life we must yield our lives first. We must first lose in order to win. This message is so absent from the vocabulary of the modern Christian presentation that it might sound harsh and unrealistic to some. However, it was the message Jesus gave out clearly and without apology. It presupposes that you know Jesus is Lord and that He died and rose again. Because this is true, obeying Him fully is the only response.

The essence of self-denial is to acknowledge that God’s ways are higher than ours. To deny ourselves means that we are no longer leaning to our feelings, appetites, and fleshly proclivities. For instance, if someone offends you deeply, the normal reaction is to hold a grudge and seek revenge. The problem with this response is that Jesus commands us to forgive others and love them instead. If you deny yourself in this case, you are denying your “right” to remain angry and bitter, partly because it was never a right to begin with. Instead, you now choose God’s way and forgive the person from your heart. It doesn’t always make sense to our feelings, but it yields peace and reconciliation.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the LORD.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9)

This applies to any kind of temptation where what we feel like doing is in conflict with the expressed will of God. Take for instance the area of sexual purity. The Bible is clear that God’s will is for us to be pure and holy, to abstain from sexual activity until marriage. Though this may be ignored by many today, it doesn’t change the truth or alter our need to deny ourselves and obey Christ.

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 4:3–8)

2. Pick Up Your Cross

—Mark 8:34–35

For most in the West, the cost of following Christ is simply surrendering the things they know are wrong or sinful. This is a progressive process that begins with giving up the things that are glaringly wrong and gradually relinquishing the secret areas in the deepest part of our inner thoughts, attitudes, and motives. When Christ calls us to follow Him, He tells us to pick up our own cross. That can seem a little strange to our ears, especially when crucifixion is no longer a part of our cultural experience. Carrying our cross means that we stay in a place of submission and obedience to God’s will, not our own. We don’t outgrow this place of humility and surrender to God. The apostle Paul is the prime example of someone who was dramatically transformed by this amazing grace of Jesus Christ. He explicitly testifies of how his life came to end in a spiritual sense for his new life to begin: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

At the cross of Christ, our sins were paid for in full. Our response is to live our lives in the shadow of that example of surrender and submission that Christ modeled. He would sweat drops of blood as He faced the ultimate temptation to abandon God’s plan because of the pain and suffering that lay ahead. Instead He prayed, “Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36).

3. Following Him

In World War II, Germany was led by a maniacal leader who expanded its borders through aggression and terror. Much of the German church capitulated under the enormous weight of intimidation and force that would control millions and murder millions more. Despite the fact that many cowered under the specter of the Nazis’ tactics, there was a remnant of believers in Germany who refused to compromise, regardless of the cost to them personally. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one such leader who resisted the evil regime and eventually paid for this stand with his own life. In his classic book The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer said the call of Christ demands that we surrender all to obtain the life of Christ. He eschewed the folly and emptiness of cheap grace and boldly proclaimed what many today would call an oxymoron: costly grace.

It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and it is grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20), and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our lives but delivered him up for us.⁵

Jesus simply said, “Follow Me.” These words still reverberate today. To follow Him is to follow His word and His ways. We follow Him into the greatest adventure imaginable of reaching the world with the gospel.

THE CONFLICT FACING THE BELIEVER

There is not only a cost of following Christ but also a conflict into which we are called. There is a spiritual battle raging over the hearts and minds of nations: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). To fail to mention this is to not be faithful or truthful in our gospel message. What is the source of this conflict? Here are four of the most obvious reasons:

1. Darkness Hates the Light

We are told that there is no fellowship between light and darkness and that people hate the light because their deeds are evil and the light exposes them. The apostle John wrote not only a gospel but also several smaller letters. He said,

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him, and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:5–7)

If you’re in the dark and someone turns on an intense light, it can be extremely painful. Christ is the light that enlightens every person (John 1:9). As He fills our hearts, the darkness must leave.

2. The Exclusive Claims of Christ

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

—John 14:6

Christ is the exclusive representative of God. His resurrection from the dead separated Him from all others that would claim to be God’s mouthpiece. This seems narrow-minded and intolerant to many. There is ultimately no blending of all religions into one giant soup of spirituality.

This doesn’t mean there aren’t good things in other religions. All truth is from God and can be expressed by anyone, including atheists. The difference is that Christ is the highest authority in the universe. His name is exalted above every other name. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

3. The Struggle Is Against Immorality, Not Just Unbelief

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

—1 Peter 2:11

Many skeptics try and hide behind the façade that their objections are purely intellectual when, in actuality, it is a deeper moral struggle that’s at work. The bottom line is that they refuse to recognize any authority above their own when it comes to their moral and, specifically, their sexual practices and preferences. The Bible is filled with warnings against immoral behavior and the consequences that follow. There is an internal battle inside of us all. The Scriptures tell us that this battle is between the sinful human nature (our fleshly desires) and the Spirit and His desires. But we are destined to win this battle because of the power of the Spirit within us as believers:

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. (Romans 8:5–9)

4. The Existence of a Spiritual Enemy of God and His Purposes

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

—2 Corinthians 4:4

From the very beginning of humanity, there has been an ancient foe that has tempted, deceived, and destroyed those who fall under his power. This indeed is Satan. Far from the impish character in a red suit and pitchfork, he is called in other places an angel of light. In other words, he comes to seduce and lure us into captivity and often dresses himself to do so.

Jesus’ ministry began with casting out demons and healing those who were in bondage to this malevolent power. It is vital to know that Satan is not omnipresent but is likewise a finite created being. Jesus has given us authority over his works and has triumphed over him in life and in His death on the cross. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and . . . he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

A CHILLING PREDICTION

When people cite hypocrisy among believers as their reason for rejecting the truth of Christianity, they fail to realize that Jesus actually foretold that there would be imposters and hypocrites who would claim His name.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15–20)

While there is no way to guarantee that people will always follow God faithfully, steps can be taken to minimize the risk of their failing and falling away. This brings us to the place where all of this knowledge about the reality of the existence of God and His Son Jesus Christ calls us into what has been referred to as the Great Commission. This is the last command Christ gave to His disciples to spread His gospel to the entire planet.

THE COMMAND TO MAKE DISCIPLES

“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.”

—Matthew 28:19

Steve Murrell was one of my college roommates and moved to Manila in 1984 to establish a church that emphasized reaching university students. Today that congregation has grown to more than eighty thousand members, meeting in fifteen locations throughout the city. Steve and his team have authored and modeled the four Es (engage, establish, equip, and empower). Steve explains:

We have identified four principles that serve as the foundation of what we believe and practice about discipleship. These principles are not unique to our context, but, like all principles, they are true for all time and in all places. Some people use different words and phrases, but the principles are the same. All four are essential. If one is removed, the discipleship process breaks down. We call these four principles the Four Es—engage, establish, equip, and empower.⁶

Engage Unbelievers

This means we learn to effectively and faithfully approach people with the gospel and the powerful truths of the Christian faith. This is such an important area of ministry that we devote the last chapter (10) to the subject. What we discuss briefly here is the priority Jesus placed on reaching out to people who were yet to believe. The Scripture refers to them as unbelievers, doubters, and the lost. Modern sensitivities have caused many to adopt softer language that is less offensive in describing those who are yet to believe: pre-Christian, unreached, seekers, and so forth. Regardless of the words you use, the reality remains that there are people who do not know the Lord and will suffer judgment of eternal separation from God as a result. The mandate to “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations” is still in effect.

The most important work we can be involved in is the labor of serving others and helping to bring them the truth of the knowledge of God, Christ, and salvation. As Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Regardless of how successful or prosperous people may appear, there is spiritual poverty blanketing billions in the world. In spite of living in the most innovative and technologically spectacular time in history, we seem to be unable to acknowledge our deep need for God and His ways.

The Engaging Church

We mentioned in the beginning of this book that there is a crisis in Christianity, especially in the West. The church is losing people who self-identify as Christians and there is a rising trend of others saying they have no religious affiliation. There is a growing awareness that there is no clear process for teaching people how to communicate their faith to others. As we saw in earlier chapters, the church experienced dynamic growth in the first three hundred years. The clear, simple message of the good news that Jesus was the Messiah and had been raised from the dead to verify that identity compelled believers to tell others regardless of the persecution or resistance they would encounter.

The call to preach the gospel is the command to proclaim God’s truth to every person in every nation. It is a daunting task to consider. Because this directive was given by Jesus, it should be the primary task of every believer, not just pastors, evangelists, or religious professionals. In fact, studies have shown that the majority of people who become Christians do so because of the influence of a relative or a friend. Ultimately, they were able to help others because they had been helped themselves by their connection to a local church. The church is the place where the training and equipping takes place.

Jesus promised to build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail. As much as reports say people are leaving the church—God isn’t. The church is still His primary plan and purpose in the earth. Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18 NKJV).

There are so many wonderful projects and programs that are a part of the typical congregation. In spite of all the great works of service, the centerpiece of the original mission and charge of Jesus to make disciples of all nations is often left out. That’s why we have tried to bring awareness and focus to helping the church regain this cutting edge. Everyone wants to feel they are a part of a great church. Understand and remember what a great church should look like: it must have great evangelism—a process that is intentional, repeatable, and transferable.

In the next chapter we discuss intentional evangelism and the apologetic training process in detail.

Establish Foundations

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.”

—Luke 6:46–48

Anyone who has seen a building going up knows the importance of digging deep to properly lay a strong foundation. When foundations are weak or poorly constructed, the storms of life can easily topple the building. This is seen in the way people assume that praying a prayer and asking Jesus into their hearts is all that is needed. When the apostles preached the gospel, the people asked what they should do in response. They would tell them to repent (turn) and believe. Steve Murrell agrees with this concept: “Strong foundations that withstand the storms are constructed not only with the doctrine of the Word but also with the disciplines of following Christ and His Word. For example, it is not enough to merely teach about the preeminence of Christ; we must also challenge young believers to practice repentance and live a life of daily submission to His Lordship in all areas of life.”⁷

A solid foundation consists of repentance as well as faith. Charles Spurgeon once said that conversion is like a two-sided coin. On one side is repentance and the other faith.⁸ If you truly turn to Christ in faith, you necessarily turn from everything else you are trusting in. In fact, the apostle Paul testified that Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus and instructed him to declare this kind of message, “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:17–18).

Together, Steve Murrell and I coauthored The Purple Book, a study guide that helps ensure these foundations are solid. With more than one million in print, in twenty-six languages, this guide is like a tool that helps you dig down deep and lay the foundations of the faith on the solid rock of Christ. In the preface this charge is given, “We must dig down deep and tear out everything that is hostile to Christ. We must hear his words—particularly those that deal with the very foundations of faith—and obey.”⁹

Equip Believers

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

—Ephesians 4:11–12 ESV

This tells us that the primary purpose of those who are full-time or professional ministers is to equip people for the work of ministry, not to do all the ministry themselves. This is why making disciples involves training and equipping people to minister. This shifts the focus dramatically on the part of those who serve as leaders.

We hear the phrase all the time: “Every member a minister.” Yet because of our performance-driven culture, we often have little tolerance for the messiness of the equipping process. We do church as if only professional ministers should do ministry. The biblical job description for professional ministers—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—is to equip the “non-pros” for ministry, then get out of their way. When we forget that, we forget one of the primary reasons God called us to serve in the first place.¹⁰

We equip people by helping them understand their own gifts, calling, and purpose. Helping someone discover his or her God-given purpose is vital to growth and emotional well-being. If you have a keen sense of your purpose in life, you will usually make it through the struggles and hard times that await us all. It’s no surprise that the book The Purpose Driven Life became one of the bestselling books of all time.

It is also important to help them learn to understand the Word of God. It is God’s Word that helps them overcome sin and temptation as well as guide them in the path of wisdom. The essence of the equipping process is to help people become skilled at using the Scriptures like a sharp sword being used in a conflict. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

One of the many faithful pastors in America is Dale Evrist in Nashville, Tennessee. He leads his congregation through the Bible every year from cover to cover. He has a daily fifteen-minute podcast called Walking Through the Word that helps believers get grounded in the key truths of the Scripture. He told me in an interview, “There is no doubt that much of the confusion in hearts and minds of people who call themselves Christians could be cleared up by simply consistently reading the Bible. It is incredible the amount of deception that comes in when people are left to their own feelings and instincts rather than trusting in the very truth that brought the universe into existence.”¹¹

We also equip them by helping them learn to minister to others. It is physically impossible for the millions of people who need spiritual help and encouragement to get this from just listening to sermons and podcasts and reading books. They eventually will need a real person to sit with them and help them. Much of the time, it’s simply our friendship and willingness to listen that can make a huge difference. Obviously, there are serious issues people face that need the attention of senior leaders and elders, but for the most part there are general areas of encouragement and instruction that all believers should be capable of sharing with others.

Empower Disciples

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

—John 14:12

The last step in this simple process of discipleship is that of empowering people to do what they’ve been called to do. Jesus had twelve disciples who initially followed Him and watched Him perform mighty works and literally change the world wherever He went. Then the time came that He empowered them and commissioned them to go and do greater works than they had seen Him do. As Steve Murrell states,

Jesus was never content for disciples to simply follow Him as spectators but was intent on empowering them to do what He had been doing. He went so far as to say that they would do even greater works after He had gone back to the Father. It was one thing to follow Jesus, but standing in for Him as a minister was something else altogether. What thoughts must have run through the minds of the twelve when Jesus said, “OK, now I am sending you out to do what I have been doing.”¹²

Imagine getting a job working for the wealthiest, wisest man and woman alive. They interview you and tell you that they see great potential in you and they want to help develop it and make you successful. You tell them what you have thought you should do with your life, but they offer you a compelling vision of what best matches your talents and abilities. In fact, they help you see areas in your life that you had no idea you would excel in. On top of this they promise to mentor you personally to see all of the things they’ve described become a reality. Most would consider this an incredible privilege and honor. To not consider this kind of opportunity would seem foolish to most people.

Now imagine this: the Creator of the universe, the all-wise and all-knowing God, wants to build a relationship with you. He obviously has the greatest insight into your strengths and weaknesses and offers to help you maximize your gifts and talents to help change the world. Would you see this as oppressive and controlling or as something far more incredible than being helped by the smartest or wealthiest person alive?

This is the mind-set we need to instill in others. God uses people to help in the process of His pouring His wisdom and love into His creation. I am so grateful for the many people who have made a difference in my life by pouring into me and then releasing me to go and make a difference.

As one of the most empowering leaders I know, Joey Bonafacio from Manila, wrote, “Everyone—man, woman, young, old, rich, poor—should be a disciple who makes disciples. This is the hope of the nations and the way to transform the world one person at a time. To this mission Jesus promised we would be empowered, saying, ‘Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ ”¹³

SUMMARY

Capturing what it means to be a follower of Christ is extremely challenging—especially in one brief overview. While the pictures of those who are facing threats against their lives is one clear image of the challenges you may face, there is also the image of incredible joy and peace. This is what I was drawn to, a people filled with a love for God and one another. There is also the promise of power to help others. Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you” (Acts 1:8 NKJV).

We have examined a simple four-step process that can be a guide in fulfilling the Lord’s command to make disciples of all nations. It is represented by four words that in English start with the letter E: engage, establish, equip, and empower.

We are called to engage unbelievers with the gospel, establish biblical foundations in their lives and help them learn God’s Word, equip them to do the work of the ministry, and empower them to fulfill their God-given purpose.

Steve Murrell, whose three sons played tennis in college, has logged many hours in the stands watching them practice and play endless matches. He recounts the wisdom of one of their son’s coaches, who constantly encouraged his players to never get tired of the same old boring tennis strokes they were making:

Coach Tom would say, “You wanna win? Then you have to master the same ole boring strokes. Up, down, up. That’s how you create topspin, and topspin is your friend. Nothing fancy. Same ole boring strokes!” I think I lead the church the same way Tom coaches tennis. You want to make disciples? It doesn’t require anything fancy. Just the same ole boring strokes: engage, establish, equip, empower. Engage, establish, equip, empower. Engage, establish, equip, empower. And that’s about all we have been doing at Victory since 1984. The same ole boring strokes.¹⁴

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