We know that Jesus called us to go forth and make disciples. I don't know of anyone who would argue that. Clearly that is His mandate and it must be our mission. But honestly, how are we doing fulfilling the Great Commission our Lord left us. I fear, in the average Baptist church, it has become the Great Omission. We like to talk about our need to make disciples, and we even pray for opportunities to witness and influence others, but we are failing miserably. We must get about the business of being disciples of Christ and making disciples for Him.
Consider the thoughts of Bill Hull on this issue:
“The reason disciple-making often fails is that we don’t expect it to reproduce. The next time you go to church, I can almost predict what will happen. You’ll see people sitting in the same places, talking to the same people, at about the same time before and after the service. The songs, message, testimonies, and so forth will be about the same each week. And all of you know an awful lot about Jesus! You’ve spent much of your lives meeting with other believers. You’ve learned Jesus’ words and his ways of doing ministry, and you’ve dedicated yourselves to imitate his character. Yet there you sit, very much the same this year as last, near the same empty seats in about the same places.” (Excerpt From: Hull, Bill. “The Complete Book of Discipleship.” Navpress, 2006. iBooks. This material may be protected by copyright.)
That is certainly sobering, but true. The question is: what do we plan to do about it? Are we going to continue to "do church" as usual, or are we going to follow the command of Jesus and make disciples?
Preacher Chris
Consider the thoughts of Bill Hull on this issue:
“The reason disciple-making often fails is that we don’t expect it to reproduce. The next time you go to church, I can almost predict what will happen. You’ll see people sitting in the same places, talking to the same people, at about the same time before and after the service. The songs, message, testimonies, and so forth will be about the same each week. And all of you know an awful lot about Jesus! You’ve spent much of your lives meeting with other believers. You’ve learned Jesus’ words and his ways of doing ministry, and you’ve dedicated yourselves to imitate his character. Yet there you sit, very much the same this year as last, near the same empty seats in about the same places.” (Excerpt From: Hull, Bill. “The Complete Book of Discipleship.” Navpress, 2006. iBooks. This material may be protected by copyright.)
That is certainly sobering, but true. The question is: what do we plan to do about it? Are we going to continue to "do church" as usual, or are we going to follow the command of Jesus and make disciples?
Preacher Chris
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