What is the first step of evangelism? Next month our Sunday morning bible class and our weekly men’s study will endeavor to answer that question, along with many others. So, I thought it might be helpful to pave the way as we prepare to begin those classes. The question is, where to begin? As you know, I was given the task of presenting lessons that touch on evangelism and leadership this year. Back in January one of the first lessons I did about evangelism was the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20. Once again, I am drawn back to that text because I find it interesting that when Jesus gave His apostles their “marching orders” concerning this great commission, He started with the following, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19). So, the first objective of evangelism is that of making disciples. This is the idea that I wish to consider today in this article. To do this, I simply want to ask a question, “What does a disciple look like biblically speaking?”
“Then they reviled him and said, ‘You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.’” (John 9:28)
Think about it, blind all your life and now you can see, and it is all because of Jesus. Now he finds himself before the religious leaders who incredulously opposed the One who healed him. He though, turns the tables by simply asking, “Do you also want to become His disciples?” (John 9:27). The above verse was their response, and in that response, we find one aspect of a disciple, it is that of a follower. When we follow someone, it suggests an active involvement in the life of the follower. A direction. A purpose. Consider this quote, “Jesus didn’t produce disciples by giving men something to attend.” When I read that quote, it took me off guard because it revealed something about me. Am I moving forward? Am I moving at all? Is my walk with Christ defined by simply attending church? Bible class? Like any relationship, we can get into ruts where everything remains as it is. We become stagnant and are often unaware of our static condition. This is the very accusation concerning the church in Ephesus where we read, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4). They were going through the motions, even defending the truth, but they had lost sight of Christ. How do we keep this from happening?
“…but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2nd Peter 3:18)
The word grow means to cause to increase, become greater. Salvation was never meant to be a statement of fact and only that. We have been given life so we can live it to the fullest, or as John would say, “more abundantly” (John 10:10). Abundant life, does that describe what you have in Christ or are you stagnant? How do we keep ourselves from getting there, or for that matter, getting out of there? As disciples, we need to keep moving. It is what a disciple is meant to be, a learner and in our case, learning to be like Jesus. By “giving all diligence” (2nd Peter 1:5) we seek to add to our faith those things that can help us and keep us moving forward to become more like Christ. Those things that will help us “be imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1) by walking “in love, as Christ also has loved” every one of us who are in Christ. To walk in love, we must grow in our understanding of His love. Right? This growing idea is what the apostle Paul called transformation (Romans 12:1-2). We intentionally seek to renew our minds through consistent study of God’s word (Matthew 4:4; John 6:63; Acts 17:11) so we can think like our Savior thinks. Act like our Savior acted. Shine the light, be the salt, you get the idea.
That is what we in Christ are to be, learners. People invested in being transformed so that others may see Christ in us (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27). And when it comes to evangelism, it is the first task we have been given. Help others to become what God has taught us to be, disciples. You see, disciple is less of a name and more of a description. It speaks of a people who are actively following Christ and desire nothing more than to be like Him in all areas of life. Yes, this is a process, not an event and a lifelong one for that matter. It is not something that takes place on Sunday. It is a day-to-day commitment to be changed, to seek to be different tomorrow from what I am today. This pursuit is driven by only one thing, His unwavering and unconditional love for us all revealed through His death, burial, and resurrection (2nd Corinthians 5:14). Help us Lord to be the disciples You have called us to be.
Biddeford Church of Christ 