2 Thess 3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. 5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.
Jesus’ last command to His church, found in Matthew 28:19-20, is to: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of The Father and of The Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
If we break down what Jesus has commanded, (to ALL Christians, by the way – not just those who are gifted evangelists,) we see Jesus is telling us to “make” disciples.
How can you make disciples? I mean, it is easier to think about how to teach disciples or to lead disciples than it is to think about making them.
Hmmm…Where can we go with this? Well, thankfully Paul shows us the way through the ministry of the letters he has written to the church, and some primary instruction is found here in 2 Thess 3.
In essence, making disciples will always come under the heading of being totally dependent on the power of God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability whatsoever to create new life in an unbeliever, but God does. Paul teaches us when it comes to making disciples it is not what we do, but what God does. The Lord is FAITHFUL, and so we can depend upon Him to do what He says He will do in the process of making disciples.
In essence: Let Him do it. Our job, so to speak, is simply to bring them to Jesus…and trust Jesus to do the rest. While this sounds simple - and is – it still places us in a place of total dependence upon God’s faithfulness with our lives – in order to possess the attractiveness to draw others to Him - so they may be made disciples. Will an unbeliever be attracted to Jesus by my life if my life is filled with hypocrisy? Probably not. Will an unbeliever see the power of God’s Word when God’s Word has no place in my life? Probably not. You see, I have to allow God’s faithfulness in my life first, before others can see God’s faithfulness for themselves.
God is faithful. Have YOU noticed? How important this is in making disciples.
- Pastor Bill
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