Barna Research has discovered that many Shepherds teach the body biblical knowledge to become a good person as opposed to being a “Disciple of Christ.” This Barna study claims this is producing millions of uncommitted Christians and causing a “catastrophic decline in the biblical worldview in America.” [1] This research showed that many Christians think a disciple is believing in God when Satan and demons believe in God. Others think a Disciple is one who attends Church but a true Disciple has an obligation to be the Church.
Teaching confessed Christians biblical truth, to love God and love others is teaching the first part of being a Christian. Once we become Christian, we are commissioned and given the power by Christ to be a Disciples of Christ. Jesus described a true Disciple when He said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,” (John 8:31-32). Failing to do this is represented by the servant who hid his lord’s talent in the ground, and his lord called him wicked, (Matthew 25:24-26).
Disciple making is a lifelong process of working for Christ and investing His truth into the darkness of this world. This is not about us, making disciples is all about Christ. Therefore, Christians are to be God’s workmen as clearly explained in two different versions of Ephesians 2:10. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them,” (NKJV). “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” (NIV).
Without Christians knowing their purpose, learning biblical knowledge to take on the role of Jesus, we become detoured away from being His Disciples. Jesus told us His purpose, “For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth.” (John 18:37). Therefore, if we abide in His word, we emulate His purpose to bear witness to the truth. When we are reborn, we receive His power to go into the world witnessing Christ truth to the ends of the earth, (Acts 1:8). Without knowing our purpose we become rudderless in the vast ocean of evil. This boat has no direction other than to be a good boat, when no one is good but One, (Matt 19:17).
This is similar to teaching all the knowledge about speeches, but failing to teach the purpose is to give speeches. A person can have “…all knowledge, and …faith so as to remove mountains, but if we do not have (Godly Action called love), we are nothing.” (One Corinthians 13:2 paraphrased). In James, 2:17 it says, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Therefore, Christians are unknowingly deterred from accomplishing their earthly purpose without learning their goal is to individually promote “the great salvation”, (Hebrews 2:3).
What is our earthly purpose of becoming a good person if this does not include being a disciple-maker for Christ? Will biblical knowledge be crowned in heaven? No, the reward for salvation is eternal life through the grace of God.
The result of being what I call a half-Christian is explained by Jesus when He said; “He who is not with me is against me: and he that gathers not with me scatters, (Luke 11:23). Gatherers are disciple-makers, and if we are not with Him as gatherers, we scatter.
The result of being what I call a whole Christian is explained by Jesus when He said; “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. “…If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:5-8).
Who then does not abide in Christ? Sadly, many Christians with no purpose or goal become uncommitted lukewarm Christians, such as church shoppers, and those consumed with the idea the church was built to satisfy them. Not knowing they have become Dead Sea Christians with all kinds of self-edifying knowledge pouring in but doing little or nothing pouring out to honor our commission to “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, (Matthew 28:19).
The main goal of every Christian teacher has to be to impart biblical knowledge that commissions Christians to be disciple-makers. Disciple-makers learn their efforts by faith in Christ is to live for Christ because He gave His life for us, so He could give His divine power to us, so we could live our lives through Him to be His Ambassadors to the end of the earth! (Galatians 2:20 – 1 John 3:16 – 2 Peter 1:3 – 1 John 4:9 – Ephesians 6:20 – Acts 1:8)
Therefore, when we are honored to have Christ live through us, we receive His power to bare much fruit by representing and working for Him as His disciple-makers.
My God bless you with being a disciple-maker,
David Howard, Foxhole Ministry, Billings, Montana
[1] Christian researcher George Barna