The topic on August 4, 2013, was “What do disciples do?” (see session 6 in appendix 15). The simple answer is they spread the word of the Lord all around the world. Disciples have ability and strength. They must use these resources to develop their church. Adherents of Jesus use their gifts and skills to serve God and expect their efforts
8Bill Hull, The Disciple-Making Pastor (Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 1988), 56-57.
9Michael J. Wilkins, Following the Master: A Biblical Theology of Discipleship (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 41.
10Paul Hattaway et al., Back to Jerusalem:Three Chinese House Church Leaders Share Their Vision to Complete the Great Commission (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 2003), 113-19.
11Ibid., 63-70.
to produce good results in the harvest field. A phrase of encouragement reminded them,
“You can do it!” The church waits for this kind of disciple who likes to demonstrate the message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt 4:17).
The participants needed to understand that the task of missions, which they have today, comes from God. Jesus chose, trained, and gave his authority to those who became church leaders. God helps them to understand what he meant when he said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt 7:21). The session began by emphasizing that discipleship comes after conversion. Their attempt to perform the acts of discipleship makes a change in their church. The Scripture reminds witnesses that “wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor 5:9-10).
Disciples do more than just believe in Jesus for Scripture says even “the devils also believe” (Jas 2:19). Disciples are to be imitators of Jesus as our perfect model.
Students learned of the many requirements for a disciple.
Disciples must do their duty in their church. They must continue to develop their gifts and skills to influence other people’s lives. They must completely surrender to God. Disciples require training. God puts people’s eternal lives into the hands of disciples. Disciples must not only know, but also follow, the correct training. Second Timothy 2:15 and 3:16 remind the disciples of the necessity of training.
Disciples must love one another. Even in the book of Acts, of the apostles demonstrate this phenomenon. Disciples must pay attention to goals set by the commands of Jesus, such as, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). The opportunity to present the gospel of Christ must come from the heart to reflect love and concern for people.
Disciples must have the capacity to serve. The Lord’s disciples are pioneers in learning to rely on God, knowing the limit of their power and understanding. It is evident that the source of their power to lead others comes from God. Their aim is to become disciple-makers.
Disciples must know how to explain their responsibility and be willing to report to the church what they do. Disciples are looking for better things to do (2 Cor 5:10), such as praying more, helping their families, and serving the Lord. As church leaders, they know how to influence their teams to complete the common tasks and the church’s pastoral needs. Students learned that the purpose of this strategy is to keep things in order to allow new disciples to team with others who already have a natural plan of evangelism. Students also learned that a disciple of Christ humbly receives God’s help in the development of these strategies and their implementation.
Disciples must always show loyalty. They must be loyal to the core group as they are committed to creating far-reaching influence because they are consecrated to Jesus Christ as Lord. Faithful disciples produce faithful members. The faithful disciples of God are devoted to working in harmony in the service of the Lord.
Disciples must maintain their integrity. The apostle Paul spoke of an integrity that is an essential quality of Christian leaders. Integrity is fundamental, not only to let others respect the disciples of the Lord, but also to cause them to believe and follow.
With a strong commitment, disciples must inform others that the time of Jesus’ return is near. Each disciple must preach the gospel in a natural way to help the church grow.
Participants in the class learned a valuable lesson from the early church: many disciples came out of their church ready to testify about Christ in the community.
Disciples must take time for prayer. The Lord’s disciples need to pray from the heart for willing obedience under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They must pray to be wise and to employ the use of the power and benefits received from their Heavenly Father.
At the end of this session, group leaders conducted discussions, under my directions, using three questions: (1) What did you learn about disciples in the early church? (2) Why is integrity fundamental for disciples and nonbelievers? and (3) What does praying from the heart mean?
After the discussion, the summary included answering the following question:
“What does a disciple do?” The participants confronted what they needed to do for church growth. The best answers indicated that most Christ followers depend on the loyalty and durability of the example of faithful disciples. That loyalty, however, can vary in basis, strength, scope, legitimacy, and attitude, even while serving the Lord. Jesus called disciples to follow him. He still calls them today. Believers who grow in Christ must have a clear vision and unmistakable identity with him. Disciples are in a union with Jesus, taking on the nature, pattern, and lifestyle of their living Lord.
Session 7: What Was the