Discipleship

DISCIPLESHIP

Mark 6: 7-13

We just read verses 7-13 but now I want you to notice the end of verse 6.

The end of verse 6 says that “Jesus was going around the villages teaching.”
Now, what was Jesus teaching? Do you know?

What we do is we get so involved in reading about the miracles that Jesus performed that we some times think that that was the primary purpose of His ministry.

But that was not the primary purpose of His ministry.

Yes, the miracles were important and they are intended to make the people realize who He is…and they are intended to confirm the things He taught.
But if they are intended to confirm what He taught…doesn’t that indicate that what He taught is more important than the miracles?
It was the things He said…the things He taught…the things He preached that were of primary importance.

If you go back to Mark 1: 14-15 what you find is Jesus “came preaching the gospel(Good News) of God” and in vs. 15 He was telling the people that “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Back in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7, God spoke to these people of a kingdom which He would establish…a kingdom which would never be destroyed and which would never pass away …and eternal kingdom…one which His Son would have dominion over…
And Jesus came telling the people that what God spoke of was now coming to pass.
And the “good news” was that they could be a part of it…if they would only repent…if they would only “turn back to God” and believe in the gospel.
That is what was important.
The miracles could make them well…but unless they heard the message…unless they repented… they had no part in the kingdom…there was no salvation for them.
And over and over again Jesus told these people that “the kingdom of God” was worth giving all you had to obtain it. (Matthew 13: 44-45)As wonderful as it is to be well and healthy physically…it is far, far better to be healthy and well spiritually.
In fact, it would be better for you to be lame, or blind or crippled in this life and go to heaven…than it would be for you to be completely well and healthy physically…and be lost forever.

So, it was the message that the people needed to hear…it was the message that was of supreme importance…it was the call to repentance and salvation that was important …and not the miracles.

Now, to get the all important message out, here in vs. 7-13 Jesus sends His disciples on a mission to make more disciples.

And we need to understand this today because as disciples’ of Christ, their mission is our mission too

Now to begin, I want to look at what our mission is. So, look with me at Matt 28 starting in verse 18.

Now as you look at this, keep in mind that this is Christ’s commission to His disciples.
That includes us. These are His instructions to us.
Look what he says. Most of you are very familiar with this. He says:

“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

As His disciples this is what Christ wants us to do.

He “has all authority”…and because He does…by His authority this is what He commands.
This is what He wants us to do until He comes back.
These are our “marching orders”…this is our mission.

Notice first of all that Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples…”

He doesn’t say, “Just go and baptize people…”
Jesus wants disciples! He wants followers! He wants people who are committed to follow Him and His teachings…for the rest of their lives.
- Far too often we have told people that unless they are baptized they are going to be lost…and that is true. (Mark 16: 15-16)
- But the problem is that is all we do…we just baptize them and they have no commitment to Christ…and no desire to learn more about His word.
- And after we baptize them we seldom if ever see them again.
- But they walk away thinking that they are saved because “they have been baptized.”

That is not what Christ wants.

Christianity comes with a lifestyle.
The instructions for that lifestyle are laid out in this book.
And unless an individual obeys the teachings of Christ and remains faithful “even unto death”…there will be no “crown of righteousness awarded to him.
We must teach them to be disciples.

In fact, look at what Jesus says again. He says: “Go and make disciples of all nations.”

How do we do that?
By “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
And “teaching them to observe all that He has commanded.”
We must teach people that there is more to being a disciple than just being baptized.
Disciples are those who have been taught that they are “to observe ALL that He has commanded.”
If they do not strive to observe those things He commands…then they are not His disciples.

Now, look at the verse again. Jesus says: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…

Let me ask you this: If you were a disciple in the day that Jesus spoke these words…would you understand from what He says here that He wants you to “Go.”?

Would you also understand that He wants you to “baptize” in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
Would you also understand that He wants you to teach those you baptize that they are to “observe all that He has commanded”?
- Would you say that you can leave any of these three things mentioned here out…and do what Christ has commanded to do here?

A lot of religious people take this passage and they agree and say, “Yes, we need to “Go and make disciples.”

And they agree that we must “teach the things that Christ has commanded.”
But for some reason they want to reject and deny that part of the disciple making process includes “being baptized.”
They immediately do not want to “observe all that He has commanded.”

In order to become a “disciple” of Christ, Christ says that you have to be baptized….

He says, “Go and make disciples…baptizing them…”
That is when “discipleship” begins.
Baptism is indispensable when it comes to being a disciple of Christ.

Now notice something else here.

When Jesus says you are “baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit“, that word “IN” is the Greek word “Eis” and it has behind it the meaning of “possession”….it means you are “baptized into the possession of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
- A car is signed “into” your name.

In fact, look at what the apostle Paul says in Titus 2: 14. Speaking of Christ, Paul says that “Christ Jesus gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

When you are baptized you become a possession of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
You become theirs.
And if you refuse to be “baptized into the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” then you are not theirs…and you are not a disciple
If you want to be a disciple of Jesus, if you want to be His follower, the first thing you must do is be baptized.

Now, a very popular teaching among several religious groups is that “you are saved…or you become a Christian…or you become a possession of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit by simply asking Jesus to come into your heart…and wording a sinners prayer…and then later you can be baptized as an outward manifestation of what has already happened.

That idea contradicts what Jesus says here.
Here He says that when you are baptized, at that point, you become the possession of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Now, if you are a disciple this is your mission.

If you are a Christian, this is your mission.
A disciple isn’t some kind of super Christian.
Disciples and Christians are the same and our mission for life is to “go, and make disciples” of others.
- Baptism is where discipleship begins.

Now, I want you to notice something else here. Notice there in verse 20 where Jesus says, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

“Disciple-ing” in this day and time was a common practice.

The Rabbi’s in the days of Jesus called men to be their disciples and they would take their disciples and teach them their teachings.

But then one day, after learning from that Rabbi, a disciple would break off from him, call himself a Rabbi and go out and find his own disciples and teach them his own teachings. So, he taught others to follow him instead of the Rabbi that he followed.

But it is not that way when it comes to us as disciples’ of Christ.

We never make disciples for ourselves.
Our purpose is to always make others disciples’ of Christ.
WE are to teach them to “observe all that He has commanded.“
Not what “any of us as a disciple has commanded.”
When it comes to discipleship and Christ…only Christ has disciples.
And our purpose is not to make disciples of ourselves.

Some people forget that today and they have quit making disciples to follow Jesus.

Instead they make disciples to follow themselves.

Jesus said in Matthew 23: 8, “You are not to be called Rabbi’s for you have only One Teacher and you are all brothers.”

And He says in verse 10, “Nor are you to be called teacher because you have One teacher, the Christ.”
You see, it is wrong for the Christian to talk about “his” disciples.
When it comes to Christ, Christ alone is worthy of disciples and as His disciples our task is to make others disciples of Him….and not ourselves.

As disciples’ of Christ…as Christians we have been commissioned by our Lord to “make disciples of Christ just as we are disciples.”

That is our life’s mission.
It is something we should continuously have in our minds…and in our hearts….always looking for opportunities to bring others to Christ.

Here in Matt. 28:18-20 Jesus tells us what to do.

But there is more that we need to learn and know about “making disciples.”
And we will cover that next week as we go back to Mark 6: 7-13.

But this morning the question is: ARE YOU A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST?

Or, were you just baptized?
One will grant you salvation…the other won’t.

If you are not a disciple of Christ and your desire is to be one…understand that a disciple is one who strives to “observe all that He has commanded.”

It requires a life long commitment…
And if that is your desire…to be His disciple…then it all begins at baptism.

If you claim to be a disciple of Christ…and you have been picking and choosing to obey only those things that please you…you need to repent.

Disciples are to “observe all that HE commands.”

If you are a disciple of Christ and you haven’t been active in trying to “make other disciples”…it is time to obey your orders.

And remember, we are to “make disciples”…not enemies.
Far too often we just simply want to “put others in their place…and attack them.”

That is not what we are commanded to do.

We are commanded to “make disciples.”

It should always be on our minds…we should always be looking for opportunities.
The whole reason Jesus commands us to “Go” is because people need to hear the message.
For without it…they will never know what it is they must do to be saved.
And you and I both know that those who have a different message are very active in spreading it.
For “salvation’s sake” we each one must do what we can to “bring others to Christ.”