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Thursday, April 21, 2005

4. We understand that decisions for Christ must express a commitment to be a disciple of Christ.
The Great Commission given at the end of Matthew's Gospel by Jesus to his disciples, just prior to his ascension into heaven, is often referred to as "the evangelistic mandate." It is stated as a parallel command to "the Great Commandment" (which occurs earlier in Matthew's Gospel) to love the Lord our God and our neighbors as ourselves. I have two problems with this approach. In the first place, the Great Commission cannot adequately be described as the evangelistic mandate, as its clear goal is not the presenting of the good news of Jesus Christ in order to bring people to a decision for Jesus Christ, but to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Second, to distinguish between the two mandates creates a separation that weakens the integrity of the disciple-making process. The Great Commission must not be separated from the preceding chapters of Matthew's Gospel.
The entire Gospel of Matthew shows what a disciple is meant to be. The contemporary church has to face the urgent challenge of its failure to turn decisions for Christ into disciples of Christ. Until it addresses the problem of the un-discipled church member it will not be positioned for effective evangelization for one simple reason: it takes a community of disciples to make new disciples and to invite them into the fellowship. Disciple is not a synonym for "super-Christian" but is the word to describe ordinary believers.

"The contemporary church has to face the urgent challenge of its failure to turn decisions for Christ into disciples of Christ."

Labels: mission, reinventing evangelism