As we saw in the first post, we have been sent on mission. Now, I did neglect to go back and back to THE Mission, which is to glorify God – to radiate and reflect His glory. That is the Big Picture. This has also been born into an organism – not an organization – called the Church – but making followers of the LORD predates the Church, only now the disciple-making has taken a very personal fulfillment in God, the Son. We are to Glorify God and do what He has said to do, which is also glorifying God.

Having said that, we might ask “Why should we be a disciple of Christ?” Is this just a modern movement? Is it biblical?

Well, to get right (back) to the point, we do it because we were told to, both in Matthew 28:18-20 and in the echo of Jesus’ call to His disciples, when He said, “Follow Me.” That call still echoes today and will continue to echo until He returns. We are Christ’s disciples because the God of the universe has told us to be.

Also, implied in the “Why?” question, is “What’s in it for me?”

Paul answers this by way of the Spirit in Philippians 3:8-14. In this passage he not only counts his pre-Christ accolades as loss for Christ, but “all things” compared to knowing Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. In this, Paul says that he stilled pressed on toward the prize, which in turn is from God in Christ Jesus AND IS God, in Christ Jesus.

What we get, is the LORD.

And this is vastly important, because He is life and specifically, “our life.” (Colossins 3:4) He is our purpose, and we press on for Him, and the love that He bestows upon us to bring us to Him, he calls us to pour over on others. (Mark 12:28-34) We obey Him in love (John 14:15) and this becomes the heart of making disciples – namely of whom – Christ.

We are not to be making disciples of ourselves, or Baptist tradition and theology, not even disciples of Christianity – but rather disciples of Christ for the glory of God in the reconciliation of His people to Himself. Tozer reminded us in his book “The Knowledge of the Holy” that there is no more important question for anyone to answer than what their view of God is. He then states that,

“Were all the problems of heaven and earth combined to confront us at once, they would pale in comparison to the problem of Who God Is and what we as moral beings are to do about Him.” (paraphrased)

He finally states that based on these truths, our current view of God is best described as moral calamity.

So, I say, go back to the heart of the issue, which is God Himself.

Is He not  Life?  (Jn. 14:6)

Is He not Love (1 John 4:8)

The name “Jesus” means salvation

Is He not comfort (2 Corinthians 1)

Is He not eternity (Eccles. 3)

Is He not Truth (Jn. 14:6)

and so on . . . infinitely so . . .

His love has been shed on us in His self-revelation, His Son and the Spirit that convicts, calls and bears witness to the Father and the Son. With so great a love, why would we not follow Him – all the way to the prize, which is Him.

What you get out of being a disciple of Christ, God the Son – is Christ . . . you get Christ, God the Son.

He is not just a means to an end – He is the Means and the End.

I once followed Tim Miller to be a better percussionist.

I once followed Bruce Raymond to learn the industry of Home Inspection.

I once followed Jimmy Wilson to grow in my knowledge and use of the Scriptures and the tool of hermeneutics.

I follow Christ, just to follow Christ. God IS the Gospel.