Whenever we encounter elemental, or core theological principles, we often feel as though a tsunami-like wave has crashed over us – because we just want to know:

1. What do we do?

2. (and maybe more forefront in our minds) How do we do it?

Now, there is a danger crouching behind these questions, but I will deal with that in 3.2.

So far we have seen that we have been given a Mission and such an imperative has the implied call to obey it. I suppose it isn’t too cliche to say that God doesn’t make suggestions. This should be delightfully obeyed, because it should find an immediate harmonious connection within our own desires, thus given us a very organic internal Motivation – namely, that we are Christians who love Jesus and we want others to love Him too. If you have trouble agreeing with the first two points in this paragraph and series, then you may not know Him, even likely so. If that is the case, go here.

So, to answer the first question, we are to make disciples of Jesus Christ. This must never be eclipsed by men, fellowships, denominations, traditions nor religion.

We DO NOT make disciples of ourselves.

We DO NOT make disciples of (human) leaders.

We DO NOT make disciples of our local fellowships (churches).

We DO NOT make disciples of a denomination.

We DO NOT make disciples of a particular school of thought.

We DO NOT make disciples of Christianity.

Being a faithful member of First Baptist Wherever, under a hard-hitting expository Pastor with a beautiful balance of Dispensational/Calvinist/Reformed/Liturgical doctrine does not provide one locus of disciple-making ingredients.

We make Disciples of Jesus Christ.

To do that, you must first be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Do you follow Him – meaning, do you know Him as He reveals Himself in the Scriptures alone?  Do you then treat Him in the proper manner based on that revelation – this is the stuff of humble (sometimes humiliating) worship and submission, delight, adoration of God, the Holy. The Gospels are replete with false disciples who came to Jesus for the wrong reasons – as a healer, feeder, prophet, teacher, leader, etc. He is God – He is the Lord.

Do you love Him by keeping His commandments – especially the New Commandment? (John 14-16)

In your obedience, do you find the Spirit drawing you deeper in making much of Christ, or are you still living for Him to make much of you?

I have seen countless materials from various Christian publishers that call a person to be a Disciple so they can (and seemingly only can) make other disciples. Christianity is not a multilevel marketing company where the goal is to get as many people/points as you can under you so you can be promoted to Diamond Christian and get your heavenly BMW and a better place in your ziggurat in the sky. No!

We will worship in eternity future and we must start that now. We live and sing and read and evangelize as an act of worship. As Paul says in Colossians – He is our Life, and again in Philippians. This is because He IS life.

So, hunker down in this first point in disciplemaking. To make disciples, you must yourself be a disciple of Jesus Christ. If this is troublesome, it could be because there is a problem.