Video Transcript: The Command to Make Disciples
Francis - So as you're getting into the Word of God, with your disciple, it's so important now that you understand from the beginning and teach them from the start, look, what is the word of God, like when God gives us command, let's not make it obscure, you know, it's good to memorize. But it's not just to memorize. When someone gives you a command, you do it, especially when it comes from God. And so here with this command of Jesus rising from the dead, go and make disciples, it may feel awkward, because I know, I know, usually in our you know, way of doing things, the American Christian way is, you know, just feed them, feed them, feed them, and don't expect a whole lot. But Jesus didn't start that way. He said follow me, I'll make you fishers of men. So while it may feel awkward to tell this, you know, follower of yours, disciple of yours, that it's time for you to pass this on. I think we have to start with that.
David - Absolutely. And that is key from the very beginning of this picture to look at. There's a big difference between knowledge based discipleship and obedience based discipleship. So this is not just passing on information, it's these 24 weeks or even if you'd take longer, just involve passing on information, then receive somebody else or a small group of guys receiving this, then that misses the whole point. We're teaching people to obey everything Christ has commanded us, like I remember spending time teaching disciple making with a small group of believers in Sudan. So sitting in a mud hut, teaching the word talking about making disciples, and the whole time I'm talking, they hardly ever even looked at me. It's because they were writing down like everything I was saying, and they were thinking through, they would tell it to me afterwards, say, David, we know we have a responsibility to take everything you've taught us translate it into our tribes languages and teach it in our tribes. And that just changed the whole dynamic of what was happening in that small group. They were not just listening to receive, they were listening to reproduce. And so to really think help those you're walking through this with to think through, okay, how can we make sure that we're putting these things into practice in our lives? And then how can we make sure that we're learning how to pass this on to others? Because if it's stopping with us, we're missing the whole point. This word is intended to spread through us not not stop with us.
Francis - Yeah. And they're gonna feel a little bit intimidated thinking iI'm supposed to teach someone else. And to let them know that we that you're scared, I'm not doing this perfectly. I don't know how to do this. I have to pray and ask God. See, a lot of times what we do is, when someone gets scared of something, we make it easier for them, or we can wait well don't pass it on yet that instead of what I see in Scripture, where the believers would pray over each other and go, Man, I know you're scared. But this is what the Holy Spirit has given us for it given to us for let's let's pray for you. I just want to pray over you.
You know, maybe they have, you know, in the questions we see, you know, list some people that you need to pass this on to, maybe right there in your session, pray for those people. Because now, together, you get to experience what God does as he answers prayer.
David – That's good. And the great thing is the way this works. Like, as if God knows what He's doing in this fixture, like, when we start to teach others that's where we really learn what God is teaching us. Like, sometimes people say, well, I need to learn some more before I'm prepared to teach. Well, the reality is the process of teaching makes you learn. The process of passing this on, makes you learn deeper what these truths are, there's no question when I'm preparing, even like a sermon, like I know that material better anybody else, because I'm the teacher, because I've got responsibility for this. And so for people to begin to take these truths passing to others, that's going to ingrain that truth, even deeper in their lives than if they were just receiving it for themselves.
Francis – Do you ever have these times, maybe you don't, but sometimes I'm actually teaching it and I'm learning it at the same time. Like I'm, I'm like, I never noticed that before. I should have caught that before. Exactly. But as I'm teaching it, it's like I'm learning in the process. So yeah, again, just don't don't don't feel all this pressure. I mean, that's not the whole point. His His burden is light, his yoke is easy. His burden is light, because he's with you as you're making this disciple. And as you encourage them to make disciples. They're going to get to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in the presence of Christ right there with them.
David - Absolutely.