The Great Commission:
Where it Fits in the Contemporary Church,
and Why it is Needed
“Whatever you do, work
heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, …” Colossians 3:23 (English standard
version). This passage is worth consideration along with Ephesians 6:7 which
follows the same thought, “… rendering service with a good will as to the Lord
and not to man, …” What are these two passages saying? Whatever is done by the
hand of a believer is to be done to the best of their ability. Looking at how congregations
(churches) work in their community is there a sense that the work is done in
quality and quantity? The problem facing the Church is that there are not
enough people doing the work of the church as are filling the seats of the
church. Many want to gain and glean, but not many choose to give. This has
little to do with finances, and a great deal to do with the inadequacy of being
equipped and commissioned. In His last address to the Church in His physical
body Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20). This is the
Great Commission – to go outside the walls and do what Jesus sent the Church to
do – make disciples.
Statistics
concerning Christians in America
Jesus gave the command,
and the Church of the time responded and did as He said. When observing on a
global scale it can be seen that the church of the first century was effective
in its application of what Jesus taught and commanded. Yet can the same be said
of the Church today? A poll from the Pew Research Center listed in their
article America’s changing religious
landscape points out two figures (2015). The first shows how Seventy-eight
percent of Americans in 2007 reported they were of the Christian faith. The
second from 2014 shows that about 70.6 percent of Americans professed a belief
in Jesus. In Just seven years the Church in American decreased by nearly eight
percent.
The numbers presented
make it seem as though there are many disciples of Christ, if the statistics
are true to even the 70.6 percent of the population. However, that is not an
accurate depiction of what it is to be a disciple. Below are some statistics to
help evaluate the numbers and figures more accurately.
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Figure 1. Comparison
of U. S. population, Christians,
religious volunteers, and active Christian
volunteers.
|
Comparing the information from the 2010
census that would show 308,745,538 (United States Census Bureau, 2010) people
in the United States, and the Pew Research Centers figures show that about 217,974,349.82
were Christian. If the data from the Pew Research Center (2015) is applied to
these numbers, 74,111,278.94 are the amount of people who would represent
religious volunteers in this country, of which 57,806,797.57 makes up the
Christian volunteer base – which is just over a quarter of the whole Christian
population as can be seen in fig. 1.
These statistics help to understand how
people view volunteer work, and how those who have religious beliefs, and
specifically that of Christians, are (or are not) active in doing work in their
community. In their research for the Religion
for everyday life the Pew Research Center (2016) proposed that people who
believe in work in the community as a part of their religious belief system
were more likely to volunteer or donate:
For example, among Christians who say that working to help the
poor is essential to what being Christian means to them, about six-in-ten say
they donated time, money or goods to help the poor in the past week. By
comparison, fewer Christians who do not see helping
the poor as central to their religious identity say they worked to help the poor
during the previous week (42%). (p. 1)
As the research above shows people need to believe that
being involved in the community is a central part of their belief system. Being
a disciple is more than having the mental assent that God is, that He sent His
Son as a ransom for many, and that through acknowledging this one can be
redeemed from the curse of sin.
A disciple and a convert have similarities, but are very
different in living and walking those choices out. A convert believes in Jesus,
and confesses this belief. A convert also realizes that they are indeed dead in
sin, and only through Christ can they live. The convert knows that Jesus is the
way to salvation, and they need Him to be their savior. These all apply to the
disciple as well.
Being
a disciple vs. a convert
To rightly compare and contrast a convert and a disciple here
is a well known, understood, and necessary part of contemporary life in the
united states to measure these up against. Doctors are necessary in modern
society. They not only help the patients they have immediately in front of
them, but they also help form new treatments for things that cause discomfort
or even death. These medical professionals spend much time learning and
practicing these treatments before using them on people, and they continue to
learn throughout their career. The focus of the doctor is outward toward the
patient. This is the life of the disciple. The disciple in not inwardly
focused, but outwardly. The disciple seeks the good of those around them, and
is active not only in health for the present, but long term as well. Disciples
devote themselves to the teaching from God in order to apply those teachings to
themselves first, and then to the community around them.
Now looking at the other side of the medical analogy, it
can be seen that patients are much like converts. The patient comes to the
doctor when they are not well, or if they are a good patient, they come in for
regular check-ups. The patient may be proactive in their health life which
means they follow the direction of the medical professional. They may at times
give that same advice to others to help them along, but for the most part what
the doctor says stays with the patient. The convert, like the patient, seeks
out those who are mature in the faith – the disciples – and gleans from them
what they need for a life of holiness. While the convert believes in the power
of Jesus, and has faith, that belief is not put into action for the good of the
body of Christ, but for personal spiritual health.
How discipleship works
Disciples, like doctors, are necessary in the Church
today. While for the most part people can live long healthy lives without
seeing the doctor much, the services the doctor provides are critical.
Disciples are vital to the health of the church. While the Church can “get
along” without being in discipleship, or being mentored, the usefulness of this
practice is evident. In Volunteer
behavior of minority youth (2006) from
the library of Georgetown Schultz comments:
This form of engagement in community
affairs has far-reaching importance, as previous research suggests that young
people who are involved in volunteer activities are more likely to become politically
aware, empowered, philanthropic, and participatory citizens (Flanagan, 2001;
Galston, 2001; and Verba, Schlozman and Brady, 1995). (p. 2).
While
this is one case, and that involving minority youth, the impact is undeniable –
people who get involved are more well rounded, and are more productive citizens.
Problems with the model of discipleship
Discipleship is not a task for the
faint of heart, but neither is Christianity. The call of Jesus is full of hard choices
and hard circumstances like with the first group Jesus sent out in Luke 10.
Many people look at this as the model for discipleship, and cite how stringent
and harsh the requirements are, and for good reason. Taking no money or means
of support, making no plans or setting anything up in advance, but setting out
with a few things and making it work. Jesus was not giving those 72 people much
to work with. But the context is not what is required by the modern day, or
even first century, disciple. This was specific to those 72 people sent ahead
of Jesus Himself. They did not live the rest of their lives this way. They came
back and reported to Jesus (Luke 10:17).
Why discipleship is needed
A disciple is a follower of Jesus,
and a teacher of the way. Jesus wants people to do as He did, reaching out to
the broken and forgotten, those cast aside by society, the poor, the widow, and
the orphan. These still have significance today. In the social structure of the
time widows and orphans had no place in society. They needed security,
protection, and provision. While modern society has tried to fix the problems
widows and orphans have, a great deal of the issues remain still. D. Peterson
(2013) argues in his article Kingdom rules: upside-down discipleship how Jesus’ social structure is a polar opposite to that
of the time:
Focusing
on Mark 8:22-10:52, the core of Jesus' teaching on discipleship, I contrast the
social and ethical norms of power, authority, control, knowledge, status and
wealth, which were accepted in first century culture, with the ethical
standards that Jesus required of his followers under the rules of the kingdom
of God. These two ethical systems are polar opposites. Jesus taught that
greatness in leadership, as God measures it, directly relates to our actions on
behalf of the marginalized and disenfranchised. These include: the poor, the
sick, the disabled, the unclean, outcasts, outsiders, and especially, or
perhaps specifically, children. (p. 1)
How
does the Church continue, or renew its efforts, to build disciples? It starts
with self. Like the doctor who must learn first, the disciple must learn first.
If the Word is not first applied to the disciple it loses its effectiveness for
the body of Christ through that person. D. Crouzet poses some hard ideas in
regard to being a disciple. The article Giving up
one's pretensions to become a true disciple (Crouzet, 2007)
suggests this:
“In
view of the social role of the family, which sometimes prevents its members
from making their own choices; in view of the selfish nature of human beings,
revealed in their desire to obtain more and more money and power, this text, it
is said, highlights the need for the disciple to make a choice. It is
interpreted as an exhortation to leave personal considerations behind” (p. 519).
How does this fit in with the rest of
Scripture? Are disciples of Jesus to leave family and friends and continue
through their life without considering themselves?
Counter argument to discipleship
Is discipleship necessary in the
contemporary church? Jesus called disciples to Himself, twelve of which He had
with Him continually. When the Holy Spirit came did that end the need for
discipleship? John 16:13 says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide
you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but
whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are
to come” L. Vaage (2009) in the article An other home: discipleship in Mark as domestic asceticism
argues that the form of discipleship in the Gospel is strenuous, anti-family,
and that the twelve ultimately failed as Jesus’ disciples.
However, during the time of Jesus
the disciples were not empowered by the Holy Spirit. He is the one who enables
the believer to do as Jesus commanded. But the Holy Spirit does not do all the
work, as some believe John 16:13 implies. Believers must do as the early Church
did in Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and
the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” This was after the
Holy Spirit came. So if Jesus intended for discipleship to continue then why is
it not prominent in the Church today?
What can be done, and what should be
done?
The statistics on page three show not
many people are in discipleship in the church. People who are working in the
church or community make up only about a quarter of the population of the
Church in America. What is a disciple? A disciple is one who follows Jesus,
both in knowledge, and action. When someone is participating in a discipleship
program they have a leader to emulate, a trustworthy person they can turn to
with their struggles, and a believer who has experience in life and in ministry
– this can be defined as a mentor. Being in discipleship requires transparency
and vulnerability which can make the one in discipleship uncomfortable. Yet
they are necessary if the process is going to be fruitful.
The Church is commissioned to make
disciples. The leadership must take the lead as a disciple to make disciples.
The laity has the responsibility to submit themselves to trustworthy leadership
in a mentorship/discipleship program. Some congregations do this through having
a school of ministry, while others have internship programs for certain positions
in the congregation. If there is no mentor/disciple program it is the
responsibility of those who are called and able to build one up and implement
it under the supervision of responsible God-fearing leadership.
Conclusion
In summary, Jesus gave the command
to go and make disciples, not only converts (Matthew 28:19). This was the last
command Jesus gave – it holds great weight and value. In order to accomplish
the work Jesus sent believers out to do in the community they must be in discipleship.
Being that Jesus is not in His earthly form, and that He specifically told His
disciples to do the work, Christians today must follow the Godly example that
is given in those He has called. Twenty-five percent of the church on average
should be active. These are the individuals which should be sought out for this
kind of mentorship. The roles for these disciple makers can be those such as
pastors, teachers, prophets, and evangelists. These mentors are not found only
speaking from the pulpit, but are servants in the community as well. God has
given His Spirit, He has Given His Word, and He has given leaders and overseers
all to accomplish the work of His Kingdom. Twenty-five percent of
217,974,349.82 people may seem like an overwhelming number, but twenty-five
percent is not acceptable when Jesus has called each of His followers to do
everything as unto God. The Church must respond, and that in the form of
becoming, and making, disciples.
References
Crouzet, D. (2007). Giving
up one's pretensions to become a true disciple. The
Ecumenical Review, 59(4), 519-522.
Nelson, P. K.
(2011). Discipleship dissonance: toward a theology of imperfection amidst the
pursuit of holiness. Journal Of Spiritual Formation
& Soul Care, 4(1), 63-92.
Petersen, D.
(2013). Kingdom rules: upside-down discipleship. Asian Journal Of Pentecostal Studies, 16(1), 31-50.
Pew
Research Center (2016). Religion in
Everyday Life: Highly religious Americans are happier and more involved with
family but are no more likely to exercise, recycle or make socially conscious
consumer choices. Retrieved April 22, 2016 from http://www.pewforum.org/2016/04/12/religion-in-everyday-life/.
Vaage, L. E. (2009). An other home: discipleship in Mark
as domestic asceticism. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 71(4), 741-761.
