Living the Life

“Our greatest fear should

not be of failure, but of
succeeding at something
that doesn’t really matter.”
What is the church
meant to
produce?
Matt 28:18-20 As Jesus was about
to return to heaven he issued a
command to his followers,
And Jesus came and said to them,
“All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me.
19 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, 20 teaching them to observe
all that I have commanded you. And
behold, I am with you always, to the
end of the age.”
How do you understand
this command.
What have you done to
obey it?
Disciples of
Jesus Christ
What is your life
worth?
What does it take to
buy your life?
 Success, significance,
money, family, friends,
popularity,
possessions...
 “Our greatest fear should
not be of failure, but of
succeeding at
something that doesn’t
really matter.”
 [Jesus] said to all, "If anyone
would come after me, let him
deny himself and take up his
cross daily and follow me.
24For whoever would save his
life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for
my sake will save it. 25 For
what does it profit a man if he
gains the whole world and
loses or forfeits himself ?
Luke 9:23-25
What is the best way
to see the world won
for Jesus Christ?
What is the best way
to make disciples of
Christ?
Year Disciple
 Crusade
-ship
Assuming Assuming
one disciple evangelistic
makes one crusades
other win 10,000
disciple per people per
year day
Year Disciple
 Crusade
-ship
Assuming Assuming
one disciple evangelistic
makes one crusades
other win 10,000
disciple per people per
year day

Which would you choose?

Year Disciple
 Crusade
-ship
1 1 3,650000
2 2 7,300000
3 4 10,095000
4 8 14,600000
5 16 18,250000
6 32 21,900000
7 64 25,550000
8 128 29,200000
9 256 32,850000
Year Disciple
 Crusade
-ship

19 262,144 69,350000
20 524,288 73,000000
21 1,048,576 76,650000
22 2,097,152 80,300000
23 4,194,304 83,950000
24 8,388,608 87,600000
Year Disciple
 Crusade
-ship
Note the gap - now on year 19
19 262,144 69,350000
20 524,288 73,000000
21 1,048,576 76,650000
22 2,097,152 80,300000
23 4,194,304 83,950000
24 8,388,608 87,600000
Year Disciple
 Crusade
-ship

25 16,777216 91,250000

28 134,217728 102,200000
29 268,435,456 105,850000
30 536,870,912 109,500000
Year Disciple
 Crusade
-ship

25 16,777216 91,250000

Note the gap - now on year 28

28 134,217728 102,200000
29 268,435,456 105,850000
30 536,870,912 109,500000
Year Disciple
 Crusade
-ship
32
2,147,483,648 116,800000

33 4,294,967,296 120,450000

34 124,100000
Year Disciple
 Crusade
-ship
32
2,147,483,648 116,800000

33 4,294,967,296 120,450000

34 8,589,934592 124,100000
Year Disciple
 Crusade
-ship
32
2,147,483,648 116,800000

33 4,294,967,296 120,450000

34 8,589,934592 124,100000
One committed
person makes a
difference
In the New Testament
what is the most
popular name for the
followers of Jesus?
 Christian - 3 times
“The NT is a book about
Saintby- 63
disciples, timesand
disciples,
for disciples of Jesus
Disciple - 269 Christ”
Dallas Willard
times
 A disciple is an
apprentice.
A person who is learning
from a skilled employer
 “Our greatest fear should
not be of failure, but of
succeeding at something
that doesn’t really matter.”
Think about Jesus…
90% of his ministry
was to 12 Jews
Why?
Because it was the BEST
way to reach all of India,
Bhutan, China, Pakistan
and the rest of the world!
 NO! It was the
ONLY way to reach
them
Robert Morrison
Missionary to China, Sept 1807
Hostile officials and foreign merchants
Hostile officials and foreign merchants
Baptized the first
Chinese Protestant
Christian, Cai Gao, on
July 16, 1814
 Baptized the first
Chinese Protestant
Christian, Cai Gao, on
July 16, 1814
 Communists took
over in 1949,
900,000 Protestants
Today > 111,000,000
Christians in China,
90% Protestant,
mostly Pentecostal.
 China is the 3rd
largest ‘Christian’
country on earth
 Estimate in 2050
218,000,000
Christians in China
16% of the population.
10,000 conversions in
China every day.
Investing time and
energy in making
disciples is always
worthwhile
 “Preparation for revival is like
building a dam ahead of the rain.
Even though we really desire a
downpour to quench the drought,
if we don’t build a dam, we shall
not keep that rain.
If God showers down revival and
individual ministries and
churches are not ready to accept it,
then all the blessings of revival
will be wasted.”
David Yonggi Cho
 “Our greatest fear should
not be of failure, but of
succeeding at something
that doesn’t really matter.”
Why make Disciples?
1. The Example of
Jesus
 John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants,
for the servant does not know
what his master is doing; but I
have called you friends, for all
that I have heard from my Father
I have made known to you.
Peter became one of
Jesus’ closest friends
2. Obedience to
Jesus
2. Obedience to
Jesus
Jesus believed in the
disciples and saw
their potential
3. Effectiveness
Discipleship is God’s
chosen strategy to
reach the world
4. Mature Disciples
How would you know a
Christian is mature?
What do they say and do?
Your relationship with God
is what you give to others.
Discipling others is about
example.
“Who wants your
life?”
The End
Maturity looks like…
 1. Fruitfulness in our
service for God
Jn 15:5, Matt. 25:14 – 30
 2. Humility
John 13:12–17
3. Do everything to
the glory of God
Col 3:17, 23
 4. A close
relationship with
Jesus (Galatians 2:20)
5. The fruit of the
Spirit in our lives
(Gal 5:22–23)
 6. A stable, consistent
and holy walk before God
and man (Eph 4:11–16)
7. A solid knowledge of
God’s Word and
discernment as a result
(Hebrews 5:13–6:2)
And we’re done!