"Making Disciples"

So…

Do you understand your calling?

The Apostle Paul and Silas here in this passage were on a journey. We call it a missionary journey. But the reality is, it was much more than that!

What Paul and Silas were doing was being disciples. 

And as disciples they were simply doing what the master – Jesus – said to do. To go into all the world and make more disciples. 

They just happened to go a good bit farther than perhaps you and I.

From Antioch in ancient Syria (modern-day Turkey) they traveled from town to town all the way to Philippi in ancient Macedonia (today’s modern-day Greece).

And everywhere they went they invited folks to come and follow Jesus!

That included Lydia a merchant of purple cloth, the most wildly expensive cloth in the ancient world. She was an amazing woman who became a leader in the church.

All because they understood their calling as disciples.

Do you understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus?

First and foremost, and to the exclusion of all else, it is to make disciples!
Hear that again!

First and foremost, and to the exclusion of all else, our calling in Jesus is to make disciples!

It is fascinating to me how many Christians are so focused on everything else. Church structure. Buildings. Politics. Ethics. Money. Safety. And not at all making disciples.

And note, because of this failure of focus, the church of Jesus Christ here -  and in a good bit of the world - is shrinking. And primarily because we have given up our calling. 

Go into all the world and make disciples!

And it’s not because there aren’t any disciples to go! And it’s not because there aren’t any churches who out to be sending disciples!

It’s because we - the church - have supplanted our premier calling for something that always should have been secondary concerns.

Now, in order to make disciples, you have to be one! You have to have decided to follow Jesus.

You have to have decided to devote your life to learning about him, what he taught, and what he asked his disciples to do - and then do it!

Love your neighbor as yourself!

Love your enemies!

Be a servant of others!

Love God with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength!

But even more than those, you need to go into all the world and make disciples not secondarily, but as the primary calling!

You know, if you were an apprentice to a blacksmith who never once did any blacksmithing, you would have failed spectacularly! It turns out its the same for disciples who don’t make disciples!

I remember attending a huge missionary conference back when I was in college. Actually, I went again when I was in seminary. Sue did as well. 

The Urbana Missionary Conference was sponsored by the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a group on campuses all over the world, a group Sue and I were both leaders in at one point in our college careers.

They had speakers and a whole amphitheater of all kinds of organizations that did mission work all over the world. There were small groups meeting talking about what the bible says about missions. It was amazing, exhausting and great fun!

But you know what the most important thing I got out of that experience, the thing that changed my whole frame of reference? 

It was this: A young man approached one of the mission organizations saying he thought he was called to be a missionary in sub-Saharan Africa. And they thought that was great, but they had one question about his current situation.

They asked, “so how are you being a missionary where God has got you planted right now?” He was shocked and confused. 

He was certain he was supposed to go to Africa, and they were certain that if he wasn’t making disciples in his backyard, he wasn’t ready for the next assignment.

Here is a totally wild question, but I have to ask it. 

If it makes you uncomfortable, I am sorry! Sometimes as preachers and teachers, as disciples, we have to ask each other the obvious questions. 

So, here it is! How many disciples have you made? 

I know there some of you thinking right now, “hey Jeff, isn’t that your job?” Yeah, as a disciple. 

But if that is a disciple’s job, then it is yours too, if you are a follower of Jesus.

Now some of you I suspect are in the process of making disciples already although you may not realize it. 

Every one of you who brought a child to church, taught a child to pray, shared a bible verse or a Sunday School song with them is on the team.

And everyone of you who invited someone to come to worship, took a meal to a neighbor and prayed with them or for them, or who as a disciple made sure that someone was introduced to the Jesus you have come to know – you qualify too. 

In fact, when you make a disciple whom you discover is being treated as less than the wonderful child of God you have come to know they are - you will also be looking for ways to raise them up, just like those disciples did in Jesus’ day, and continue to do now! 

Because that’s what we do! We make disciples! And then we love them just as Jesus does.

So, Noah was here to visit! We love him to pieces! He is a wonderful young man. And we are doing all we can to make him a disciple. He will decide someday whether he wants to be. But we are doing the basic preparation with him.

He has learned the Lord’s Prayer and can recite it pretty well! Some of what he is saying he really has no clue about, but that will come in time.

And he has been part of our food pantry crew! Even has a name tag! 

And all the time while he is here, he visits with others who just need a smile or a hug, and maybe some hope. It’s a tough assignment, but he is so good at it!

And Sue and I are doing what we need to do as disciples, inviting others – all kinds of others, including him – to consider following Jesus.

Because it’s what disciples do! 

So, do you understand your calling?

Amen.