the church
Insights
on church life
by Pastor Pete Beck III
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does the great commission intimidate you?
The task of making disciples of the entire world can be a little intimidating. Sometimes when we feel that a task is way beyond our ability to accomplish it, we sink into a form of despair that manifests itself in our doing nothing at all. Clearly this is not the reason Jesus set before us such a grand undertaking. After all, God is a master strategist and knows human nature better than anyone. How would Jesus want us to look at this greatest of challenges? I believe we get a clue from a passage from the Old Testament.
The book of Nehemiah is an account of the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem, which was also an intimidating undertaking for a number of reasons. The remains of the former walls were a jumble of debris that demoralized the people and got in the way of any work effort. Israel's enemies were determined to prevent or at least impede any attempt to restore Jerusalem's protective ring. The people themselves were dispirited and lacked the motivation and leadership to get it done. This was the situation into which Nehemiah inserted himself. He had a vision, a plan and the king's permission and resources with which to work. How did he manage to succeed in his task in an amazing short period of time?
I believe one of the keys is found in the following verse.
Above the Horse Gate, the priests repaired the wall. Each one repaired the section immediately across from his own house. 29 Next Zadok son of Immer also rebuilt the wall across from his own house, and beyond him was Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the gatekeeper of the East Gate. 30 Next Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section, while Meshullam son of Berekiah rebuilt the wall across from where he lived. Nehemiah 3:28-30 (NLT)
Each person labored on the section of the wall next to where he lived. The task was still formidable, but became manageable and doable when broken down in this manner. In addition, the workers were more motivated because they knew a job well-done secured and insured their personal and family safety. How can we apply this to the Great Commission?
I think you have already connected the dots. All we have to do is work on making disciples where we live. Yes, some will be called to distant lands, but most of us will not be. In fact, to make this even more simple, can you be responsible for discipling your own family, if you are the Dad, and perhaps one other person outside the family? The Great Commission commands us to go and make disciples, teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded. In other words, our job is to make a commitment to follow and obey Christ and teach others to do likewise, starting at home and radiating outward. Some will have greater opportunities and responsibilities, but most will have a relatively small number of people to disciple.
What will happen if we all do this? The growth of God's kingdom will be exponential. Let's just suppose that each Christian will disciple one other person each year. If we begin with 50 people, after the first year, there will be 100 disciples. After the second year, 200. After the third year, 400. After the fourth year, 800, and on and on. And this will happen if each person disciples one person per year. When we break it down this way, the entire population of Alamance County (145,360 - 2007 figures) could be discipled in under 12 years. Now, we realize that people have to want to be discipled; so, it is not just a numbers game. Nevertheless, I hope you see that when each person is committed to discipleship and works at it, it is amazing what we can accomplish.
This is why we are making such a commitment to discipleship at Liberty Church. This is why you need to get involved with our POD program. I hope you will seriously consider how you too can build your section of the wall and take the steps necessary to get things underway. You can start by giving me a call at (336) 266-1509. I will show you how to get started right away.
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