T4T
“Training Disciples to Multiply Disciples”
The Great Commission
Matthew 28:18-20, “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NLT)
Command, not Option: When Jesus said, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth,” He was telling His disciples that He held the highest authority in the universe. Jesus is King of kings, and Lord of lords. As such He has commanded His church to make disciples. If we ignore or neglect this command, we are committing high treason against the King of the universe.
Go, not Come: Jesus did not tell us to advertise our church on a web site, or a sandwich board, and then wait for lost people to come to us. He told us to go to them. We must be willing to get out of our comfort zone, and go to people who are far from God with the only message that can save them.
Disciples, not Church Attenders: We must not satisfy ourselves with making converts who simply attend church meetings. Jesus commanded much more. He wants true disciples. And what do true disciples do? They obey His command to witness to others and train these new believers to do the same. So every disciple must be a disciplemaker (trainer).
All, not Some: Jesus told us to go to all the nations, not some of them. In Mark 16:15 He tells us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” We typically choose whom we want to share the gospel with, trying to pre-judge who might accept it. But Jesus commanded us to go to everyone. We cannot predict whom God will save.
Obedience, not just more Information: Jesus instructed us to make disciples by teaching them to obey all of His commands. We make a huge mistake when we think that by giving new believers more and more information, we are making disciples. A person does not become a disciple unless he seeks to obey all the commands of his Master.
Name List
Name List: The first step toward obeying Christ is a simple one. Ask them to write out a Name List of everyone they know who might be lost or far from God. Every person has an Oikos (Greek word for household. This household would include extended family and servants. It represents our relational network). Tell them to pray and ask God to bring to their minds who they should include on their list. Once they have their list started, ask them to pray again and ask God who they should talk to first. Encourage them to identify 5 people they will share with first. Be sure to remind them to keep their list with them all week, pray daily for the people on the list, and to bring it with them to the next training session and be prepared to share their progress with others in the group.
Persons Of Peace
Luke 10:5-9, “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay. “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ (NLT)
Matthew 10:11-13, “Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and stay in his home until you leave town. When you enter the home, give it your blessing. If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing.” (NLT)
Jesus in Luke 10 and Matthew 10 gives His disciples instructions for a mission that He sent them on. What were the disciples to do when they entered a village?
1. Search for a worthy person (Mt.10:11), or a Man of Peace (Luke 10:6). The NASB says “inquire” for a worthy person.
2. Enter a home and give it your blessing of God’s peace. If this is not a House of Peace, they will not receive you or your message.
3. If this is a House of Peace, God has prepared them to receive you and the message of the gospel. They will welcome you and listen to your message (Mt.10:14).
4. Stay with the House of Peace, praying for healing, speaking of the Kingdom of God.
It is quite likely that this House of Peace may be the key to seeing the Kingdom advance in that city or village. Your objective is to bring this household to faith in Christ, and then train them to reach their Oikos (relational network).
In Field 1, Entry Strategy, your job is to find Houses of Peace. Once you have found them, you can begin to plant the gospel, lead men and women to Christ, and then train them to reach their Oikos.
We have examples of Houses of Peace in the book of Acts:
• Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:9-48)
• Lydia and her household (Acts 16:13-15)
• The Philippian jailer and his household (Acts 16:25-34)
Remember, we are seeking to reach the entire household, not just isolated individuals.
Prayer Walking
If you have exhausted your Name List, your will need to talk to people you don’t know in order to Go and share the gospel. A good way of doing this is through Prayer Walking. It is best to go out in pairs of two.
1. Select a neighborhood or apartment complex that you would like to prayer walk. As you walk, pray for the people that live there. Pray that God would help you find a Person of Peace (Luke 10:7) who will receive you and your message, be converted, and then seek to reach the people in their oikos (household or relational network).
2. After you have been Prayer Walking for a while, start Prayer Knocking. Knock on a door. When a person answers, tell them that you are out Prayer Walking and would like to know if they have any needs at all in their life that you can pray for. If they can’t think of anything, ask if you can just pray a prayer of blessing on their home. Then pray a short prayer for them in Jesus’ name.
3. When you are done praying say, “Would you say you are near or far from God?” No matter what answer they give you, ask if you can draw a picture for them that will show how a person who is far from God can become near to God. If they say, “Yes”, go ahead and draw the Bridge Illustration and explain the gospel.
4. When you are done, ask them if the picture and explanation makes sense. If they say “Yes”, ask if they would like to become near to God by repenting of their sin and trusting Christ to save them. If they do, you may either encourage them to get alone and pour out their hear to God in prayer, or you may lead them in a prayer of repentance.
5. Then ask if you can come back and share more stories with them. If they say “Yes” get their first name, address, phone number, a date and time that you can return. Leave them a gospel tract with our contact information on it.
Field 2: Gospel
Your Story
Write out your story. It should consist of three parts:
Part 1 = Your life before you began to follow Jesus
Part 2 = How you heard about, and began to follow Jesus
Part 3 = How your life changed after you started following Jesus
Keep your story short enough that you can tell it in 2 minutes or less. Just write one paragraph for each of the three parts. Make sure you make Jesus the hero of your story.
Now pair up in twos, and practice telling it to one another until you feel competent and confident you can tell it to others.
Look for opportunities to share your story as often as you can. It can build a bridge so that you can then share the gospel.
Jesus’ Story
The Bridge
It is important that you are able to share your story, but it is far more important for you to be able to tell Jesus’ story – the Gospel. Only the gospel is the power of God for salvation (Rom. 1:16). There are many different wants you can share the gospel, however it needs to be simple and reproducible so that you can teach it to anyone. We are using The Bridge Illustration as a simple and effective tool to help non-believers understand how they can be reconciled to God.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Take some blank 4”x6” cards, or a note book with blank paper with you.
1. Let me share how someone who is far from God to become near to God. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
2. Draw lines to indicate a great canyon between God and man. Draw a stickman on one side and write “God” on the other. Tell them that this canyon is several miles across and thousands of feel deep. Then ask them, “Is the person over here near or far from God?” They will probably say, “Far from God.” Tell them, “You see, people are separated from God because of sin. It is as if we were on one side, and God was on the other side of a great canyon. What separates us from God is our sin. People have tried many ways to bridge the gap between themselves and God. They have tried good deeds, philosophy, even religion, but all of our efforts to bridge the gap fall short.
3. As you say it, write “wages,” “sin,” and “death” under the man. Ask them what wages are. They will probably say something like, “What you have earned by working.” Then ask them what kind of a paycheck God is going to give people for their sin, and point to the word death. When they say death, ask them what kind of death it is talking about. If they don’t know, tell them it is talking about eternal death. Ask them if they know what eternal death is called in the Bible. Then write the word HELL at the bottom of the canyon. Tell them, “This is the Bad News. All of us are sinners and have earned eternity in Hell. Further, because God is just, that is what He will give us, unless our sin problem can be solved somehow.”
4. On God’s side of the canyon write “gift,” and “God” and “Eternal Life.” But this verse goes on to say that a gift (gift) has been provided by God (God), and this gift is eternal life (eternal life). On one side of the canyon we have wages and sin and death. But on the other side of the canyon we have gift and God and eternal life. Ask them, “Who gives this gift?” (God). “What is this gift?” (Eternal Life). “How is a gift -different from wages?” (don’t work for it; given freely). Then ask them, On which side of the canyon would you like to be?
5. Draw a cross that provides a bridge between both sides of the canyon. Jesus Christ is the Bridge that God has provided to give us the gift of eternal life. Through Jesus and His death on the cross to pay for our sins, we can cross over the canyon, and we will no longer be separated from God. Tell them “this gift of eternal life is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Write JESUS on the cross. Tell them, “The reason Jesus can be the bridge between us and God is because He is God who became a man. He lived a perfect life, and then died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins.” As you are saying this circle SIN and draw a line from the word SIN to the Cross. Then say, “He paid for the just consequences of our sin.” Then circle HELL and draw a line to the Cross. Then say, “Then He rose from the dead three days later, proving that His sacrifice was sufficient payment for your sins.”
6. “But how does a person cross over Jesus as his bridge and come near to God? Jesus tells us in Mark 1:15 where He said, “Repent and believe the gospel.” At this point draw a line from the stick figure over the cross all the way to God in an arc. Write REPENT and BELIEVE on this arc. Ask them if they know what repent means. Help them to understand it is being sorry for sin and turning from sin. Ask if they know what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. Explain that it is to transfer their trust for salvation from themselves to Christ alone. It means they will not place their hope or confidence in heaven and forgiveness in them being a good person, or having a good heart, or someone who helps others, etc. They must realize they have sinned away any right to forgiveness and heaven, and if they ever receive it, it must be based on the perfect righteousness of Christ. “This verse says that God provided the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. In order to cross over to God’s side of the canyon, we must go through Him. He is the Bridge! To cross over a canyon on a bridge, you would have to trust the bridge to hold you. In the same way, in order to cross over to God, you must trust that Jesus Christ is able to give you eternal life.”
7. Romans 6:23 says this gift of eternal life is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Tell them that when they repent and believe in Christ, they must surrender to Him as their Lord, or King, or Boss. They must be willing for Him to tell them how to live and what to do, and they must be willing to follow Him in obedience. Ask if this picture makes sense to them. Ask if they would like to be come near to God by repenting of sin and trusting Christ to save them. If they say, “Yes”, you can suggest that they call upon the Lord to save them. They can either pray in their own words, or you can lead them in prayer.
8. Whether or not they wanted to repent and trust Christ, ask them if you can come back and share more stories with them. If they say “Yes” jot down their name, address, phone number and a day and time you will be returning. Leave a gospel tract with them with our contact information on it.
9. If they prayed to receive Christ, when you come back, start with the 7 Commands of Christ, and teach them the lesson on Baptism. If they did not receive Christ, start with the 7 Stories of Hope. When they come to Christ in faith, switch over to the 7 Commands of Christ, the lesson on Baptism, and baptize them.
Now, all of this may seem complicated, but trust me… once you have watched someone else do it, and then have done it yourself a few times, it will become very simple. You don’t need to memorize steps 1 to 8 above. Just get the gist of the presentation, and adapt it for the person you are witnessing to.
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