DISCIPLE MAKERS

How to Make Disciples

“Go and make disciples to all nations…”

Jesus, the Christ, Matthew 28:19

THE TASK

Wherever you are right now God strategically places you in the nations to make disciples for Himself. You cannot say, “I am now in California working but my heart for the ministry is in the Philippines. How can I be useful for His kingdom?” Jesus said, “Go” and though at times He will guide your feet in specific places but generally He already sent us to the world. Jesus in prayer for His disciples is not to take them out of the world. The world is ‘your’ field when Jesus spoke, “Look at the fields.”

John 17:16-18. Luke 10:2-3.

THE WORKER

You, A Disciple Maker

Jesus chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. A disciple is not only one who follows Jesus but also one who makes others disciple of Jesus. Through his life became ‘salt of the earth’ and ‘light of the world’ others are affected by him and ultimately be affected by the One whom he follows. His life then must be one who can be trusted so that when he asks others to be Jesus disciples; they will gladly follow Him without hesitation. For they see the life that is change of following Him. What does it take then for others to believe what you are going to say, to become a trustworthy person and to be loyal to your leading?

John 15:16, Matthew 5:13-14

Finding Faithful Men Who are Disciple Makers

The job of making disciples are entrusted to those who can be trusted, that is they have people around who believe in them, trust in them and loyal to them. Paul, who is fathering young Timothy in the Lord wrote to him saying, “the things that you have heard from me…commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

I believe that the job of making disciples is for everyone who faithfully follows Christ. They know how to follow Jesus and so can be able to teach others how to follow Him. Everyone can be a faithful follower of Jesus that is obeying His commands, live and walk in the Spirit and being led by the Spirit.

2 Timothy 2:2, John 14:15, Galatians 5:25, Romans 8:14

Finding Faithful Friends Who You Can Make Disciples

“We know a lot of people,” as my dad would say, “but we only have few friends.” Jesus have called His disciples ‘friends’ because He revealed to them everything He knew what His Father had said. They have become His family on earth. The same holds true to our friends, they have become our second family on earth.

So, to start your journey of making disciples you have to start with those people believe in you, trust you and loyal to you, namely, your friends! Everybody has friends, it’s normal that everybody also has people who are loyal to them. Take a minute now and try to call someone up and see who comes! These are the kind of people then who you can easily make disciples of Jesus.

How to make disciples is easy. Jesus commanded you to go and make one so there are gonna be people out there who you can make disciples.  And the closest place to find them is through your family circle and friends who are close to you. Remember, they have already your belief, your trust and loyalty. These qualities make them easier to follow Jesus through you.

Jesus, A Disciple Maker

Ilocos Sur Trip

“Tell me how, how to make disciples,” All day these words became our topic during our table conversations.

I could not say more about my trip to Vigan, Ilocos Sur, it was one of my favorite. Not only everyone is excited about my coming but also challenging that dropping at Clark airbase from Cebu I didn’t know anyone nor have been to the place before. It was 10 in the evening; it could take $10 to fetch a taxi just to get to the city. Well, from this time on I find a better way to minimize cost, I approach a white man with a beautiful Filipina wife who is renting a van and I get even to sit in the front seat with no cost at all. “Hmnn…I could do that then whenever I travel.” My cash is only $12 when I arrive at Clark, taking a taxi, bus fare and my dinner could have make me broke then. I find my way to have my dinner for $2 and a bus fare for $9 and that left me $1 to reach my place which is a 5-hour trip.

My host there which I met for the first time, Edwin, a 30 year old man married to his wife Norma who is 33, they have 3 wonderful kids, 2 boys and 1 girl, pick me up at 3 in the morning. From then on we talk ‘til the morning. A day later, I knew then that he didn’t have sleep that night, he is excited waiting for my coming.

House Church Talks

Edwin hosted some families and young people at his house for a house church meetings every week, along with that he has some Friday night prayer meetings. But my purpose in coming is not about telling him what to do and what not to do. I simply was coaching him by asking some questions that he can find answers through what he has been doing.
When the church does meet? For how long are we going to meet, until Jesus Christ comes?

Not only that most house churches are like having a little Sunday Morning Church Services in their homes but also they’re having endless meetings week-after-week ‘til forever, and forever is such a long time. Until we become family we will still continue to meet. Nothing wrong with meetings but until we stop calling them ‘meetings’ we will not become a family. A ‘meeting’ is not the church but the church meets. Nobody ask me as a member of my family, “When is your meeting?” But we certainly do meet during meals together, walking together, sit together, just doing things together. Have we called it a ‘meeting?’ Do we have to call it a ‘meeting?’ What kind of meetings? A ‘Sunday’ meeting? A ‘Wednesday’ meeting? A ‘Prayer’ meetings? A ‘Bible Study’ meetings? For how long again?

“Now we will not have any more prayer meetings,” as his wife Norma announced after hearing enough of my explanations one night of fellowship, “but we do pray.” Another night also while discussing a topic on ‘how to convert a Christian into a disciple of Jesus’ we ended up at 2 in the morning and then when I woke up the next day Edwin and his wife have a good talk in their Ilocano language which I could not understand and then they paused and said in English, ‘Good Morning’ to me and continued, “Indeed you’re coming is a blessing to us. Thank you.” Norma then continued, “After pondering on how to make disciples, God reminded of my friends who believe in me, trust in me and loyal to me. It is time to meet them with a meal and make them Jesus disciples.” Here is a part of Edwin’s email to me after days that I left:

“My wife started also making disciples to the young ladies. We are in the process of learning about making disciples and being a church. Thank you.”

Summit ‘09

[The thoughts here are based more on my personal experience and learning during the event and not as corporate one.]

On August 26-29, leaders of house church networks from different provinces in the Philippines met once again for the fourth time in Cagayan de Oro City. Compared to the past summit, this one rises as among the best. Here are some thoughts that we have shared for 3 days.

Around 20 of us representing different networks from different ministries and expertise. Some have focused on having simple church gatherings among Muslim communities especially the ladies among us are so compassionate on reaching the unreached people groups in the Philippines. The stories are so wonderful to hear but I am so sorry to keep my mouth shut as they are confidential. Simple church meetings work so easily yet powerfully because it is simple enough that you don’t have to name your church organization nor even call it a ‘church’ as we know it. But clearly enough to see that Jesus, Isa is in their midst.

A team is working together among high school and college students. Reaching them out through simple church movement. One particular guy, 28, has been working so closely with these young people that he is even registered at DepEd to train on how to play ‘communal’ soccer game. That is what anyone can play anywhere as long as their is a basketball court. Well, every community here has one! I dumped him some “Back to the Basics’ books and a box of book of John, the Gospel as they are free to be given away as requested HERE. They are so good to win friends and in the long run make them Jesus disciples.

Simple ‘house’ churches are in a sense a community based since their meetings is easy enough to communicate simple people in the community. Where there are two or three or more people gathered together with you as a follower of Jesus then the spirit of God works among everyone. Church is not where we meet basically, but it is where Jesus Spirit can move, reveal and express Himself to us, the church. Church is people, not buildings nor homes, and there is a Kingdom of God, so who are the ‘members’ of this Kingdom? The church, people! That is why if church is buildings then it is a counterfeit of the Kingdom. The word denomination comes from the word denominate, meaning to dominate. Church today became little tribes celebrating their own human founders. It should not be so among us who pledge our allegiance to only one King, and that is Jesus!