Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, ...

Matthew 28:19 (a)

Volume 14, Episode VII

July 2013

Mark 16:15 (b) ... Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. PRAISE: For Gods faithfulness and goodness during these hot summer days. For Holy Spirits inspiration to WRITE and to PREACH the Word of God. PRAY:
For NEW provi-

A Closer look at the Great Commission (II)

MAKE DISCIPLES NOT CONVERTS: Dr. Robert E. Coleman writes, The great commission of Christ given to His Church summed it up in the command to make disciples of every creature (Matt. 28:19). The word here indicates that the disciples were to go out into the world and win others who would come to be what they themselves weredisciples of Christ. This mission is emphasized even more when the Greek text of the passage is studied, and it is seen that the words go, baptize, and teach are all participles which derive their force from the one controlling verb make disciples. This means that the great commission is not merely to go to the ends of the earth preaching the Gospel (Mark 16:15), nor to baptize a lot of converts in the Name of the Triune God, nor to teach them the precepts of Christ, but to make disciples to build men like themselves who were so constrained by the commission of Christ that they not only followed, but led others to follow His way. Only as disciples were made could the other activities of the commission fulfill their purpose. (The Master's Plan of Evangelism, pp. 108-109.) Interesting isnt it? Scott Hildreth, Director for the Center for Great Commission Studies (SEBTS), writes, The main verb of the sentence that makes up Matthew 28:19-20 is (make disciples), followed by descriptive phrases (baptizing them) and (teaching them). According to Blomberg this command calls for a kind of evangelism that does not stop after someone makes a profession of faith. The truly subordinate participles explain what making disciples involves. (i). The first of these will be a once-for-all decisive initiation into Christian community. (ii) The second proves a perennially incomplete lifelong task. This includes coming to faith, identifying with the Christian community, and growing in faith throughout the life of the believer. Rengstorf notes that always implies the existence of a personal attachment, which shapes the whole life of the one described as . These descriptions highlight that the command of the Great Commission is for followers of Jesus to introduce unbelievers to the faith; however, the work is not finished until the whole of life is affected. (www.globalmissiology.org October 2010. Accessed on May 1, 2013). I hope that everybody agrees that the Great Commission requires thinking beyond just evangelism and just missions; thinking radical discipleship and spiritual transformation; thinking spiritual growth and maturity; thinking multiplication and spiritual reproduction. In fact, this is the kind of discipleship Christ is looking for. I am sure that WWW.URFM.ORG, (734) 972-5717, valy@urfm.org

sions necessary for URFM in 2013. For NEW students/disciples to enroll into the ADT in 2013. For deep awakening regarding the Great Commission. Amen! Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

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VOLUME 14, EPISODE VII

upon His second coming Jesus expects to unite Himself with mature disciples a people transformed into His likeness His heavenly Bride. DISCIPLESHIP THE GREATEST NEED OF THE CHURCH: Crabtree (while serving as Assistant General Superintendent in the Assemblies of God) says, I believe that our discipleship, at this point right now, is ineffective. There is no greater need in the Assemblies of God today than for personal, ongoing Pentecostal discipleship of believers, said Assemblies of God General Superintendent Thomas E. Trask, according to the Assemblies of God News Service. Unless we, as a Fellowship, passionately pursue discipleship, the Assemblies of God will continue to lose millions of converts and, ultimately, our distinctive Pentecostal heritage. (Pentecostal Discipleship A Desperate Need in the AG. http://ag.org/. Accessed on May 1, 2013.) Do we need another warning much clearer and more direct than this? Rick Knoth, managing editor of Enrichment Journal, visited with McNeal, (Reggie McNeal, Ph.D.a missional leadership specialist for Leadership Network, Dallas, Texas. For over a decade McNeal was a denominational executive, leadership development coach, and has been the founding pastor of a church), was interviewed in Engaging the Church in Gods Redemptive Mission), to discuss insights from The Present Future and Missional Renaissance as they relate to church revitalization and transformation. When asked What has been the number one failure of the Church in the past twenty-five years? Reggie McNeal responded, To create genuine followers of JeDONATE ONLINE sus. (http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/. Accessed it on April 29, 2013.) We can conclude that generally speaking the church, at large is lacking discipleship. I [ Using Visa or PayPal ] hope that my readers will take this as a shocking revelaGo to www.urfm.org tion! I hope that we are going to wake up to this striking Click << DONATE >> reality and stop sticking our heads in the sand like an ostrich and pretend that everything is fine. We cannot Fill out your information ignore this reality any longer. Crabtree says, I pray that Follow the instructions the Lord will awaken pastors and churches to the crisis, he says. We can provide all of the best resources we want, but without spiritual insight in local situations and the willingness to obey the Lord's command of the Great Commission . . . without quality disciples; we simply aren't going to have quality churches. Crabtree continues, Churches need to be prepared for spiritual babies by training up spiritual mothers and fathers who understand the significance of their commitment. (http://www.christianpost.com/news. Accessed it on April 19, 2011). Amen URFM offers Advanced Discipleship Training brother Crabtree! I second this pray(ADT) over the INTERNET. Any person, anyer with all my heart. Do you? David Platt challenges his readlife-transforming training. Get READY and ers with these words: I want to be ENROLL into ADT for MODULE IV (which will part of a people who have forsaken every earthly ambition in favor of start in September 2013). one eternal aspiration to see disciples made and churches multiplied from house to house to our communities to our cities to the nations. This is Gods design for His church, and disciples of Jesus must not settle for anything less. (Follow Me: A Call to Die, A Call to Live, p. 180.) (To be continued . . .) With LOVE in Christs Service,

where in the world, can benefit from this

Valy Vaduva
Spiritual Mentor

Anticipated Thanks!!! for your support for the Mission Trip in Europe this coming FALL. God bless you ALL!!!

PS: As I said it last time, I choose to believe that you will continue your financial help for the Great Commissionto make disciples, so we can fulfill the destiny God called us to accomplish. Thank you very much!!! God bless you all!!!