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Number
58
The Three Essential Things That
Make a Disciple
by Patrick Morley
What is the greatest problem
facing men today? It is the same problem that faces the church and men's
ministries.
As a whole, the church is not
making disciples. We have a great problem in the church today. An executive
in a major denomination said one day, "Our churches are not making
disciples." But that's not the real problem. The real problem is
- we think we are. So what?
Most men only know enough about
God to be disappointed with him. They listen to the sermons, they try
to do the right things, they have it in their hearts to be faithful Christians,
but they don't have much joy, and certainly lack victory over sinful habits.
They feel a sense of shame. That's because they have never actually been
"educated" about what it means to "be" Christian.
They are not disciples.
What does a man need to know,
think, and do to be a disciple, or follower, of Jesus Christ? Psalm 8,
the favorite passage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., suggests three things
a man needs to know to be a disciple:
1. To know the God who created man,
2. To know who God created
man to be, and
3. To know what God created
man to do.
These, then, are also three
tasks for a man who wants to make disciples.
The order is very important.
I believe that too often we teach men "what" they are created
to "do" before they actually understand "who" God
created them to "be." In other words, we put them to work but
don't adequately tell them who they are in Christ.
Or, if we do tell them "who"
God created them to be, we sometimes leave it there. Then they fall on
a hard time, but they don't understand the faithful character of the God
who created them, and they wither in the heat of the moment.
Instead, the first task of
making disciples is to help men understand something of the character
of the God who is.
TO KNOW THE GOD WHO CREATED
MAN
Psalm 8 (which I've paraphrased
throughout this article) begins,
O Jehovah (self-existent, eternal), our Adonai (sovereign),
how excellent is your reputation, your good name, among all of us here
on earth!
You have painted your glory on the canvas of the deep space we see in
the evening sky.
When I contemplate the cosmos, the earth must seem to you like a pebble
in the palm of your hand.
When I ponder the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars which punctuate an evening sky that would otherwise
be dark, desolate, and foreboding,
a moon and stars which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
Before a man, a "creature,"
can truly understand who he is created to be or what he is created to
do, he must first understand something of his "Creator."
Who is our Creator God? How
much does he know? Does he care? Can he do anything about it? How good
is he? What is he like?
Psalm 8 speaks of "the
work of your fingers." It was "finger work" for God to
create the moon and stars - not the back-breaking work of felling a forest,
but like snapping a pencil between his fingers. Psalm 8 continues, "which
you have set in place." He dipped his hand into a bowl of liquid
light, then flicked his fingers against the curtain of the night sky.
We could go on endlessly, but
here is a sample of his greatness: He is sovereign, holy, awesome, gracious,
loving, merciful, faithful, patient, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent,
omnibenevolent, infinite, eternal, invisible, immutable, the only wise
God, transcendent, immanent, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the
CEO of CEOs, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the God who
was, the God who is, the God who is to come, the alpha and omega, the
door, the gate, the bread of life, the living water, the Good Shepherd,
the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the soon and coming
King, the LORD - just to mention a few.
TO KNOW "WHO" GOD
CREATED MAN TO "BE"
Once we plumb the depths, or
should I say, begin to plumb the depths of the character and attributes
of the eternal, self-existent God, we can make progress to discover who
he created us to be. The Psalmist continues,
What is man that you are even aware of him,
the son of man that you actually care for his well being? He made you just a little lower than the angels themselves,
and crowned you-yes you!-with glory and honor.
Now we can begin to understand
our own splendor, our dignity, as creatures. Such a great God would only
create a magnificent creature, especially one upon whom he literally stamps
"the image of God."
Maybe your dad told you that
you were stupid, that you would never amount to anything. Maybe you've
been trying to prove him right, or wrong. Maybe your father made his approval
conditional to your performance in sports, schools, chores, and so forth.
As one man told me, "No matter what I did I could never please my
dad."
But God thinks you are absolutely
super! He loves you, man! He made us-you, "a little lower than the
angels themselves, and crowned you-yes you!-with glory and honor."
In other words, you are God's most excellent creation. You are God's crowning
achievement. You are the full expression of God's creative genius! Yes,
yes, yes. God was at his very best when he made you!
TO KNOW "WHAT" GOD
CREATED MAN TO "DO"
It gets better. Now, finally,
when you, or your disciple, understands who God is and who God created
you to be, you are ready to probe what God created man to do. Caution:
Don't go here until you understand the first two things. Otherwise, you
will make huge mistakes. The Psalmist continues,
What is man that you are even aware of him,
the son of man that you actually care for his well being? . . .
You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
Ahhh! I am to take dominion
over God's creation, the world. How? There are four universal purposes
God has for all men. Our individual calling will be the unique way God
shapes these four purposes into the fabric of our lives,
To tend the culture (The Cultural
Mandate)
To build the kingdom (The Great Commission)
To love God (The Great Commandment)
To love one another (The New Commandment)
Get these four clearly in your mind (after knowing God and knowing who
he created you to be) and God will release you for a joyous celebration
of obedience, love, joy, and good deeds.
I say again, O Jehovah (self-existent, eternal), our Adonai (sovereign),
how excellent is your reputation, your good name, among all of us here
on earth!
APPLICATION
So, how are you doing? Better
yet, how are you "being?"
In the space provided, give
yourself a grade (A, B, C, D, or E), then, if applicable, write out a
step you would like to take.
"I know the God who created
me."
"I know who God created
me to be."
"I know what God created
me to do."
How can your discipling of
others be improved? What is one step you could take in each of these areas?
Business leader, author, and
speaker, Patrick Morley helps men to think more deeply about their lives,
to be reconciled with Christ, and to be equipped for a larger impact on
the world.
© 1998. Patrick M. Morley. All rights reserved.
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