Kingdom Focused Discipleship

Kingdom focused discipleship is grounded in Matthew 28:19-20 which is referred to as the Great Commission.

19. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB)

                 The Great Commission is preached on many times, but there is a difference between preaching a sermon on the Great Commission and actually living out the Great Commission. 

                       In their book Square One, Adam McClendon and Matt Kimbrough state, "We must not ignore the truth that part of going and winning a lost world to Jesus is also maturing them in Jesus by 'teaching them to obey' all that he has commanded."1 Evangelism is the starting point, but discipleship must take a large part of the life of a disciple. Without discipleship the disciple is going to go astray. They will not mature in their walk with Jesus Christ as they are supposed to, It is the job of the local church and its leadership to make sure new believers are being discipled properly. 

                   In their book The Purple Book, Rice Broocks and Steve Murrell state, "As leaders, we must participate in the discipleship process, model it to others, and shape an atmosphere of expectation for disciple-making."2  In their book Multiply,  Francis Chan and Mark Beuving state, "Discipleship by definition requires a leader and a follower."3 Discipleship must start at the top, that is with the pastor. The pastor must take the lead role in making disciples within the church, as he disciples others, then they can then go forth and make disciples.

                    Broocks and Murrell also state in their book, "We are missing the mark on discipleship if we don't see maturity as a goal for a disciple."4 Discipleship is all about helping disciples work towards maturity as a disciple, a follower of Jesus, a Christian. Therefore, it is the leaders responsibility to lead in discipleship. 

 

 

1. Adam McClendon, and Matt Kimbrough. Square One: Back to the Basics (Little Elm, TX: eLectio Publishing, 2018), 23.

2. Rice Broocks, and Steve Murrell. The Purple Book: Biblical Foundations for Building Strong Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017), 7-8.

3. Francis Chan, and Mark Beuving. Multiplying: Disciples Making Disciples (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2012), 11.

4. Broocks, and Murrell. The Purple Book, 9.