Discipleship: The Lord's Mandate, Part VIII

Discipleship: The Lord's Mandate

Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:18-20 AMPC
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The mandate of the Lord is to make disciples of nations, making students of the nations for the Lord in the culturing of the His kingdom. So, a disciple is one who subjugate himself to the teachings and instructions of another, to follow his doctrines.

Three Characters in Discipleship:
1. The Lord Jesus Christ who gave the commission for discipleship of the nations.
The Lord in this office commissions the work and set its parameters. No one other than Him has this power. He determines the boundaries of what constitute discipleship. It is also obvious He determines how discipleship is conducted.

a. The Lord is the one who calls into discipleship. Of course and most often, his call is in the voice of a man but the commission belongs to Him. He called the first men.
Matthew 4:19-20
And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

b. He took them around as He taught the message of His kingdom and the manner of it. In this Kingdom, it is about the Lord and Him only, the Lord above every other.
Matthew 10:37-39
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Matthew 16:24-26
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

c. He left us a commission when He completed His days to do for others what He did for us, disciple men.
Matthew 28:19-20
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

2. The sent ones, to whom the Lord gave the assignment to raise disciples for Him.
In a specific sense, these were the 12 apostles and by extension other disciples of the Lord. And in the general sense, every one who believes in the Lord is sent to raise other disciples for the Lord.
Today, it is the voice of these men you hear calling you into discipleship of Jesus Christ and training you in the mannerisms of the kingdom because the Lord sent them to call people into discipleship. Matthew 28:19-20, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Matthew 28:19-20
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

3. The disciples/followers/students who receives the message of the sent ones.
If anyone receive the message of the gospel, such becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ, joins the church and begin the culturing into the kingdom of Christ. The church is that ground of culturing where ALL adherents are trained into the manner of the kingdom.

1 Timothy 3:14-15
These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God , the pillar and ground of the truth.