“Houston - We have a problem!”
When the astronauts of Apollo 13 made this statement, it was a massive understatement. Their mission had gone terribly wrong. Their rocket had vented much of their fuel and oxygen into open space. Rather than focusing on a Lunar landing they were now focused on survival. Their lives hung in the balance. Heroic actions would be required. Business as usual would not provide a satisfactory result.
Today in the church we face a similar serious problem. In many ways, our mission has gone terribly wrong. Our Christian nation seems to be venting the younger generation faster than they are attracting them. Rather than focusing on following Christ as He expands his kingdom, many churches focus on survival. The future seems to hang in the balance. Business as usual will not produce a satisfactory result. What seems to be the problem?
Even though the church in America has an abundance of good teaching, it produces relatively few genuinely changed lives. Churches notice a lack of growth and maturity in the people and produce a program to remedy the problem. Yet year after year the problem remains. So we add more programs to try again. The cycle continues wearying the staff and members with programs that provide truth and keep people busy, but produce little lasting fruit in people’s lives. Churches even bring in the hired guns to guilt people into getting serious about their faith, hoping powerful preaching will provide genuine life transformation.
What is at the root of all of this seemingly fruitless activity? We preach and teach Jesus last command often yet somehow fail to take it seriously. Looking to Matthew 28:19-20, we confuse making a convert for making a disciple. However, let me suggest that this command is about filling the earth with God’s image. In other words, the great commission is a redeemed restatement of the first command God gave Adam and Eve.
In Genesis 1:28, we see that God created Adam and Eve in his own image and gave them a command to ‘fill the Earth’. What was God commanding? God was commanding them to fill the earth with God’s image. But something happened, they sinned and now they posessed a fallen image of God. Yet following the judgment of the flood, God gave Noah the same command, “Fill the earth.”
Christ has purposed to make “all things new.” When a person places faith in Christ’s completed work on the Cross, that person is made new. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit that person is recreated in the image of God. Let me suggest again, the great commission is a redeemed restatement of God initial command to Adam and Eve, “fill the Earth with my image.” Christ is telling all of His followers to reproduce and fill the earth with His image.
If I were to ask you to tell me who has responsibility to carry out the Genesis 1 command to “fill the Earth,” I have little doubt I would hear almost unanimous agreement that the command applies to Adam and all of his offspring. Under normal circumstances, everyone is to reproduce. You would ridicule me if I tried to suggest that bearing children is only for the well trained professional. You would boot me out if I suggested only the Pastor and senior leaders of the church were qualified to reproduce children. And you would be absolutely correct to do so.
Yet how many of us have bought into the subtle lie that only the ‘gifted’ or ‘annointed’ or ’seminary trained’ are qualified to reproduce a Christ-centered transformational faith in others. We have wandered away from the example set by Jesus. We have tended toward a dependence upon professionals to reproduce the faith rather than a dependency on Christ to empower each believer to reproduce their faith. For centuries we said to the people, “Don’t try this at home.” We have settled for celebrating the additions of an energetic pastor and staff rather than multiplication of each member reproducing their faith in others. We have failed to equip our people to make disciples who make disciples thus fulfilling one of the implied commands of Mathew 28:19-20 (i.e. teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you Matthew 28:20) and equip them to make disciples.
What does this kind of reproduction look like in the Bible? We can learn much from the example of Christ. Though Jesus taught thousands (big batch reproduction), he invested the most in the 12 (small batch reproduction). However, at the end He only had 11 to show for His efforts. Yet God used those few to turn the world upside down. Jesus taught us to speak to the crowds, but disciple in a small group.
So now we reach an epiphany, “Small groups is the answer!” Yet in an honest moment, we realize most of our small groups are a mile wide and an inch deep.
“Ok Jim,” you say, “we have a problem. What is the solution?”
The simple answer is each believer is commanded to do what Jesus modeled. Every believer is commanded to make disciples. Most do not know how, so how do we equip them to make disciples? Check back in the next few days for a solution that works anywhere it is tried around the globe.