Obey the Great Commission: Being Disciples Who Make Disciples

By Joshua YJ Su

This book is an exposition of the significance of the Great Commission of Christ for Christian life and how it to be properly obeyed. It emphasizes the sovereignty of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, over this Commission and the rightful place of the Church as His People in its fulfilment. It addresses the biblical, theological, and ministerial, facets of the Commission. The core of this Commission is being disciples who make disciples for Christ by the Spirit and the Word of God. Obeying the Great Commission is not only the focal task of the Church but the way the Spirit transforms believers to be like Christ and grow towards His fullness. It exposes many misconceptions and misapplications that have seriously hampered the fulfilment of this Commission and how to treat them. It shows the principles and the core processes that are required for its proper realization.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Dec 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781543772203

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Copyright © 2022 by Joshua YJ Su.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Endorsements

After many years of effective ministry in disciple-making, Revd Dr Joshua YJ Su shares his wisdom with us in this book.

His insights, teachings, exhortations, and correctives, provide fresh impetus to spur us to make disciples! It will benefit hands-on disciplers who want to improve their craft.

Disciple-making is treated with biblical and theological expositions as to its significance and application for all Christians, whether working in Church and Christian ministry, or in secular life.

I heartily recommend this book to those committed to making disciples for Christ.

The Rt Rev Raphael Samuel,

Bishop of the Diocese of Bolivia – 2013 to 2022

This book will challenge and inspire you to go on to the next level in God. We are living in days when everything is being accelerated, escalated and increasing in momentum. In this season of change, we are facing unprecedented challenges and difficulties that comes with globalisation in an increasingly digital, virtual and technological age. Nonetheless, great and tremendous opportunities are also being presented to us by the Lord as He engages His creation in a way that requires total yieldedness and absolute surrender to Him.

However, the immutability and consistency of God tells us that certain fundamentals do not change and biblical discipleship remains the key. In this God is also leading us to a new kind of walk with Him, with intimacy as the clarion call of the hour. Walking with Jesus and the Holy Spirit is and will be a required mandate for those who want to be part of the next move of God on earth.

This book certainly paves the way for a greater understanding of the heart of God for this hour and I highly recommend this book as an essential reading for those who are genuinely hungry for more of God.

Rev Dr Francis S.H. Khoo,

Founder, Covenant Vision Christian Ministries; Senior Pastor,

Covenant Vision Christian Church; Director, Covenant Vision Centre

Dedication

To the glory and in the service of the Lord, my GOD, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Dedicated to all Christian leaders and disciples who intend obey the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ

Special Dedication to The Joshua Mission, its leaders and members, for their growth in Christ by the Spirit, their service to Him in fulfilling the Great Commission, and to pass on what they receive from the Lord to all Christians, churches, and ministries, who want to play their part in fulfilling the Great Commission

For my family, Sui Heng, Joseph, and Benjamin

Foreword

This book shares the vital insight that the Great Commission of Christ for us His Church is His call for us to be His disciples who make disciples for Him by the Holy Spirit. Looking at this at face value, to many today, this topic may seem like an overly tired rerun of many years. But this would be a serious error:

Firstly, the Great Commission of Christ for the Church is the true mandate from heaven from GOD the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I want to highlight that it is not only a task for the Church, which is how it is typically understood. Significant as that may be, it is much more! It is the divine design for how He wants to save and transform humanity out of the darkness of sin through the Gospel to receive His marvelous light in the sinless humanity of Christ by the Spirit. As a special note for this book, I use GOD as proper term for the Holy Trinity. This emulates the practice by English Bible translators to render Yahweh as LORD. In this way there can be no mistaking that the GOD I refer to is the GOD who reveals Himself in and through the Bible as Scripture, and not any other.

Secondly, in spite of the vital significance of this Commission for the Church, it is not given its due priority in the life, ministry, and mission of churches, even among the faithful. This is in part due to misunderstanding it only as task and not the core of being the Church. The truth is that obeying it is the very basis of being the Church and fulfilling our call in Christ. Failing to give it its proper place means we are less than what we are meant to be and are unable to do what we are meant to do under the headship of Christ our Lord.

Thirdly, precisely because the fundamental place of the Great Commission for the Church is not sufficiently grasped and lived, the Church is too easily distracted by, and preoccupied with, the issues of society. It is substituted by engagement in politics, the economy, social justice, personal gains, private comfort, and the endless myriads of causes that this fallen world strives for. This can go so far as to determine how churches understand themselves, how they prioritise what matters in their life and ministry, so that the Great Commission is demoted to oblivion.

Fourthly, the Great Commission of Christ for the Church, by His very declaration and command cannot ever go out of date or out of style for the faithful. It is what He commands that His Church does under His lordship, with His presence, until the end of the age (Mt 28:20); the end of this heaven and this earth. Only those who do not take our Lord seriously, or believe that they know better than Him, can allow its significance to fade from our life as a Christian or as His Church.

Therefore, there is a critical need for the core and focus of the Great Commission to be clearly and definitively defined and put into consistent effective fruitful practice.

The focus of this book is to address afresh and in-depth the true significance of the Great Commission for the Church. This is done as follows:

(1) Point out the full dimensions of the Great Commission. We shall study its divine design and initiative. A large gap in how the Great Commission is understood is an almost total lack of comprehension of the cosmic dimension of the Great Commission. Each of the four Gospels gives us a vital aspect of what it is. These different aspects need to be synergised so that we can see the fuller picture. Obeying the Great Commission is at the core of how the faithful Church lives its life and serves under the lordship of Christ to play its part within the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and so be transformed to be like Him.

(2) Identify that Being Disciples who Make Disciples is the core of the Great Commission. This is the foundational and central mission of the Church in obeying Christ by the Spirit. Fulfilling this core is how the Church lives its life and plays its part in the total work of the triune GOD to save all humankind, for the return of Christ, the passing away of this heaven and this earth, and the coming of the New Heaven and New Earth.

(3) Identify Serious Errors that, in different ways, deflects or diminishes the capacity of the Church to live out and fulfill the Great Commission.

(4) Exhort all Christian leaders, Christians, and churches, to truly obey the Great Commission as the core of being the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the People of GOD.

Special Note on Pronouns:

I like to highlight here that the principles and practices of this book apply equally to both men and women. However, for simplicity, he always includes she, him always includes her; unless otherwise stated in the text or determined by its context. I found that using he and she alternately or randomly is more confusing than helpful. But I will occasionally use he or she or him or her" to reinforce the fact that what is written applies equally to both genders.

Approach of this Book

This book is written as the fruit of longstanding reflection on the subject matter drawn from personal life and ministry, and from the study of the Bible, theology, and ministry. It is not based on research to study and analyse the topic. Therefore I have not made any footnote to refer to any particular article or book. However, I do list a bibliography at the end of the book to reflect a selection of books that I have read that represent the fields of ministry and study from which my reflection have drawn from.

Bible Abbreviations

Contents

Endorsements

Dedication

Foreword

Bible Abbreviations

Chapter 1     God Is Pre-Eminent

Divine Pre-eminence and Initiative

The Supreme CHRIST of the GOSPEL

The Good News is GOD’s Power to Save

GOD SAVES, Not Us

So Why Preach the Gospel?

Chapter 2     The Great Commission in the 4 Gospels

Introduction

The 4 Great Commissions in the 4 Gospels

In Matthew

In Mark

In Luke

In John

The FOCAL Point

Chapter 3     Church Health Not Church Growth

Why Church Health Not Church Growth

What is the Church Growth Concept?

What is Wrong with this?

The 1st section – John 6:51-59 (ESV)

The 2nd section – John 6:60-65

The 3rd section – John 6:66-71

The Problem of the Church Growth Ethos

Chapter 4     The Heart of Biblical Discipleship

The Heart of A Biblically Healthy Church

The 4 Spheres of Biblical Spirituality

1st Sphere – our Relationship with GOD

2nd Sphere – Relationship with our Fellow Human Beings

3rd Sphere – our Inner Transformation in Christ

4th Sphere – our Mission in Christ

The 9 Spiritual Disciplines in the 4 Spheres

The 1st Sphere – WORD, SPIRIT, Worship, Prayer

1st Pair – WORD & SPIRIT

WORD - 1st Discipline

SPIRIT - 2nd Discipline

2nd Pair – Worship & Prayer

Worship - 3rd Discipline

Prayer - 4th Discipline

The 2nd Sphere – Fellowship, Service, Witness

Fellowship – the 5th Discipline

Service – the 6th Discipline

Witness – the 7th Discipline

The 3rd Sphere – Character Growth In Christ

Character – the 8th Discipline

The 4th Sphere – Our Mission In Christ

Disciple-Making – the 9th Discipline

Conclusion

Chapter 5     A Biblically Defined Disciple

A Christian

The Transforming Work of the Spirit in Christ

The Vertical Dimension

Personal Devotion

Communion

Guidance

Empowerment

Transformation

The Horizontal Dimension

Fellowship

Service

Witness

The Inner Dimension

Character – our Christ-Likeness

The Multiplier Dimension

Disciple-Making

Chapter 6     Effective Disciple-Making

Disciple-Making and the Great Commission

Jesus our Lord the Master Discipler!

Disciple-Making – Definition

Life-to-Life Transfer

Inter-personal Relationship

Beliefs & Values

Disciplines

Many Problems & Obstacles to Effective Disciple-Making

Strong Teaching on Importance But No How To

Lack of Proper Definition & Criteria

Lack of Effective Strategy, Process, & Method

A Leadership Blind Spot – Mismatch between Goals and Actuality

Trying to do Too Much

Trying to do Disciple-Making by Mass Production or as Organisational Strategy

Mistaking Getting Academic or Professional Qualification for Disciple-Making

Disciple-Making – Collective Participation or Personal Call

The Collective

The Called

Disciple-making MUST Be Top Priority & Intentional!

Chapter 7     The Disciple-Making Process

Doing Effective Disciple-Making

A Spirit-led Spirit-enabled Process

Directly Discipled by the Spirit

A Spirit-Led Spirit-Enabled People Process

Profile of a Disciple-Maker

Who is a Disciple-Maker?

Multi-Generational Perspective

Core Factors for Disciple-Making

The Disciple-Making Framework

1. A Profile of the Areas and Levels of Discipleship

1A - Profile of the AREAS of Discipleship

1B - Profile of the LEVELS of Discipleship

2. A Path of Progress for Each Person – Starting Point to Target Point

3. A Programme for Teaching & Training

The Disciple-Making Bond

Many Good Bonds Possible

Forming Informal Bonds for Disciple-Making

Forming Formal Bonds for Disciple-Making

The CORE of Disciple-Making

The Foundational Goal of Disciple-Making

Chapter 8     One-to-One or One-to-Small Group Discipling

A Basic Differentiation in Disciple-Making

One-to-One Disciple-Making

Under-rated and Under-used

The Strength & Value of One-to-One Discipling

Discipling the Core Area of Personal Devotion

Disciple-Making through Small Groups

What a Disciple-Making Group is NOT

What a Disciple-Making Group IS

Suitable Persons for a Disciple-Making Small Group

Leadership for a Disciple-Making Small Group

The Disciple-Making Skill Set

The Small Group Leadership Skill Set

Is Disciple-Making Taking Place? Criteria of Assessment

Chapter 9     The Social Context for Disciple-Making

Disciple-Making in its Social Setting

The Local Congregational Context

Congregational Application of Disciple-Making

A Team of Suitable & Capable Disciplers

Use of Internal & External Disciplers, Teachers, and Trainers

Personal Discipling by the Holy Spirit

Disciple-Making in Motion in a Congregation

Disciple-Making in the Organisational Context

Introduction

Organisations Cannot Make Disciples

Person-to-Person Discipling IN Organisations

Disciple-Making in Christian Organisations

Organisation within a Local Church

Organisations Overseeing or Connecting Local Churches

Christian Organisations

Disciple-Making for Disciplers in Secular Organisations

Conclusion

Vital Criteria

EPILOGUE

Selected Bibliography

My Books

Ministry Studies

Bible

Theology

Chapter 1

God Is Pre-Eminent

Divine Pre-eminence and Initiative

We begin this book by first and foremost affirming the priority and supremacy of the One and Only GOD who, in the Person of the Father, decided to save us by sending Christ, the Son and His Gospel, by the Holy Spirit. All creation, all salvation, are rooted in His will and design. This is the vital cosmic perspective of the Great Commission and the call for true discipleship. It is not only a mission and a task for the Church to fulfill. It is how the triune GOD brings us out of darkness into His wonderful light. He is thereby redeeming and transforming us from our fallen humanity to receive the sinless humanity of Christ. This cosmic scope and scale of the Great Commission that is almost unnoticed, unknown, or untreated, when we seek to fulfill it.

All of true discipleship is rooted in Christ and the Great Commission that He has commanded His Church to fulfill. Therefore we want to start by addressing the supremacy of Christ and the fundamental significance of His Great Commission for true discipleship. His supremacy and commission is the foundation of the whole of this book.

The focus and purpose of this book is to proclaim true discipleship as taught in the Bible. True discipleship is rooted in the Great Commission that Christ has commanded for the Church. As I affirm that obeying the Great Commission is founded on the cosmic purpose and design of GOD, I want to cover this fundamental aspect that is hardly covered by books on this matter. My aim is to draw, as accurately, as relevantly, as possible from the revelation of Scripture what applies to Christian discipleship and living. It is nothing less than the core of how GOD is redeeming and transforming humankind through the Gospel and the Church for Christ’s return! It needs to be grasped within the biblical revelation as a whole, not as a compartmentalised topic. This involves theology because theology has to do with our receiving, comprehending and obeying the revelation from GOD that He has given us. He and His revelation are infallible. While our reception, comprehension and obedience are fallible, it is essential to our relationship and walk with Him that we engage in this process to embody and live out His truth. We need to be so engaged to work under His grace to learn from Him, and be moulded and transformed by Him.

However, this book is not a work on theology. That is a different kind of writing and subject matter which I will explore in other books. Yet, given the spiritual and theological root of the matter, we certainly need to base our work on sound biblically founded theology. So a theological introduction is an apt setting and beginning. This book seeks to grasp and lay out how, as the Church obeys the Great Commission to be disciples who make disciples, Christ is transforming us by the Spirit to be like Him, to the glory of the Father.

The Supreme CHRIST of the GOSPEL

It is utterly vital that we do not mistake that discipleship is simply or primarily a matter of our commitment and effort to follow Him. This is a serious and widespread misconception that I want to address from the start. No! We are not the centre of discipleship or disciple-making. Everything starts and ends with GOD and is centred and founded on Him. Our commitment and effort cannot amount to anything except for His grace in giving us the responsibility and the scope to choose how we respond to Him. He can sovereignly condemn us or save us without our input. For we are His creation and what becomes of us can only be by His design and determination. This was Paul’s point in Ro 9:6-29 on GOD’s choice of Isaac and Jacob as the ones He chose to bless even before they were born. GOD is sovereign in choosing who He wants to be His channel of salvation. We have no right, no authority, no power, no position, to demand anything of Him. It is not by human desert, or human preference, or human attainment. It is entirely by His own design. Correspondingly, who and what we are, what we can or cannot do, are entirely by His design and will.

Divine sovereignty means that if GOD has deemed that we are to be condemned for our sins, we would be justly condemned. But this would mean that humankind, having already sinned, can only await death and destruction without possibility of escape or relief. If He has deemed to save us even though we sin, we would be saved. But then we would be saved even though we are evil. Hence right or wrong, good or bad, would have no significance. But Scripture reveals that neither of these are His design or way. He has chosen, instead, to pay for our sins by sending Christ to die and resurrect for us. In so doing, He opens to us the option, the scope, or the space, to make our own choice for or against what He has done for us in Christ. This means that, by His design, our choice for right or wrong, good or bad, carry fundamental eternal consequences. He has deliberately put this choice within our reach. He has thereby given humanity moral and spiritual character, like Him, albeit finitely. It becomes our responsibility, to choose one or the other. He has made it so that our choice determines our own eternity. The possibility of doing so only exists because Christ has paid for our sins. He makes it so that our repentance from sin and surrender to Him is what allows us to be pardoned, cleansed and saved. Thus we can only be saved in Christ. There is no other way and no other person by which we can be saved. The enormous cost of paying for our sins is borne by Christ for us. His paying this cost reveals to us His immeasurable gracious love for us. The costliness of His doing so underscores the value of righteousness and truth for us and for eternity. The Father is saying that our righteousness is worth the life of His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us that GOD the Father has sent His Son to be born as a sinless man, Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ (He 2:14-18; 4:14-15). This is so that He can then die on the cross as GOD’s payment for our sins. He alone can do so. He has no sin to die for. Hence He can die for our sins. No one else can do so because there is no other sinless human being. We can only die to pay for our own sins. We cannot die to pay for anyone else’s sin. This is what Christ did on the cross in obedience to the Father, as His willing and voluntary act for our salvation. Yet Satan and death could not hold Him, because He is sinless. So the Father and the Spirit raised Him from the dead (1Co 6:14; Ro 8:11). Jesus resurrected to eternal life. He did not simply came back to this life that we have on earth. He resurrected to a life that is the GOD-intended GOD-given life that humankind were meant to have, until our sin