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Team Huddle
4 min.Read

3 Best and Worst Ways to Make Disciples for Jesus Christ

Editorial Staff
By Editorial Staff

It’s Called the “Great Commission”

self-rejectionNot go and feed the hungry. Not go and heal the sick.

But, Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). It’s what the 12 disciples did from city to city – spread the good news of Jesus.

Today, are we busy doing what we were commissioned to do as followers of Christ? Has this modern life and the pursuit of stuff shifted our focus from soul-winning to just… winning?

And, if we are sharing Christ with others, are we putting our best foot forward?

If we’re going to “go, ye therefore”, let’s GO in excellence and be the best brand ambassadors for the gospel of Jesus Christ that we can be.  There are best and worse ways to approach this. Take a look at the quick check-list below. See any areas where we all can make some adjustments?

The Best (and Worst) Strategies for Soul-Winning

BEST

1. Study the Word of God.

When we spend time in God’s word, with the Spirit of truth leading us into all truth, our witness for Christ shines bright. There is no way we can do the work of making disciples without studying the Word of God, and gaining experience and maturity through what we learn.

We keep ourselves from being ashamed and shaming the gospel when we rightly (not wrongly) share God’s word with others (2 Timothy 2:15). A confident, knowledgeable witness is an effective witness for Jesus Christ.

2. Live What You Say You Believe.

It’s easy to follow someone when they demonstrate that they know where they’re going. Believe it or not, the world may not like you or believe you, but they respect those whose actions match their words.

Don’t be guilty of false advertising! If you are going to wear the brand of Jesus Christ, and tell others you’re a Christian, don’t be a brand killer by saying one thing, and doing the total opposite. Know, share, and live the standards God has set forth for us.

1 Peter 2:12 tells us that the world is watching. Not only are they watching, but they’re “on ready” to accuse us of wrongdoing – “the church judges, the church hates…”, “did you hear about the preacher who…?”

Our job is to earnestly work out our own soul salvation and put into practice what the Word of God teaches. If we don’t live it, the world will never believe or respect it.

3. Love Your Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

Love is our business card. The world will recognize us as disciples of Jesus Christ by the LOVE we have for one another (John 13:35). See how important love and unity is to Jesus? Is it wise to expect the world to join a community of strife, jealousy, or discord? God forbid. Jesus prayed that God would make us one, and there’s no greater unifier than the spirit of love.

WORST

In addition to doing the opposite of the above examples, here are some strategies and point-of-views you’ll want to remove from your soul-winning playbook:

1. Whosoever Won’t – Make Them?

God is a “whosoever will” kind of God, who has never instructed us to force the gospel on anyone. As a matter of fact, Jesus instructs the disciples to “shake the dust off their feet” and keep it moving whenever the gospel is rejected (Matthew 10:14).

It is a poor tactic and the wrong spirit to brow-beat or manipulate people to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Simply share the good news in love with others, and trust God to do as He will with the seeds you’ve planted.

2. Unprepared to Give an Answer for Your Hope.

“Why do you hope in Christ? Why do you serve Jesus?” (1 Peter 3:15)

Do you know, Team? We should. Because if we can’t answer, how can we expect anyone else to accept Christ for the first time (or come back to Jesus)? Share your testimony. Tell someone about your personal experience with Jesus. Share a promise kept from God or an answered prayer to kick-off your answer. With close communion and relationship with God, we’ll have an overflowing, tangible hope to share with others.

3. Thinking the World Will Come to You.

There’s a reason why Jesus said, “Go” – not wait. It’s easy and comfortable to take the position that the world knows where to find us. In some “Christian” circles, there’s an air of arrogance and barriers to access where we’ve received so much Jesus, we make it difficult for others to reach Him.

We should always remember that the first move is in our court. And, when people come to God, be sure not to repair the veil that was torn to give everyone access to Christ (Matthew 27:51).

So, What’s the Play Call?

Be worthy of your “Go”! Do the work to be the best representative of Christ on earth.

 

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They Changed Their Minds about Slavery and Left a Bible Record

0
Two businessmen’s unusual conversion in 1700s South Carolina led them to liberate the people they put in bondage. At first glance, William Turpin and his business partner, Thomas Wadsworth, appeared to be like most other prestigious and powerful white men in late 18th-century South Carolina. They were successful Charleston merchants, had business interests across the state, got involved in state politics, and enslaved numerous human beings. Nothing about them seemed out of the ordinary. But, quietly, these two men changed their minds about slavery. They became committed abolitionists and worked to free dozens of enslaved people across South Carolina. When most wealthy, white Carolinians were increasingly committed to slavery and defending it as a Christian institution, Turpin and Wadsworth were compelled by their convictions to break the shackles they had placed on dozens of men and women. In an era when the Bible was edited so that enslaved people wouldn’t get the idea that God cared about their freedom, Turpin left a secret record of emancipation in a copy of the Scriptures, which is now in the South Carolina State Museum. Perhaps it’s not surprising that this story of faith and freedom is mostly unknown. The two men were, after all, working not to attract attention. Neither had deep roots in Charleston or close familial ties to its storied white “planter” dynasties. Turpin’s family was originally from Rhode Island, and Wadsworth was a native of Massachusetts who moved to South Carolina only shortly after the American Revolution. Both had public careers and served in the South Carolina Legislature, but their political profiles were not particularly high. Neither of them appeared to give any of their legislative colleagues the sense that they were developing strong, countercultural opinions on one of the most ...Continue reading...

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