06⎪JANUARY 2022⎪shop . cmausa . org |
WHAT is a disciple ? The dictionary tells us this : “ Any professed follower of Christ , a pupil , a follower .” This means that as a disciple , I am to learn and adhere to the teachings of Christ . It is a new way of living because of the awakening of the newly found grace of God . It requires the disciple to learn the teachings of Jesus and to grow in an intimate relationship with Jesus . This new lifestyle is then a choice to obey the Scriptures and submit to the teaching of Jesus as the only truth .
As children of God and believers in the Word of God as a foundation for life on earth and eternal life with Jesus , we are charged with sharing the Gospel . This is the first step to making disciples . In the following passage , we are given the command from Christ that is most commonly referred to as the Great Commission .
“ Jesus came and told his disciples , ‘ I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth . Therefore , go and make disciples of all the nations , baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit . Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you . And be sure of this : I am with you always , even to the end of the age ’” ( Matthew 28:18-20 , NLT ). It is evident in this Scripture that the charge to us as believers is to reproduce and teach new believers to become disciples .
The first step is to share the
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Gospel of Christ . But simple head knowledge of Christ is not enough . Think with me about someone knowing what a car is and that it does exist . But , that knowledge is not enough to be able to operate the vehicle safely to the extent of its abilities . The potential driver needs training .
Most people know what fish are . We have seen fish . Most of us have eaten fish , but that knowledge is not enough to catch fish . “ Jesus called out to them , ‘ Come , follow me , and I will show you how to fish for people ’” ( Mark 1:17 , NLT )! Here even Jesus was trying to make disciples by teaching them how to disciple others . They had head knowledge of who Jesus is , but they needed to be taught how to make disciples .
The importance of disciple-making is a critical element in the future of Christianity . Without making disciples , there may not be future generations of believers to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel . For the ministry of CMA , it can also apply to the growth of our chapters , which in turn becomes the growth of CMA worldwide . Those early disciples were the foundation of Christianity today . First , someone had to disciple Herb Shreve , the founder of CMA , with the teaching of Christ and then , through the Holy Spirit , speak to Herb to go into the world of motorcycling to share what he had learned of the teachings of Christ . Now , we have the blessing of being a small part of what Herb began by
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fishing for people .
I think we can all agree that our world needs Christ . Unfortunately , it seems we are seeing an increase in immorality and a moving away from the teachings of the Bible . I believe that this world cannot change the truth , but the truth can change the world . Making disciples is simply investing in new believers and teaching them to obey all God ’ s commands given to us in the Word . CMA
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