A number of years ago Rick Warren wrote a book called “The Purpose Driven Life” which became one of the most successful books ever written, selling over 60 million copies. People all over the world, in the tens of millions, were buying the book and taking part in small group courses that worked through it to literally help them discover their purpose in life. Why was this book so successful? Simply because it answers the number one question that most people are asking today: “What is my purpose?”
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that “God has put eternity in our hearts”. For me this means that we all have an innate longing to be connected to something bigger and more important than just ourselves and our bubble. We all have a deep inner knowing that we’re supposed to be fulfilling a purpose, a destiny, a calling – a mission here on earth during our finite “moment” before we enter into eternity.
The reason people bought the book is because somewhere inside they felt unsatisfied or unfulfilled in the deeper purpose God has put in their hearts. Whether consciously realising this or not, we just know we are not supposed to wonder this earth aimlessly and caught up in trivial, temporary and fading things. God has something infinitely more significant than just eating food, passing it through our bodies, taking up space, growing old and dying. God has got a divine mission from heaven for each and everyone of us, and if you want to be set up for true success in life you need to know what that mission is and how to do it. The Bible reveals this mission to us very simply and very clearly.
Here it is:
Matthew 28:18-20
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
There it is. That’s it. No other mystery! The Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” This is our mission, and this is where we find our eternal purpose in God. God wants to partner with us in a co-mission together with the Church to see heaven coming to earth and the nations of the world being reached with the Gospel and discipled.
Your mission in life is found in this “co-mission” with God and you simply need to believe you have an important and significant part to play in it. We have to know what it is and how to do it.
Therefore I want to look at 3 simple ways to disciple the nations, and 3 way you can effectively play your part.
3 ways to disciple the nations:
1) Plant and establish churches:
- In order to fulfil the great commission there needs to be churches planted and established in every village, town and city of every nation of the world.
- Each local church is like an embassy/consulate of heaven showing the community around it what heaven looks like when it comes to a community of people and therefore why they need to be a part of it.
- The Bible says that we are ambassadors of Christ, which means we carry the culture of the Kingdom of God and are authorised by Christ’s all authority to change the culture of earth around us and see our towns and cities being transformed.
- Imagine if every church around the world impacted their community with heaven’s culture through “ordinary believers” who are reaching into their spheres of influence and transforming it with heaven’s atmosphere and culture.
- We are all in full time ministry! The leaders of the church aren’t supposed to do it all. That’s why God has got you in your sphere as a teacher or mechanic, a builder, nurse, doctor, student, farmer, sales assistant, business owner, entertainer, coach, musician, accountant, lawyer, factory worker, etc. Your work environment, along with your family, friends and neighbors, are your spheres of influence in the community that you are responsible for and that God’s wants to work with you to reach!
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:20.
2) Train believers:
- Each one of these local churches needs to be actively involved in training and equipping the believers of their church so that they can become effective in establishing the church and reaching the community. (“teaching them”,Matthew 28:20).
This involves bringing all the believers to maturity, authority and skill in:
- Their knowledge of the Bible.
- Their relationship with God.
- Their ministry of serving Christ and His Body, the Church.
“He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” – Ephesians 4:16.
“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” – Ephesians 4:11-12.
3) Reach the lost:
- In order to disciple the nations we must be reaching the lost to see them saved and added to a local church in their community.
- This is done through each trained ambassador of Christ reaching their sphere and connecting them with their local church.
How do you fulfil your part in this divine mission?
Simple. Play your part in:
1) Establishing and building local churches:
- It starts by you giving your time, talents and treasures.
- This is how you get involved and connected with the vision and mission of your local church and immediately help to carry it.
- When you do this you will feel the weight of the mission beginning to come upon you, along with an increasing sense of satisfaction that comes with fulfilling your part in this divine purpose from God.
2) Being trained and training others:
- We cannot exist in isolation. We need to be vitally connected in the Body. If not we simply will not and cannot fulfil our mission and purpose here on earth. Each part in the Body both receives and gives. You need others to receive from and others need your supply. An eye gives sight to the body while at the same time receives blood, oxygen, nutrients and a socket from the body in order to be able to do it’s part. We are exactly the same!
- When you get involved by investing what God has supplied to you (your time, talents and treasures) you will start to find your part in the Body, helping it to be effective while at the same time the body helping you to be effective. Personally I think this is awesome!
- Don’t separate yourself from the body, no matter what hurt or pain you may have experienced in the Body. Sometimes the body clumsily stumps a toe or has to exert itself in order to achieve a job. Either way, sometimes certain parts of the body get hurt. But it’s unwise for that toe, or muscle or bone to separate itself from the body, because it’s actually by the body and within the body that that part eventually gets healed. The part that is hurt by the body can only be healed by the body so stay connected and keep being involved!
- Get involved in: the Sunday service, prayer meeting, homegroups, serving/volunteering on teams, helps ministries, administration, missions, ministries and Bible studies.
- In this giving and receiving (supplying and receiving supply) you are both being trained and are being used to train others to effectively minister in each area to establish the church and reach its sphere of influence in the community.
3) Seeing people saved and added:
- This is not as hard as we think it is.
- I break it down to 3 self-perpetuating steps: Reach | Add | Train.
- When each person is personally and actively involved in reaching the lost, adding/connecting them with the local church, and training them so that in turn they will reach the lost, add them to the church and train them so that they also will reach, add, train – then the church will perpetually grow by reach its community. If every local church in every town, city of every nation did this we would see the nations being discipled successfully.
- But how do we reach the lost to start with? This really is not as hard as we often think it is. There is an effective way.
- Statistically the most effective method of seeing people saved and added to the Church is through believers bringing their family, friends, neighbors and work colleagues to their church. People don’t usually trust strangers on the streets handing them a flyer or track or knocking on their door, but they are much more likely to trust a family member or friend or colleague who invites them to church. Other methods can be successful but this is statistically the most successful way.
- So how can this work effectively?
- The first step is: “everyone becomes a bringer” (REACH). When this happens the church will see lots of people getting saved.
- The second step is: “everyone becomes a connector” (ADD). When each person plays their part in connecting people into the life of the Body well see many people being added to the church. It involves Connecting new believers into family that serves and grows together. It’s helping to get them involved in the Sunday services, homegroups, study groups, volunteer teams, ministry teams, helps teams, administration teams.
- The third step is: “everyone becomes a trainer” (TRAIN). When we train new believers how they can grow in God and play their part in getting involved in the Body and reaching the lost, then they too will become bringers, a connectors and a trainers. This creates a perpetual momentum of increase in seeing people saved, added and discipled in the local church.
If local churches in every town and city of every nation where doing this, it wouldn’t take long to disciple the nations of the world and fulfill our mission here on earth. This is what God is actively involved in. And when you get involved in this you get connected into your purpose. It’s in doing this that you will also discover some of the more specific things that God has called you to do in the Body.
Success is not amassing lots of possessions, power and pleasures, it’s fulfilling your purpose here on earth. You do that and you are successful for all eternity!
Can I encourage you to reassess your life – your focus, direction and involvements and ask yourself and God how you can get more involved in His co-mission to disciple the nations. And to do this through the Body, and more specifically the local church He has connected you to.
Feel free to connect through the comments below, and if you want to find out how New Nature Ministries is serving the Body of Christ and local churches simply take a look through this website.
