Have you ever been marked by something someone said?
I had this happen some 40,000 feet in the air, 41 years ago this month, on a flight between Los Angeles and Washington D.C. While traveling as a 20-year-old with Youth With A Mission’s (YWAM) Founder and President, Loren Cunningham, turned to me and said:
“You know, Dave, it really isn’t important how big the organizations are that you’ll lead, or the size of the groups that you’ll teach. The way that God will measure the fruitfulness of your life is how you invested to the third and fourth generations.”
He then quickly referenced Paul in 2 Timothy 2:2, providing me with a clear picture of four-generational fruitfulness: Paul discipled Timothy, who discipled faithful people, who then discipled others.
From that moment until now, making disciples four generations deep has been my compass for spiritual fruitfulness.
Jesus launched and led a disciple making community: a relational context where He deliberately shaped followers around His character, ways and mission – then expected them to do the same. Making disciple makers was not something Jesus did “if He had time,” “on the side,” or delegated to others. Rather, it was His MUST mission! He knew that without it, His disciples would be facing a one generation impact – which has never been God’s way of doing things (think Abraham – Isaac – Jacob).
Making disciples is how the original disciples “heard” what we now call The Great Co-Mission (Matthew 28:18-20). The MUST mission of Jesus’ disciples in Acts was not winning converts, planting churches, or impacting society. Rather, they made disciple makers wherever they went – in obedience to Jesus – and the by-product (or fruit) was many people won to Jesus, lots of churches planted, and society impacted! If we want the results of Acts our MUST mission must match that of Jesus and His disciples in Acts!
In Acts 2, when the disciple’s community suddenly expanded from 120 to 3,120, they began to deliberately disciple this second generation of disciples how to love, follow and obey Jesus! This produced a third and fourth generation of disciple makers. Barnabas not only became a fruitful disciple, but also an effective disciple maker. Because Barnabas discipled, Paul did. Because Paul discipled, Timothy did. Because Timothy discipled, faithful men and others did as well!
Taking shortcuts around making disciples simply does not work! Consider some of the current consequences of our lack of obeying Jesus on this front:
Our focus tends to be more on building our organizations rather than reproducing Jesus in people.
We often reference the world’s ways while doing God’s work, rather than walking in God’s ways as a means of growing and expanding His Kingdom.
Due to not being discipled themselves, the majority of senior pastors have never learned how to make and multiply disciple makers.
A lack of connecting the Great Co-Mission of disciple making with people’s vocations has led to a huge vacuum of godly leadership throughout society.
A my-generation-mentality has set future generations up for further disciple making failure – something which we desperately and quickly need to see turned around!
Making disciples remains the original plan of Jesus to shape His church in His ways, and to change the world! This commission has not been rescinded or revised – and it is not “The Great Suggestion.” It is a place where He has invited us to co-mission with Him. Making disciple makers is still the MUST mission of Jesus.
How are you going to make disciples within your relationships and vocation this year and beyond?
Dave Buehring