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Rev Bob Frisken AM President of New Hope International Limited

MAKING DISCIPLES

Rev Bob Frisken AM

Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

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What is the Commission
At this crucial moment in the life of His Church the commission was not to God. He had already told his disciples to go. Once we become a disciple of Jesus we have a call to be on the move. Jesus call is to follow me. Where he goes we are called to go. The commission is not so much about going as making disciples as you go.
This is a great mistake that we all make. We think of some people, we think of them somehow as special people who are called to go- we call them missionaries. But if we are his disciples we must be about making disciples. Not all are preachers, not all are evangelists but all are involved in making disciples. That is why Luke’s record of this same occasion he speaks about his disciples (that means us) as being his witnesses.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8 NIV)
So David as one who is a disciple whom Jesus has commissioned to serve him your primary task is to make disciples.
Now you may want to say but I am Business director not a teacher not a preacher and not an evangelist- well yes that is correct that is what we are commissioning you to do on behalf of the Saviour but you are a business director who must play a part in making disciples and we should never forget what our primary calling is- to be involved in making disciples of Jesus. What a glorious calling-
How do we do it? We do it by witnessing what He has done, is doing and will do,
Mission is at the very heart of the Gospel and involvement in mission is, I believe, a good indicator of whether or not an organisation is truly Christian
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus first announces. His kingdom has come!
The commission also indicates the nature of his kingdom community.
? a going community,
? an incorporating community
? a teaching community
? an indwelt community
If we call a community such as a school “Christian” it should be involved in his mission and so should share these characteristics.

A Going Community
What about the command to "Go"
Well the very interesting thing is that what Matthew records about what Jesus said does not include the command to go- although most versions of the Bible translate it this way. What he literally was going make disciples. That is he assumed his disciples would be going on a mission.
Now a mission occurs because we are sent to do something by someone. So if Jesus assumes his disciples are already going he must have told them earlier to go. And of course he did and we know he did because it is recorded in Matthew, 10:5-10
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.
Now what Jesus did was to vary his instructions by telling them not only to make disciples of Jews but to be going to make disciples of all nations.
In announcing that all authority has now been given to Him, He also subtly changed the message for the announcement that the kingdom was near to the announcement that His kingdom was now here.
What is involved in going?
If Jesus simply varied some of his instructions then those instructions that he did not change must still be valid. What were they?
Their task involved preaching a message, healing the sick raising the dead cleansing the lepers and driving out demons. This message has not changed we are still to be involved in the wholistic ministry that Jesus sent us to do. It is clear if you read the book of Acts that the early Christians understood this and practised it as part of their service as his disciples. Why have we forgotten this?
It is not enough to only preach the good new- the good news needs the full content that Jesus gave. It is good news now as well as good news for eternity.

An Incorporating Community
Jesus also instructed his disciples about “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”
Although a Christian school should not view itself as “a Church” yet as a Christian community it is a ministry of the Body of Christ, which is his Church. (Colossians 1:18)
o It will recognise and receive all members of the school as equally valuable parts of the Body, gifted to serve the Body (Ephesians 4:7).
o Its teaching will specifically address the issue of living lives worthy of the calling to be the people of God and growing in spiritual maturity (Ephesians 4:1, 11-13)
o it will recognise what Fowler (2004 p 120-121) calls the “office” of each person in the community and will seek to equip and empower each to use their God given gifting for the good of the whole community (Ephesians 4 15-16).
Most Christian schools are based on the western paradigm of education that Westerhoff calls “The schooling-instructional paradigm” (Westerhoff 1976 page 6-7), (Quote page 5)
If we grow schools that are part of Christ’s mission they must be Christ-centred learning communities that share in his mission; a teaching and learning community. Although not all members will be Christians (Matthew 13:24) a school's purpose should be to incorporate its students into a Christian learning community.
This is a radical message since most schools in less developed countries are modelled on western education and thus promote secular individualism and the value of commodities above spiritual values and a destructive competitiveness through which education is focussed on the individual instead of on assisting the community. . This needs to change and New Hope international is privileged to be able to make a contribution to this change,

A Teaching (and Learning) Community
Schools are not mandated by Scripture but they are an effective means for training and preparing people for their vocation. (Vocation in its broadest sense of a person’s calling to serve as one of God’s people Ephesians 4:1)
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
To prepare students for their vocations involves them understanding the world from a Christian mindset, or if you prefer from a Christian Worldview. (Ephesians 4:17-21).
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
Paul, in Ephesians 4:15, gives us guidance about how to understand education in this sense.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
The Biblical understanding of truth is seen in the person of Jesus (John 14:6,)
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Paul in Ephesians 4:21 speaks of a community of truth. It is truth that is found in community under the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.

An Indwelt Community
A Christian missional teaching community, as I would understand a Christian school to be, must be an indwelt community, for Jesus said, Matthew 18: 20,
For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Such a community must be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14)
Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Because it is the Spirit of Truth himself who reveals truth to his people. (John 16:13)
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
“Truth”, refers not to a cognitive knowledge (doctrinal knowledge) so much as a personal knowledge of “the truth that is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21) that is gained where truth is practiced in love. (Ephesians 4:15)
Only if they are communities empowered by God’s Spirit through faith and prayer can Christian schools undertake their proper role of equipping their students to stand (Ephesians 6:10-11) in the warfare in which they must be engaged.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
David, you are commissioned to be part of Christ’s Community to serve in building his Kingdom in helping people in the poorest countries to become part of his people- his new nation, His Body which is His Church.

The Basis of the Commission
All authority in heaven and on earth
Before his death and resurrection Jesus had authority He said he had authority to forgive sins, he ha authority over evil spirits and he gave this to his disciples.
He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. (Matthew 10:1)
David you need to know, as we all who are His disciples need to know, that Jesus has all authority and power and he has given to you limited authority- but all the authority you need to do the role that He gives you. As President of NHI, I am not your “boss” Jesus is the One who gives you the authority for ministry.
He spoke with authority and when his authority to act was challenged no one could answer him. Yet at this stage he had not received all authority. Indeed the devil offered it to him if he would bow down and worship him for he claimed it was his. But in his death he rose all victorious and God gave him all authority. His Kingdom had come butty it was not yet fulfilled completely - His reign had been established but there were plenty of pockets of resistance to be mopped up- and there still are!. He still has to destroy all other dominion, authority and power and one day He will then he will hand the authority back to God.
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. ! Corinthians 15 24-28