Through the accounts of the gospel writers we actually are given an indication of some of the things involved in the disciple building process.

First, in Acts 1 we are told that after we receive the power from the Holy Ghost that we are to be witnesses. In Luke 24 46-48 he explains what they are to witness of:

46. And said unto them, Thus it is written and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

47. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem

48. And ye are witnesses of these things

In Mark 16:15 Jesus says.

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

We are commanded by Jesus first to be witnesses. As witnesses we are to preach repentance, remission of sins, and the gospel.

In order to understand what we are to preach we first need to know what these words mean. Repentance derives from the Greek word Metanoeo which means,

1. to change ones mind, i.e. to repent

2. to change ones mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of ones past sins

Remission is from the Greek word aphesis which means,

1. release from bondage or imprisonment

2. forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty

Gospel means,

The glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set up, and subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom. After the death of Christ, the term comprises also the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the cross to procure eternal salvation for the men in the kingdom of God, but as restored to life and exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, thence to return in majesty to consummate the kingdom of God.

From these definitions we see that we are to preach repentance or a change of mind concerning sin, remission of sins or release from bondage to and penalty of sin and the gospel, which is the good news of the kingdom of God, Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return and what these mean to all who will hear and believe.

From the four accounts of the Last Commandment we can also see what happens as a result of our witnessing. In Mark 16:16 Jesus tells us what will happen as a result of our witnessing.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Our witness to the unbeliever is so important that what they decide as a result of that witness determines their eternal salvation or damnation. Because of this many of us get involved in convincing instead of witnessing. We are like a used car salesman who will stop at nothing to make a sale. We also are hurt and take it personally when someone doesn’t receive the gospel. Do you remember when we said that the power of witnessing is the Holy Spirit? He not only provides you with the opportunity and words, but as we witness to the unbeliever, He is also working on their heart Jesus says of the Holy Ghost in John 16:8,

And when he is come, he will reprove (convict) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

As we are witnessing the Holy Spirit is convicting the unbeliever. It is up to them to believe or not to believe.

The next thing that the great commission tells us is found in Mark 16:16,

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved

For those who choose to believe the next step is for them to be baptized. This is emphasized in Matthew 28:19,

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

The new believer is to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

The next step in the Disciple Building process is found in Matthew 28:20,

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you

We not only have been commanded to witness and baptize, we are also commended to teach. The question is what to teach. You can turn on Christian television or radio or go into Christian bookstores and find teaching on prosperity, finances, healing, deliverance, spiritual warfare, tongues, and the list goes on and on. If we try to teach new believers all of that stuff they would be so confused and frustrated that they would just give up and say forget this. Although this sounds extreme it’s what has been happening in the church. Many churches are good at going out and getting them saved and on the membership roll but have not established a means of making new members disciples. The reason that so many churches are dealing with high new member turnover is that they just throw them in with the congregation to hear about all of the Christian doctrines and teachings without first building in them a solid foundation. The new believer becomes so overwhelmed that they eventually leave. Many then go back to the life that God wants to draw them out of. Many in the church today refer to this as the back door. We bring them in through the front door through evangelism, outreach, conventions, etc. Many of them come for a month or two then we look up and they’re gone out of the back door. When this happens we mobilize committees to call them and send letters but they don’t return. The most effective method for closing the back door is immediately laying a firm foundation in the new believer. Jesus talked about this in Luke 6. In verse 49 he says,

But he that heareth (the word), and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

In verse 47& 48 of Luke 6 Jesus tells us how to build.

47. Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:

48. He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

The foundation that we are to lay in new believers is an understanding of Jesus and what he taught. As we see in Matthew 28:20 we are to teach them all things that Jesus commanded His disciples. We see Jesus speak more on this in John 8:31,

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed

Here Jesus was speaking to new believers. He told them to continue in ‘his’ word. As I was meditating on these verses I realized that all that is needed to disciple new believers is found in the teachings of Jesus. I have been commanded by God to create a disciple-building program that is based solely on the process that Jesus used to build the original disciples, changing them from ordinary people into the leaders of the greatest movement of God in all of human history. If we follow this process we can become and build disciples that will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, impact the world for the kingdom of God.