Priorities - Part Three
The third priority for Enon Chapel is to be a church that makes disciples in our community.
In the denomination of which I am a part, we make a distinction between evangelism and discipleship. Frankly, I think that is an unhealthy divide. I do not believe evangelism and discipleship should be compartmentalized.
Most Southern Baptists I know think of evangelism in terms of soul winning. Then they think of discipleship in terms of baptism, church membership, and plugging you into our programs. We want to see you get saved, get wet, and get your name on the roll of our church. Then we assume you will grow into a mature follower of Jesus Christ. Perhaps that is why we can't find 50% of our members on any given Sunday. I think such a compartmentalized idea of evangelism and discipleship stops far short of what Jesus had in mind when He called us to:
"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." (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)
I do not see in the Great Commission a divide or distinction between evangelism and discipleship. We are called to make disciples, not converts. Notice the phrase, "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." It is not just teaching them, but teaching them to observe (obey).
How do we teach someone to obey God's commands? We do it the same way that Jesus did it by taking them with us while we follow God. Jesus took 12 men and for three and one half years taught them what the Father said and obeyed God in front of them. When will we "get it" that evangelism/discipleship is a process and not an event and they are two sides of one coin.
