Disciple Your Nation
At the conference, Kathy made a profound point that encouraged me so much. So often when we hear the Great Commission–”go ye into all the world and make disciples”–we think of foreign missions. I guess it’s the word “go”.
But “the word translated as ‘go’ is a participle and thus should be translated as ‘going’ or ‘having gone’. Thus, this point of the sermon becomes: ‘As you are going make disciples.’ ” (The Great Commission)
Also, “nations” means “your people group”. I find it poignant as we compare the Great Commission to the example Christ left through His ministry on earth, that “discipling the nations” happens through building close relationships with a few people (your people group) around you, walking daily, intimately and intensely with them.
If everyone would disciple his people group–starting with his home and the few people with whom he comes in the closest contact (neighbors, grocery store clerk, etc.) the nations would be transformed.
Relationships=Nations changed.
That’s how we do it. When we rise up, when we lie down, when we walk along the way, and when we sit in our house. Without bells and whistles, no programs necessary.
Faithful lives, tireless work, eternal rewards.
christian living | Word Warrior | 
May 9, 2012 7:15 am
I love this “without bells and whistles” – just simply living the Gospel.
Thanks for sharing!
An excellent point, thanks for posting! I wholeheartedly agree with the spirit of what is being said here, but I’m not too sure about the way the verse is being used. There is plenty of precedence and text in the Bible to make this point about discipleship in the context of close relationship, but I think the “Great Commission” verse is being limited more than how it was originally meant. More specifically what I’m thinking of is your translation of “nations” to “your people group”. With the utmost respect, I don’t think that’s accurate “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations”…ie “all people groups”. While we should most certainly start within our own, there is a strong Biblical precedent for “going” outside of our people group, much like Paul did. We all are called to disciple in our own context at the very least, but some are also called to disciple beyond that. Yes, Jesus walked closely and built relationships with His disciples, but He also preached to the crowds. And He sent His disciples off to other towns to preach the Kingdom. (Sorry…just had to add my thoughts. As someone who spent a few years on the mission field and saw the need for laborers, I’m a little biased towards global missions
)
Sarah,
“there is a strong Biblical precedent for “going” outside of our people group”
I agree completely. In fact, “your people group” still applies to the foreign missionary. It would be inclusive of his home first, and then the people around him–the natives of wherever he is are his neighbors, his people group.
In fleshing out that passage, I was trying to point out how intimately “discipling the nations” is done, and how it is NOT limited to the foreign missionary, the way it is often implied.
Because of, in my opinion, this leaning toward the misinterpretation, there has been a specific “honor” given to foreign missionaries (rightly so) with the exclusion of that honor to the missionary in all of us. Does that make sense?
The tired, stressed mama, suffering, even as the foreign missionary might, sacrificing, even as the foreign missionary might, who is dedicated to daily laying down her life to make disciples of “her people group”, is no less a missionary carrying out the Great Commission, and no less worthy of honor (and support) than the foreign missionary.
But wow, do we miss that, huh?
“Because of, in my opinion, this leaning toward the misinterpretation, there has been a specific “honor” given to foreign missionaries (rightly so) with the exclusion of that honor to the missionary in all of us. Does that make sense?”
Yes it makes perfect sense and I agree with you. A mother ministering in her home is no less a missionary then a woman ministering in a foreign country. Sadly, many do not honor the mother as they do the “missionary”. I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here. I just wanted to clarify that “all nations” is not limited to, though certainly includes, one’s own people group. As someone who has been criticized more than once for ministering abroad when “there’s so much need here”, I find myself burdened that, in general, we are an apathetic people who sometimes use the concept of ministering in “our Jerusalem” as an excuse to ignore the need to minister in the “uttermost part of the earth”. (As a side note, now that we are back in the US with two young ‘uns, my hubby and I often joke about going back to the “easy days” of eating strange things and language barriers. These things are a cakewalk compared to raising these little ones in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord”
)
You have got that right Kelly!!
I also very much believe in missions!Our church supports 170 or so missionaries around the world.Amazing for a church of around only 400 or so..but the building is debt free and our pastor has a Huge burden for missions.It was one of the things that attracted us to this church.
I think sometimes..not all..but some..in the church have forgotten that mommies of little ones..and big ones..are to FIRST Disciple their own children first! There are days it seems like we are doing nothing for the Lord..BUT..let me tell you–You Are!..as you have heard me say before..lol.
If we are telling a lost world about the Great Love of Jesus..but aren’t loving our own family first-your kids will know it.As they get older..they can spot hypocracy in a second.I have often prayed”Lord..forget the hypocracy in the church..help me deal with the hypocracy in my own life”!
I have made plenty of mistakes in my 28 yrs.of parenting and the Lord truly is gracious in mercy and grace and forgiveness to me.You won’t have to discipline them anymore after a certain age but you can always be an encouragement and continue to disciple them in their walk with the Lord.
Wish I could have heard Kathy give that talk in person and meet all of you.Looking forward to checking out what you will have available on cd.Blessings to you!!
A very important mission field is the inconverted people of our own church, those who may be grew up in a christian home but never gave their life to Christ.
Carolina,
That can be so very true and sad.I have especially thought of this when it comes to my own children who have been raised their entire lives in a “Christian Home”.The Gospel has to be so real in their own lives and on top of that you have to be in a church that really preaches it strongly! We do also have to be an encouragement and help to disciple those in the church as well as share the good news of the Gospel with a lost world.
This post has really made me think and I want to say that I really enjoy your blog Kelly. My interpretation of the “Great Commission” scripture is very different from those here and I hope people can read what I have to say with an open mind and not misunderstand my intentions.
My learning of this verse has been very different, leading me to believe that it is a very misunderstood verse. Taken alone, it seems it is telling people to go out and “teach all nations” but wait, who did Jesus say this to and in what context?
This is an important issue, and it is one that needs to be handled very precisely. One of the great assumptions of Christianity is called “The Great Commission”. Let’s take a look at the preceding verse:
“Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen” (Mark 16:14)
Note that this “great commission” is given specifically to the “eleven”, and it is specifically given because of their unbelief. The resurrected Jesus Christ appears to his eleven remaining disciples and the main purpose for his appearance before them is to “upbraid” (or strongly rebuke or scold) them for their unbelief. First Mary Magdalene goes and tells the eleven disciples that Jesus lives, and they refuse to believe her. Then, in verse 12 he appears in person to two of the “eleven” and these two go (in verse 13) to tell the other nine and the other nine also refuse to believe. Remember that Jesus Christ had told these eleven men personally that he would be resurrected, and every one of these eleven men had claimed to believe Him. So Jesus was dealing, in this section of scripture, with a rampant issue of unbelief among those who He had personally picked… those who had been “with Him”, his disciples (verse 10). So Jesus sends out these particular eleven hard-hearted disciples, with the specific injunction that they are to go to the entire known world at the time and preach the “good news”. Then, because of their unbelief, and the fact that no one would naturally believe them, He gives these “eleven” signposts so they can know when someone has truly believed:
1) They that are spiritually regenerated (born-again) by the baptism of the Holy Spirit will be the saved.
2) And those that are not given the gift of belief shall be the damned.
Now we know that the following verses apply to the eleven only – because in verse 20 it says “and they went forth”. Who are “they” who went forth? It must be the specific “eleven” to whom He is speaking. And it is confirmed to us plainly that they (the eleven) fulfilled this scripture by “preaching every where”. And it is confirmed that verses 18 and 19 refer to the “eleven”, because here in verse 20 it says that God “was working with them” to confirm the signs of their apostleship with the signs and miracles that he promised. So this section of scripture is a lesson on unbelief and not on evangelism for everyone.
I know this is contrary to what many believe. I don’t believe that all people are meant to go out and evangilize but that preachers are taught to teach people the word of God and if they choose to do so in foreign countries that is okay.. man can give other people the word but only God can change their hearts and give them the eyes to see and the ears to hear and he does not do so for everyone. Remember when Jesus explained the reasons that he spoke to the people in parables?
I believe that we can all show what it means to be a christian by example, in our lives, wherever we may be but not necessarily that we ALL must go out and teach all nations.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts.
Paul was not part of those 11, but he understood that he should go to new places and present the gospel and disciple the new believers. He even showed his intentions of going to Spain.
How could 11 men make disciples in all the ethnolinguistic groups? (that is what the word ethnos means, bad translated with the word “nations”.)
Carolina,
Very true, but Paul was an apostle which means in Greek “one who is sent away”. Paul claimed a special commission from the resurrected Jesus, separate from the Great Commission given to the eleven. I believe that God does choose a select few to teach his word to all. In order to do so in foreign nations with foreign languages spoken, a translater is needed. I think that was what you were asking about them when you said “How could 11 men make disciples in all the ethnolinguistic groups?”.
I do not understand very well what you mean by the translaters.
I came to Christ through the work of a missionary couple from the USA who was starting a church in Europe. They learned the language. They never used a translator. It would never have been so effective with one. They did not only preach and teach but also did evangelism, discipleship, counseling… How can you do that with a translator?
I imagine there will be a period of time in some instances in which a translater must be used due to the missionary working to understand a language also. I know many who use translaters and never learn the language. Some missionaries visit many countries, others may concentrate on one country in particular. In many cases when someone enters a new area of the world where the language is foreign, this is what they do.
The point I wanted to make was that Jesus was not giving the Great Commission to ALL people but only to the eleven for their unbelief because many people use that verse to say that ALL people should go out and teach all nations. I think that would be a dangerous thing potentially to have those who have not studied the Bible well to do that. What if a feminist was going out evangelising and teaching women in other nations the feminist mentality and saying that the Bible says that? Some women do this. I explained why the Great Commission is taken out of context. The whole section must be read not just the one verse. Many parts of the Bible end up mistakenly being translated to mean something very different from what they were intended because verses taken alone without the story behind them can be mistranslated, as I believe they are here. Does that help?
I don’t want to detract from the substance of your/Kathy’s point, but my Greek-teacher side wants to point out that the original translation “Go and make disciples” is actually more accurate. The Greek participle has a lot more syntactic functions than the English participle/gerund, so it’s not always correct to translate it thus. And in this instance, the normal way in Greek to express a double command is to put one verb in the participle and one in the imperative. Grammatically, they are both commands, not a single command with a modifying clause.
Carry on!
I meant to comment on this wonderful post when it was first published but I read it on my IPOD and it can be cumbersome to type on. What struck me was the conversation Kelly, Sarah & Keri were having about the mother discipling her children is as much a missionary as the missionary in a foreign field. That just underscored, in my opinion, Kelly’s comment on an earlier post about how the church should support a mother so that she can be at home with her children. If we are happy to financially support missionaries who are taking the gospel to those throughout the world, why is it so radical to say that the church (and the members thereof) should financially support a mother striving to stay home to raise her children up in the Lord if the parents cannot otherwise achieve that?
I loved the post – and enjoyed the comments.