DISCIPLE-MAKING
Jesus says, “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.” Matt 28:18-20
Disciple-making is a process of bringing people into a right relationship with God and developing them to full maturity in Christ through intentional growth pathways, such that they might be able to reproduce the entire process in others
It involves evangelism, establishing believers in the faith, helping others to grow, and equipping leaders
THE IMPORTANCE OF DISCIPLE-MAKING IN ORPC
Jesus says, “if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up the cross and follow me” Matt 16:24
At ORPC, we understand Christian discipleship as learning to follow Jesus Christ. And following Jesus Christ is not easy – disciples renounce all and make Jesus Lord of their lives.
Disciple-making is important to equip and strengthen disciples as they follow Christ, so that they too can equip and strengthen others to follow Christ.
A DISCIPLE-MAKING CHURCH
Jesus says, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matt 16:18-19
Jesus has promised to build his church while advancing his kingdom through the church, and the church is going to advance into the world doing Christ’s kingdom work.
Intentional
All church ministries revolve around disciple-making and are driven by it
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the main storyline of the biblical narrative and the good news to be proclaimed and shared with non-believers. Therefore, evangelism is the crucial starting point of disciple-making.
Gospel-Centred
Growth
Platforms & Pathways
Growth does not come by chance. Rather, believers need to be effectively and intentionally equipped for ministry. Focus must be placed on mobilising all believers at various levels for ministry according to his or her spiritual gifts. The church must have in place platforms or ministries for developing the entire church in authentic discipleship. All these platforms have to be well aligned, coordinated, and monitored.
In a disciple-making church, the leaders are not just talking about disciple-making. They are actually doing it and modelling it for the congregation.
Leadership Commitment
Discipleship
Groups
Discipleship Groups are simultaneously the infrastructure and the strategy for mobilising and making disciples of Jesus Christ. They exist to facilitate the core mission of disciple-making, which includes growth in God’s Word (Bible study) and care of God’s people.
Spiritual multiplication is a result of spiritual maturity. In a disciple-making church, people are investing their lives in others and seeing them grow to maturity in Christ so that they too can pass the gospel on to others.
Reproducing Disciples
A Shared Vision of Disciple-making
The vision of disciple-making must be the rallying point of the church, modelled by the leadership, carried out by the church.
Count Me in!
Here at ORPC, Discipleship Groups (DGs) are the core to disciple-making. In our DGs, we anchor each other in the Word, help each other to live out the gospel, and to mature in our faith.
Not ready to join a DG?
Go deeper into God’s Word with a brother or sister in Christ. As followers of Jesus, we are called to “speak the truth in love” to one another. One of the ways in which this happens is when two Christians read the Bible with each other. One-to-one Bible reading is an excellent way of encouraging one another to grow in Christ, as we help one another to understand and apply God’s Word.