Day 1: Go, Make, Baptize, Teach.

Go. Make. Baptize. Teach. Do these four words mean anything to you? They are four action words found in the Great Commission in the NKJV. If you read other translations you will see they use “teach” twice. The first “teach” is to “make a student,” and the second is well…”to teach.”

Go Find Disciples!

If we want to make new disciples, we must first find someone who is to be discipled. There are two places to find this, but we won’t find anyone if we don’t go first.

First, is we can look within our corporate worship center. This is the easiest place to look and feels like the safest, too.  

Second, we can look beyond the walls of our corporate worship center. If you remember from last week’s devotional and discussion, it was when the deacons were scattered that they saw an explosion of disciple-making.

Make a Disciple!

A disciple is a student. You should find it interesting that we are told to make a student before we teach a student.

It is as simple as this: build a relationship. We were given hooks and lures last week to help build these relationships. We need to have sincere fellowship, the mutual exchange of the heart, and we make the disciple when the word becomes alive in our testimony.

Baptize a Disciple!

Disciple-making is an intentional process to bring someone into a covenant relationship with God. Some people just don’t believe in the Bible, others think it’s old and antiquated. But after you show them how your testimony is God’s word working in and through you, the text will become alive. Share your testimony, bring them to the word, and let the word soak in. It will speak for itself, and stand on its own. just show them in the word what they need to do and let that seed grow.

Teach a Disciple!

You found someone, shared your testimony, and they got baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost. Your hard work is done. Right? Nope! Big nope! Go back to number three and read about letting the word speak for itself, this time for you. The scripture commands that now we must aid in teaching the new disciple. Your work has just begun. But remember, if you have gotten this far, this person isn’t a “help project” or a burdensome relationship, its someone who you have had a mutual exchange of the heart with; who you have grown to love in the Lord, and who is now your sibling in Christ.

Final Thoughts

Consider the following ideas for your prayer journal today as you reflect on the above:

• What is the difference between someone being a student (of yours) and you simply teaching someone?
• A student-teacher relationship is a relationship of trust. On a scale of 1-10, how much have you tried to establish trust with those you witness to and share your testimony?
• Consider the times you have shared your testimony with others. Have you merely presented it as compelling information or did you share it in an environment of trust?
• Here is a challenging idea: when we talk about inviting people to church, we generally focus on the actual ask, “Would you like to come to church?” We may have a church card to share with someone, but before you gave it to them, did you build any trust or did you simply hand them the card and the verbal invitation?

As you read the Bible devotions today, pay special attention to the relationships between the characters as well as how the move of God is experienced in each of the scriptures. Make sure to mark the stories that mean something special to you.

Biblical Devotion

Act 9:3-20  Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.  (4)  And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (5)  And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. (6)  But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” (7)  The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.  (8)  Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.  (9)  And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.  (10)  Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”  (11)  And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, (12)  and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” (13)  But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.  (14)  And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”  (15)  But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. (16)  For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (17)  So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  (18)  And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;  (19)  and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.  (20)  And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

Matthew 28:18-20  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19)  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, (20)  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Acts 19:1-6  And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.  (2)  And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”  (3)  And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”  (4)  And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”  (5)  On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  (6)  And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

Acts 10:44-48  While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.  (45)  And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.  (46)  For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared,  (47)  “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”  (48)  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Acts 16:25-34  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,  (26)  and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.  (27)  When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.  (28)  But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”  (29)  And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.  (30)  Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  (31)  And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”  (32)  And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.  (33)  And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.  (34)  Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Isaiah 6:8  And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”