Post by Pastor Tim – Making disciples is an anniversary of sorts for the Dillmuth family.  It was exactly one year ago that we joined the DOTW/Seoul USA family.  And the very first Sunday that we came to DOTW Church was the first week of the month of making disciples.

Before I joined DOTW Church, I thought I was doing a pretty good job of Making Disciples.  I was faithful in leading my family in devotions and in taking them to church. And when the opportunity arose I would share Christ with my neighbors or extended family.  Upon joining DOTW Church, I quickly realized that although those things were good, Christ had something broader and deeper in mind when he commanded us to make disciples.

The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 is actually quite clear.  In verse 19 Jesus said to “make disciples of all nations,” and in verse 20 he explained that by saying, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

In other words, the goal of “making disciples” is to teach someone to obey everything that Jesus has commanded!  Family devotions and Sunday church are good, but they are not goals the way we sometimes treat them to be.  The goal is the simple yet seemingly insurmountable task of teaching someone to obey everything that God has commanded.

And this is what I realized as I went through the DOTW materials last year.  Discipleship is more than just telling someone that Jesus loves them.  It is more than inviting someone to church.  It is more than developing a regular practice of family devotions.

Discipleship is a bit formal actually . . . because teaching someone to obey all that God has commanded can’t be done haphazardly.  It requires a course of action, an actual plan.  At Doers of the Word Church, we have a plan we call the Whole Life Offering, in which we study and do a different Work of Mercy each month of the year.  This month we study making disciples.  The first and last month of the year we dedicate to consecration and reflection.

As Pastor Foley often says, our plan is a plan, not the plan. He and I and everyone with which we are privileged to work are always learning new ways to make it better. The goal is not make sure you use our plan but to make sure you have a plan–one which is centered on the Scriptural goal of teaching others to obey all that God has commanded.

Want to talk about discipleship plans? Send me an e-mail at [email protected].  I am happy to share with you about what we are doing–this month and overall–in greater detail.