The Sword for Discipleship: A Critical Element for the Future of the Church
The Church does not have a future outside disciple making. I wish there was a lighter way to put that but Jesus, our Chief disciple maker, did not make it mild either. His instructions were clear, “Go and make disciples of all nations, Matthew 28:19.
In this crucial time in the Church age, as we navigate through post COVID-19, there is doubtlessly a need for re-evaluation of the Church’s real assignment and what makes us effective. We cannot afford to go back to Church as usual!
Each route the Church takes must lead us in this simple and narrow path that Christ has asked us to go- DISCIPLE MAKING! Making disciples is not a “section” of the Church assignment. It IS Her assignment!
In the last few years, there has been a resurgence of the words “disciple making” in North America. I pray this will not fade away as these times have only elevated the need for thorough disciple making. We need to copiously consider our approach and the missing gaps. The Church has historically been notorious to quickly box God’s truth into methods and disciple making has become a victim like others.
While methods are necessary, if not handled with care, we may end up with an institution without life.
What makes disciple making sharp and strengthens the cultivation of Christ’s life in His disciples is not primarily by sophisticated methods but by prayer. Any disciple making strategy that is not anchored and fully armed with much prayer will produce nothing more than pseudo disciples- “Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7).
It is important to note that truth is primarily a Person and not a lesson.
Prayer is the sword that makes disciple making effective. To make light of prayer in disciple making is an attempt to boycott the Holy Spirit. The Father will never honor such. Biblical disciple making can only happen by the help of the Holy Spirit and His help is made sufficient in daily, consistent prayer (Phillipians 1:19). Prayer has become the enemy of the Church because it does not respond to intellect and we naturally tend to run away from what we do not understand. While books on disciple making are filled with methods and steps, no one is bold enough to reduce prayers into systematic steps because prayer is life and can never be reduced to steps! Prayer is the exclusive work of the Holy Spirit. It is in prayer that we clearly show our dependency on the Holy Spirit.
Discipleship and prayer have one thing in common—they are both labor! Galatians 4:19 says, “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.” In this verse, Paul talks about how He labors till Christ’s life becomes visible in them (disciples) which is simply what disciple making is all about. We labor intentionally over the lives of growing disciples until Christ’s life is formed in them.
Colossians 4:12 says, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” In this verse, Paul was also giving the testimony on how Epaphras labors in prayer.
Any disciple making effort that excludes intentional labor in prayer can lead to frustration due to the lack of one yielding his sword in disciple making. Prayer is labor, but it is profitable labor.
I will encourage the North American Church to consider two things:
How the culture of the Church is being shaped by prayer versus simply trying to fit prayer into the culture of the Church
While prayer will include times of silence, it requires utterance also. We should consider not only “thinking” our prayers but also “speaking” prayers. Prayer will require silence as well as speaking.
Our hands have to freeze to the sword of prayer just like Eleazor, David’s warrior whose hands froze to his sword in battle in 2 Samuel 23:10, “but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword.”
To all those whose hearts are burning heavily with the kingdom gem of disciple making, until we raise the sword of prayer above all, sheath every other sword. Prayer molds the heart of the disciple and strengthens the disciple maker. It is primarily in prayers we show our dependency on the Chief Architect of discipleship and not in our methods.
As the church reorganizes in this season, and our leaders in the body of Christ scout for answers, the trajectory of the Church may only be in one direction—authentic disciple making! Should disciple making be our focus, then it will only be effective and productive by the breath of the disciple makers through much prayer.
May our hearts be stirred up in this noble labor of prayer.
Pastor Mo Obayomi, His Holy Hill Church
Pastor Mo, originally from Nigeria, has been an ILC Resident since 2018 and pastors a multicultural congregation in Murfreesboro, TN. To contact Pastor Mo, please email requests@hisholyhill.org.