We've been given a cloning mandate. In case you don't know what cloning is, it is the scientific process of producing genetically identical individuals. Now, if you think that cloning is far beyond your limited scientific abilities, consider these words:
"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
The call to make disciples can be considered "spiritual cloning" - producing identical spiritual individuals - and the scope of this mandate sounds overwhelming, to say the least. Our disciple-making efforts encompass "all the nations", and involve "teaching them to observe all that I commanded you". Both aspects of this mandate would seem utterly overwhelming if it weren't for two important qualifiers - "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth", and, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age". His mandate carries His full, God-given authority, and is supported by His constant, enduring presence.
To "clone", or make disciples, implies that we are disciples. From Jesus' words we can deduce that a disciple is: (1) one committed to following Jesus; (2) one who has been baptized; (3) one who is committed to learning and practicing all the teachings of Jesus; and, (4) one who is reliant on His authority and presence. These essential qualities must be characteristic of our lives as we seek to replicate, or "clone" them, into the lives of others.
Challenging as Jesus' Great Commission is, it is not an optional priority. Fortunately, it is not as overwhelming as it might sound either. It's like the old adage about how you eat an elephant: one bite at a time. Making disciples, in the most basic sense, involves: (a) becoming one; and, (b) finding one person to disciple.
If we view the entire magnitude and scope of the task we'll be overwhelmed, but if we reduce it to one step of being and making a disciple today, it will be far more manageable. In fact, viewing it as a daily process instead an overwhelming task is perfectly consistent with what Jesus had in mind anyway.
Seeking to make the process my priority today,
Steve
"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
The call to make disciples can be considered "spiritual cloning" - producing identical spiritual individuals - and the scope of this mandate sounds overwhelming, to say the least. Our disciple-making efforts encompass "all the nations", and involve "teaching them to observe all that I commanded you". Both aspects of this mandate would seem utterly overwhelming if it weren't for two important qualifiers - "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth", and, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age". His mandate carries His full, God-given authority, and is supported by His constant, enduring presence.
To "clone", or make disciples, implies that we are disciples. From Jesus' words we can deduce that a disciple is: (1) one committed to following Jesus; (2) one who has been baptized; (3) one who is committed to learning and practicing all the teachings of Jesus; and, (4) one who is reliant on His authority and presence. These essential qualities must be characteristic of our lives as we seek to replicate, or "clone" them, into the lives of others.
Challenging as Jesus' Great Commission is, it is not an optional priority. Fortunately, it is not as overwhelming as it might sound either. It's like the old adage about how you eat an elephant: one bite at a time. Making disciples, in the most basic sense, involves: (a) becoming one; and, (b) finding one person to disciple.
If we view the entire magnitude and scope of the task we'll be overwhelmed, but if we reduce it to one step of being and making a disciple today, it will be far more manageable. In fact, viewing it as a daily process instead an overwhelming task is perfectly consistent with what Jesus had in mind anyway.
Seeking to make the process my priority today,
Steve
posted by steve @ 7:48 AM
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