Page 27 - In His Image

listening to the "words of life" coming from the pulpit, believing someone else will
fulfill the Great Commission.

Is the illustration a bit preposterous; too farfetched? Who could possibly be that
detached? Maybe you're right, yet why do so many Christians make the same
identical mistake as the Texan when it comes to the process of disciple making?
They have all the resources imaginable to be effective. They have direct access to
the Holy Spirit of God. They have the drive, desire and ambition. There are plenty
of people available who could become disciples, probably in the neighborhood of
billions. The problem is, most potential disciple makers aren't sure what the finish
product is to be. How then could they be expected to set about making disciples?
Or how they'll know when the process is complete?

Let's back up a bit and refocus. A disciple is a duplicate, a carbon copy if you will. A
reproduction of his teacher. One who has been taught by, and desires to emulate
his mentor. He not only knows what his teacher knows, but moves with a common
purpose and motivation. He believes what he has been taught and has pledged to be
faithful to its message.

Who is The Teacher we are called to emulate? None other than the Son of God,
The Christ, The Messiah, The Lamb slain before the foundations of time, the
perfect sin offering, God incarnate!
Jesus can easily be considered the most "attractive" person of all time. But who is
He really? In His lifetime, He gathered around Him twelve disciples who walked
with Him, literally, for three years. Today His nominal followers number in the
billions. But how many actually walk with Him today?

Becoming a faithful disciple of Jesus requires that we submit to a process. Jesus
took twelve men with Him to walk with Him day-by-day and live with Him for three
years. The training wasn't all at once, though some of their experiences stood out
like mountaintops. But many of the lessons centered on the incidents of life, a
healing, the observation of a tree, the reaction of Jesus' enemies. Little by little
He shared with them how He looked at life. He helped them see what was important
and what was not. It was a journey, a process, and it took time. "One day as Jesus was
standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around Him and listening to the
word of God, He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were
washing their nets.

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