![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Pappa-Buford_Mamma-Lula-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nI could share an extensive list of other individuals who have had a top influence on my life as it relates to my passion for and commitment to Jesus. I am who I am because faithful people invested in me, shared with me, inspired me, challenged me, and taught me how to follow Jesus. I bet many of you could say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Could someone say this of you? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you spurred others on to follow Jesus more closely? Have you challenged others to love Jesus more deeply? Have you taught others how to read and apply God’s Word to their lives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Great Commission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd Jesus came and said to them, \u201cAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.\u201d (Matt. 28:18-20, ESV)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This text is known as \u201cThe Great Commission.\u201d It is a command given to all people who have decided to follow Jesus. It is not a command given only to \u201cprofessional clergy,\u201d seminary students training for ministry, or some spiritually elite few. The Great Commission is given to everyone who has placed their faith in Christ, and following and fulfilling this command should be the priority of our lives. Everything else should be secondary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Great Commission is personal. Are you making disciples? It also has corporate elements. Is your church making disciples? In every ministry you engage in, every group that meets, and every program you initiate, you must ask: \u201cAre we making disciples?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discipleship is a developmental process whereby believers intentionally pass on to others what they know, have experienced, and are learning about Jesus so that others become more like Jesus. You can see in this definition that the amount of time you have followed Jesus does not matter. Sometimes we make excuses like, \u201cI don\u2019t know enough,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m not ready yet,\u201d or \u201cI wouldn\u2019t know where to begin,\u201d but these excuses don\u2019t cut it when we look at what Scripture teaches about making disciples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Discipleship doesn\u2019t need to be complicated. When you disciple someone, you are simply passing on to them what you know, have experienced, or learned about Jesus. Even if you trusted Jesus last week, you know enough to share what you have learned and experienced about Jesus with someone else. You can share that you realized you were a sinner and that Jesus saved you when you placed your trust in him. You can share about the forgiveness and grace you found in him. If you are spending time alone with Jesus, pass on what you are studying and learning in the context of a relationship\u2014this is discipleship! Discipleship is a marked decision; it is a volitional choice. Choose to share what you know, have experienced, and are learning about Jesus so that others will become more like him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you read this, you might be thinking, \u201cI don\u2019t know where to begin making disciples.\u201d Well, let me tell you where to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ensure that you are a disciple<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You can\u2019t make disciples until you are<\/em><\/strong> a disciple. You must turn from your sin and call on the name of the Lord\u2014this is the gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray for a disciple<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is what Jesus did. He prayed all night (Luke 6:12) before choosing his disciples. Who is it that God is laying on your heart that you could see yourself investing in? Start slow and ask God for one disciple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Select Your Disciple<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus selected tax collectors and fishermen. Once you select that person, ask them, \u201cWould you be willing to meet once a week or once every other week to read God\u2019s Word together and talk about what we\u2019re learning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instruct your disciple<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This simply means you lead the way. If you ask them to read a chapter of Scripture, you better ensure you read it too. If you ask them to memorize a verse, you better memorize that verse too. And remember, this is not about a program, it\u2019s about a relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discipleship is a decision\u2014a choice to share your journey with Jesus and guide others along the path. Let us accept this challenge and live out the Great Commission, advancing the Kingdom one disciple at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What exactly are we doing here? From time to time, any organization, and especially every church, should examine this question. If we are going to make a maximum impact for Jesus in our generation and in the generations to come, we must be laser-focused on keeping the main thing, the main thing. Recently, our church summed it up this way: Champion Forest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":513,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n What exactly\u00a0are we doing here?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n From time to time, any organization, and especially every church, should examine this\u00a0question.\u00a0If we are going to make a maximum impact for Jesus in our generation and in\u00a0the generations to come, we must be laser-focused on keeping the main thing,\u00a0the main thing.\u00a0Recently, our church\u00a0summed it up this way: Champion Forest Advances the Kingdom by making disciples,\u00a0loving our community, and strengthening the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, let's delve deeper into the first aspect of this tri-fold mission, that of\u00a0making\u00a0disciples.\u00a0Before we continue, allow me to share with you a significant part of my\u00a0personal history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamma Lula and Pappa Buford were my\u00a0great grandparents. You know my poppa was a boss with a name like Buford. Poppa\u00a0Buford and Mamma Lula loved Jesus and probably impacted my family more than\u00a0anyone else. Pappa Buford was a contractor who built the church my dad\u2019s family\u00a0worshiped at growing up, and he even sang in a southern gospel quartet. Most\u00a0importantly, he and Mamma Lula taught my dad, in word and deed, the importance of\u00a0following Jesus. It\u2019s safe to say that I would not have been raisedin the church if it was\u00a0not for this couple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a picture of my great-grandparents, Mamma Lula and Pappa Buford. You know my poppa was a boss with a name like Buford. Poppa Buford and Mamma Lula loved Jesus and probably impacted my family more than anyone else. Pappa Buford was a contractor who built the church my dad\u2019s family worshiped at growing up, and he even sang in a southern gospel quartet. Most importantly, he and Mamma Lula taught my dad, in word and deed, the importance of following Jesus. It\u2019s safe to say that I would not have been raised in the church if it was not for this couple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I could share an extensive list of other individuals who have had a top influence on my life as it relates to my passion for and commitment to Jesus. I am who I am because faithful people invested in me, shared with me, inspired me, challenged me, and taught me how to follow Jesus. I bet many of you could say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Could someone say this of you? That you have spurred others on to follow Jesus more closely? That you have challenged others to love Jesus more deeply? Have you taught others how to read and apply God's Word to their lives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd Jesus came and said to them, \u201cAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.\u201d (Matt. 28:18-20)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This text is known as \u201cThe Great Commission.\u201d It is a command given to all people who have decided to follow Jesus. It is not a command given only to \u201cprofessional clergy,\u201d seminary students training for ministry, or some spiritually elite few. The Great Commission is given to everyone who has placed their faith in Christ, and following and fulfilling this command should be the priority of our lives. Everything else should be secondary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Great Commission is personal. Are you making disciples? It also has corporate elements. Is Champion Forest making disciples? In every ministry we engage in, every life group that meets on our campuses, and every program we initiate, we must ask: \u201cAre we making disciples? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Discipleship is a developmental process whereby believers intentionally pass on to others what they know, have experienced, and are learning about Jesus so that others become more like Jesus. You can see in this definition that the amount of time you have followed Jesus does not matter. Sometimes we make excuses like, \u201cI don\u2019t know enough,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m not ready yet,\u201d or \u201cI wouldn\u2019t know where to begin,\u201d but these excuses don\u2019t cut it when we look at what Scripture teaches about making disciples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Discipleship doesn\u2019t need to be complicated either. When we disciple someone, we are simply passing on to them what we know, have experienced, or learned about Jesus. Even if you trusted Jesus last week, you know enough to share what you have learned and experienced about Jesus with someone else. You can share that you realized you were a sinner and that Jesus saved you when you placed your trust in him. You can share about the forgiveness and grace you found in him. If you are spending time alone with Jesus, pass on what you are studying and learning in the context of a relationship \u2013 this is discipleship! Discipleship is a marked decision; it is a volitional choice. Choose to share what you know, have experienced, and are learning about Jesus so that others will become more like him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You say, Pastor Jarrett, I don\u2019t know where to begin making disciples. Well, let me tell you where to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ensure that you are a disciple<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You can\u2019t make disciples until you are a disciple. You must turn from your sin and call on the name of the Lord \u2013 this is the gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray for a disciple<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is what Jesus did! He prayed all night (Luke 6:12) before choosing his disciples. Who is it that God is laying on your heart that you could see yourself investing in? Start slow and ask God for one disciple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Select Your Disciple<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus selected tax collectors and fishermen. Once you select that person, ask them, \u201cWould you be willing to meet once a week or once every other week to read God\u2019s Word together and talk about what we\u2019re learning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instruct your disciple<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This simply means you lead the way. If you ask them to read a chapter of Scripture, you better ensure you read it too. If you ask them to memorize a verse, you better memorize that verse too. And remember, this is not about a program, it\u2019s about a relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are interested in being discipled yourself, text \u201cmaking disciples\u201d to 77379 and our team will follow up with you to connect you with a discipleship relationship.<\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[35],"class_list":["post-250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-life","tag-sermon","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is Discipleship?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Begin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Great Commission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is Discipleship?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Begin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n