The Priority Of Making Disciples

Those in the church and ministry are familiar with the Great Commission – the call to go forth and make disciples. However, for many, it isn’t that easy in a world increasingly influenced by doubters and distractions. Many Christian leaders may talk about it, but few really do it. Making disciples isn’t a complicated program, but a simple plan that comes only from Jesus. Now a diverse group of pastors, representing urban and rural communities, secular and Christian areas, as well as diverse multicultural backgrounds, and all known for successfully making new disciples, have gathered these sermons to encourage others to be disciple makers too. Discover: How Jesus practiced the Great Commission before He ever preached it Why discipleship begins with a whole-life understanding of worship When disciple-making gets confused with church growth efforts These and countless other insights will help guide you in a faithful, deliberate effort to fulfill the Great Commission – no matter where you live or what communities in which you minister. Included in the book are: The sermon texts and their outline formats. 12 study guides, one for each sermon, that can be used in small group or one-on-one settings in the week following the preaching of the sermon. A final appendix providing a self-evaluation tool that helps each person being discipled to evaluate the progress they are making in their walk with Christ.

Those in the church and ministry are familiar with the Great Commission - the call to go forth and make disciples. However, for many, it isn't that easy in a world increasingly influenced by doubters and distractions. Many Christian leaders may talk about it, but few really do it. Making disciples isn't a complicated program, but a simple plan that comes only from Jesus. Now a diverse group of pastors, representing urban and rural communities, secular and Christian areas, as well as diverse multicultural backgrounds, and all known for successfully making new disciples, have gathered these sermons to encourage others to be disciple makers too. Discover:How Jesus practiced the Great Commission before He ever preached itWhy discipleship begins with a whole-life understanding of worshipWhen disciple-making gets confused with church growth effortsThese and countless other insights will help guide you in a faithful, deliberate effort to fulfill the Great Commission - no matter where you live or what communities in which you minister. Included in the book are:The sermon texts and their outline formats.12 study guides, one for each sermon, that can be used in small group or one-on-one settings in the week following the preaching of the sermon.A final appendix providing a self-evaluation tool that helps each person being discipled to evaluate the progress they are making in their walk with Christ.

The purpose of Go and Make Disciples! is to encourage personal spiritual growth and give vision for investing into others. God chose disciple making as His ultimate means of winning the entire world, but most believers are made into disciples as a by-product of general church ministry; they have not had someone to personally invest in them. If there is a shortcut to maturity in the kingdom of God, it is when mature, godly believers purposefully impart the Word of God to teachable men and women who want to grow in the Lord. Just as Jesus had a strategy for making disciples and developing leaders, so should we. Having a vision for making disciples means understanding the Lord's purposes in spending most of His ministry time with just twelve men. Jesus' disciples received the full explanation of His teachings and the benefit of personal friendship with Him. Because this is still the Lord's heart for those who believe in Him, we who are His true disciples must be willing to invest in others as Jesus did. We need to see that it is “God's normal” for us to intentionally make disciples since Jesus modeled it, commanded it, and trained His men to do it. Strategic disciple making is still the Lord's ordained method for building the Church and preparing ministries.The Lord wants to have an equipped army ready to reap the harvest and conserve it as He again sends revival throughout the world. In the face of the persecution that will accompany the revival, it is disciplined believers who will remain faithful and endure to the end. Therefore, it is expedient that people not only find Jesus as their Messiah, but also that they yield to His lordship, mature into His likeness as His disciple, and invest their lives in discipling others.Our Master's last words should be our first priority! In all four gospels, Jesus commands His followers to evangelize and make disciples as their chief ministry among men. This is evidenced in the significance of the “net” used to catch fish in the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The net had a twofold purpose: to catch the fish and to keep them in the boat. Catching the fish is equivalent to evangelism and salvation, and keeping them in the boat is equivalent to discipleship and sanctification. Notice the last words of Jesus before He ascended back to Heaven as recorded in the gospels:“Go and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matt. 28:19). “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).“… repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations…” (Luke 24:47)To Peter and to those of us who love Him, He says, “…feed My lambs…tend My sheep…feed My sheep” (John 21:15-17).Reuven and Yanit Ross are international Bible teachers. American-born, they have lived in Israel and South Africa over the last three decades, and have had the additional privilege of ministering in numerous other nations. The Rosses have no natural children; they love the spiritual children that God has allowed them to invest in, many of whom are leaders today. They have authored six other books which are described on their website @ www.making-disciples.net

Explores the dynamic process and progressive steps of Christ's strategy for revitalizing our lives, our witness, and our church's effectiveness.

We know that the goal of the Christian life is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. While this is God's ultimate plan, does he have a particular purpose for the cell-based church? I've been wrestling with this question for the past twenty-two years. This question confronts me every time I coach a pastor or pastors. In preparation for coaching, I ask myself, "What is my principal objective in helping this pastor?" "Where am I guiding this church?" "What am I trying to do?" I've come to the conclusion that the primary goal of cell ministry is to make disciples who make disciples. Christ's last command to his disciples was for them to repeat the process and to reproduce new disciples. But how were they supposed to do that? This book answers these questions.The early church followed Christ's pattern by making disciples through the house churches that periodically celebrated together in public worship. In 2 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul tells Timothy to continue the discipleship process by passing on the pure gospel message to faithful men and women. Even though the term "disciple" is later replaced by words such as "brothers," "sisters," "Christians," and "saints," the concept remains the same. We in North America and the Western world often project our own cultural bias into Christ's great commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Most discipleship books, in fact, assume that discipleship is an individualistic endeavor--between me and God. And yes, there is an important individual aspect (e.g., personal devotions, etc.). Yet in Matthew 28, Jesus was talking to a group of disciples. He wanted them to follow his example by making disciples in a group. Jesus molded twelve disciples in a group and then sent them house to house. So how does the cell church make disciples? In this book, I show how the cell (small group) works together with the cell system to make disciples who make disciples. In the cell, a potential disciple is transformed through community, priesthood of all believers, group evangelism, and team multiplication. In the cell, potential disciples are formed through learning how to love one another, exercising their gifts, evangelizing together as a group, and then sent forth as teams to start new groups. Discipleship is a group process in the New Testament, and God is calling his church to re-emphasize this truth. The cell system ensures each leader has a coach and that training (equipping track) happens. Then the cells gather together to worship and grow through the teaching of God's Word. All three aspects are essential to form disciples. Training is needed because disciples won't learn all they need to know in the cell. Coaching ensures that each leader is cared for and receives shepherding. The celebration service brings the cells together to hear God's Word, worship, and receive fresh vision. The goal of the two-wing cell church is to make disciples who make disciples. The cell church today makes disciples by following the early church pattern of cell and celebration. Recommendations: I’ve read all of Joel Comiskey’s books, but Making Disciples in the Twenty-First Century Church is his best work yet. In this book Joel reminds us that the real call and challenge of the Church is not developing leaders or numerical growth, but "making disciples who make disciples." He also helps us understand why that is best done in a cell or small group context, and gives us great insight about how to make that happen. I’m looking forward to having all of our Pastors, Coaches, and Cell Leaders and Members read this book in the near future. Dennis Watson Lead Pastor, Celebration Church of New Orleans ____ I am so excited about Joel Comiskey’s new book, Making Disciples in the Twenty-First Century Church. When I’m asked what makes a cell church thrive, I always say, “discipleship.” Thank you, Joel, for unpacking discipleship; not just as an endeavor for individuals, but as the critical element for creating a church community and culture that reproduces the Kingdom of God all over the earth. I pray this book won’t only be read, but lived out as we were made to make disciples. Jimmy Seibert Senior Pastor, Antioch Community Church President and Founder, Antioch Ministries International ____ I really like that Joel asked the Why question before the How question. He even takes on the What question which is just as important. The interest in discipleship is greater now than anytime in the last fifty years. I fear however that we are using the same words but are not speaking the same language. I recommend this work, I cheer Joel on, he joins many of us who are masters of the obvious. It seems so obvious that our purpose is to be disciples and make disciples. I cheer him on because he goes beyond the What and Why and does address the How. This will help any person who reads it and I pray that there will be many. Bill Hull, Author of Jesus Christ Disciple Maker, Disciple Making Pastor, Disciple Making Church, and The Complete Book of Discipleship, Adjunct Faculty at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University __ The history of the cell church movement in Brazil has many names of great man of God. Joel Comiskey certainly is one of them. We see how over the years his understanding of the New Testament Church has deepened. Again Joel surprises us with this jewel. He covers many aspects of cell church life, showing us how discipleship relates to the broader scope of it, and how to shape followers of Jesus. He takes us to the heart of the matter of the cell church as he states it: “The purpose of cell ministry is making disciples who make disciples.” Excellent book. The movement in Brazil, certainly, will be blessed through this book. Enjoy it. Robert Michael Lay Cell Church Ministry in Brazil Pioneer in the cell movement in Brazil, and publisher of Joel’s books __ In his tremendously helpful new book, Making Disciples in the Twenty-First Century Church, Joel Comiskey cuts directly to the core purpose of cell ministry, which is “making disciples who make disciples.” Then he tells us how to do it through the Cell-Based Church. Like Joel’s other books Making Disciples in the Twenty-First Century Church is solidly biblical, highly practical, wonderfully accessible and is grounded in Joel’s vast research and experience. Great job Joel! Dave Earley, Lead Pastor, Grace City Church of Las Vegas, Nevada Author, Eight Habits of Highly Effective Small Group Leaders Adjunct Professor, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary __ For more than twenty years Joel Comiskey has served the cell church movement. He has helped scores of congregations move from being traditional churches to communities where edification and harvest occurs. Twenty years! Now he combines two decades of observation as his capacity as a researcher. He has scoured many books to assemble wise counsel for us. His discussion of how community varies from culture to culture is indeed penetrating. As I read through the pages I mentally noted specific Christian workers who need to read these pages. Thanks, Joel, for the way you allow the King to speak through you to enlarge His Kingdom on earth! Ralph Neighbour, Jr, key pioneer of the cell church movement. ____ “Joel Comiskey continues to deepen our understanding of the cell-based church. In Making Disciples we are equipped to carry out the Great Commission at maximum capacity. Get ready to have your vision for ministry strengthened and expanded!” Andrew S. Mason, Small Groups Pastor Thrive Church, Elk Grove, CA Founder, SmallGroupChurches.com ____ As one of the world's leading experts on cell-based churches, Joel Comiskey is well placed to show how New Testament-style disciple making works. His decades of experience in fields of ministry all over the world confirm that every-member ministry and personal investment in disciples are God's pathway to true maturity and expansion of the kingdom of God. This well-written book deserves attention from every serious Christian! Dennis McCallum, Author, Organic Discipleship

Disciple Building: A Biblical Framework provides a biblical strategy for helping Christians grow to maturity. Maturity is defined as becoming increasingly conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Maturity is a process, and it is progressive. As people obey the truths of Scripture, they increase their understanding of God and His Kingdom. As this occurs, God gradually changes the believers’ conduct, belief systems, worldview, and ultimately, their character. Maturity also produces an increased capacity for deepening our relationship with God and others, with agape (sacrificial) love as the ultimate outcome. The process of disciple building (teaching believers to obey all that Christ commanded) is central to His commission to the church and therefore a priority for Christian leaders. Worldwide Discipleship Association (WDA) has been part of a worldwide movement of building disciples for over 40 years. This book will give you an overview of the WDA philosophy of ministry and practical tools to begin to build disciples. This Updated Edition features Guided Discussions for use in training a leadership group. For more information about training leaders with WDA visit disciplebuilding.org and wdaleadershipinstitute.com.