Torch, Spring 1980

10 ACi tevin a Balancet/ Butreacll David Livingston once said, "God had only one Son, and He made that Son a missionary." Christ was sent by the Father to "seek and save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). He came "not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). He came to do the Father's will and to leave an example for us to follow (John 4:34; 13:15). The Lord Jesus provides an example not only in His ministry, but also in His methods. His basic methods had three essential parts: (1) Come to Me and believe in Me for salvation. (2) Follow Me and learn to be My disciple. (3) Go and represent Me as My apostle or missionary. This is still His strategy for today. Pis Jesus moved about the land of Israel, He invited men everywhere to come to Him. When the disciples of John the Baptist wanted to know where He lived, He invited them saying, "Come and see" (John 1:39). To those who were thirsty, he said, "Come unto me ... and Iwill give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Of those who came to trust in the Lord Jesus, selected ones were invited to follow Him and become His disciples.To Peter and Andrew, Jesus said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matt 4:19). He called James and John, the sons of Zebedee, from their fishing business, and they followed Him. He called Levi from his tax collector's table. In a similar manner He called each of the twelve to come and follow Him, and to learn of Him. He called these men to Him that they might be with Him, that He might disciple them, and that He might send them forth to preach (Mark 3:14). In the third phase of working with His disciples, Christ commanded them to go to others with the Gospel. Initially He sent them to minister only "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 10:6). Later He sent them into the world even as the Father had sent Him into the world (John 17:18; 20:21 ). He sent them to preach the Gospel to all the world, to every creature (Mark 16:15). They were sent to minister to "all nations," beginning at Jerusalem (Matt. 28:19; Luke 24:47). Before Christ ascended into heaven, He commanded the apostles to witness "both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Their going and witnessing was to cover every part of the planet to which Christ had come. This comprehensive commission is still in force today. What did Christ expect the Apostles to do as they were sent as His official representatives? The Greek text of Matthew 28:19 indicates that their primary responsibility was to make disciples. Pis Jesus had made disciples, so His "sent ones" were also to make disciples. They were to accomplish this by the work of evangelism and edification and by involving these new Richard T. Mcintosh converts in the work of reaching others for Christ. The work of evangelism was to be carried on by means of preaching and witnessing (Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47,48; Acts 1:8). "Preaching" implies announcing a message of good news to a group in either a formal or an informal setting. "Witnessing" suggests telling what one knows about the Lord and His salvation to one or two individuals. The preaching of Peter on the day of Pentecost enlisted a large response on that day (Acts 2:41), whereas the testimony or witnessing of the church in Jerusalem day by day produced a steady stream of converts (Acts 2:47). Both of these methods were used of God to bring people to faith in the Lord Jesus. How then were these new converts to be disciples of Christ? First, they were to be identified with the Lord Jesus by means of water baptism (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:16). Next, they were to be taught to observe all the things that Christ had commanded (Matt. 28:20). Finally, as these new converts were being discipled by teaching and training, they were also to become involved in the work of going with the Gospel. This program, which was inaugurated by the Lord, was intended to be a continuous, on– going cycle of preaching, teaching, and enlisting. Its intent and thrust could be paraphrased as follows: reach all you can with the Gospel,