Most Christians understand the idea that we need to share our faith. We don’t all do it, but we get that we should. Working as the president of a missions organization, I’ve been privileged to hear hundreds of stories behind the motive for missions. Some are deeply personal, but most of them are simply moments of awakening to one or all of these six truths. The interesting thing is, these six things are true for every Christian, not just a select few. We have been given a compelling motive to share the Gospel with urgency. So why aren’t we? Here are my six reasons every Christian needs to prioritize making more disciples, right now:
1. Jesus Commanded It
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 | The Great Commission
Jesus’ command to “Make disciples of all nations” leaves no room for error. If he commanded it, we ought to tackle it full force. But there’s another reason why we should want to persuade them.
2. Snatch them from Darkness
If we truly believe in a literal place of eternal punishment for those who don’t know about Jesus and don’t obey him (2 Thess. 1:8-9), then it stands to reason that loving Christians would want to do everything they can to get the message out as quickly as possible to save as many as possible from eternal darkness.
You see, researchers tell us that there are approximately 2.9 billion people in the world today who don’t have a significant enough witness in their midst to give them a viable opportunity to choose Jesus. They are unreached by circumstance, not by choice. They’ve never had a valid chance to say “Yes!” to following Jesus.
How much would we have to hate them to keep the truth a secret — especially when we know how to retell it?
The Invisible Barriers
To make matters even more complicated, these 2.9 billion people don’t all speak the same language. In fact, many wouldn’t even speak to one another if they did! They consist of groups, separated by barriers of geography, culture, understanding, and/or acceptance. Their fathers and forefathers wouldn’t speak to one another, and their descendants are upholding the tradition.
They might shop in the same market. Maybe they even attend the same university. But because of some kind of barrier, be it language, lingering resentment, ethnicity, or simple pride, they don’t hang together. Therefore, reaching one population segment is no guarantee of reaching the neighboring group.
When we begin to count all those differing tribes, languages, castes, and nations, the numbers swell quickly. Some researchers tell us many of these groups will need unique strategies — because they are unique “people groups.” The old song, “Each one, reach one,” breaks down when the “one” won’t talk to the other. Nope — to reach these unreached people groups, the effort is going to have to be intentional.
3. The Urban Sprawl is INCREASING complexity
Add to this the challenge of today’s cities. Over half the people in the world live in urban areas. Take London, for instance. In a 2015 study, it was encouraging to hear that 33% of all Londoners believe in an afterlife. But, in the same study, 41% reported that they believe we simply “cease to exist” after death, and another 26% weren’t sure. Roughly 1/3 of all adults in Britain now claim they don’t believe in “a God.”(Source: https://yougov.co.uk/news/2015/02/12/third-british-adults-dont-believe-higher-power/)
Megacities of influence which were once missionary-sending centers are now becoming confused and even negative about Christianity.
If this is true, and many believe it is, then today’s church faces a virtual emergency situation. Every day, among all these tribes, castes, and nations, some 50,000 to 70,000 people pass into a Christless eternity, meaning they have no hope of Heaven.
4. Caring for the One
In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of the shepherd who, for the sake of one lost lamb, will leave 99 sheep in a meadow in the high country. He will comb the hillsides, picking his way in and out of ledges and briar patches, in hopes of finding that one lost sheep.
How much the more, with 2.9 BILLION lost souls, should we make it a priority to “leave the 99” in the high country and mobilize every resource available for the sake of the last, the least and the lost. Many of these same people are also the most desperate, living in the greatest darkness, in the most imminent danger.
In Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster hit movie, Schindler’s List, Liam Neeson’s character, Oskar Schindler, arrives in Krakow in 1939, hoping to make a good living running his new factory. He joins with the Nazis at first because it seemed smart for business. He fills his factory with Jewish workers for similar reasons. When Hitler’s troops begin wiping out nearby Jewish settlements, Schindler protects his workers, perhaps in the beginning, mainly to keep his factory running smoothly. But soon, he becomes passionate about saving innocent lives. In a famous scene, with the help of his Jewish accountant, played by Ben Kingsley, he works hard to develop a list in which every life mattered. He can be heard to say again and again, “How many are on the list now?” At the end of the movie, he’s asking, “Why didn’t I sell my car? Why didn’t I sell this pin?”
Of course, Schindler is moved by the gratitude of all those he has saved. But he’s filled with deep regret that he couldn’t have saved “just one more.”
5. Add to God’s Glory
But there’s another reason that goes beyond the imminent justice of God. And that is the glory of God itself. John Piper wrote, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. So worship is the fuel and goal of missions.” (See the Introduction to the Third Edition of Let the Nations be Glad online at https://document.desiringgod.org/let-the-nations-be-glad-pdf-excerpt-en.pdf?ts=1446647796, page 15.)
One reason to make more disciples is that we would love for them to be wearing a white robe (headed to Heaven) at the end of all time. They should not go to their grave without someone testifying to them about Christ’s love. But another reason is that reaching them will add to God’s glory, not only by building His Kingdom, but also by means of the many more praises that will then be uttered by a tapestry skin-tone and culture that will be all the more multifaceted and multi-colored.
If we could possibly accelerate the fulfillment of the Great Commission, would not every church, every household, and every individual in God’s Kingdom want to become involved? What if these approaches helped us save millions, or thousands, or even just one more soul? Would it not become our highest priority?
6. Pace Matters
The pace of Kingdom growth — the tempo — then, matters significantly. If we can implement an approach that might speed up that pace, then let’s train and use these strategies and life practices to the max.
Curtis Sergeant is somewhat famous for his little 12-minute training video about the importance of the speed at which we tell the Good News to the unreached. When he begins telling about pace, he begins snapping his fingers rather loudly, explaining that, with each snap, another soul is passing into a Christ-less eternity. About 50,000 people per day die among all unreached peoples — which roughly corresponds to one person every second. (See Curtis’ 12-minute training video about “Pace Matters” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-fnImBNckU.)
At the same time, let’s help existing believers to dig deeper roots in the Word of God. These two operations should be occurring simultaneously — but our point is, when it comes to getting the word out, there is no time to waste. In view of the millions (billions, actually) with little or no message, would not today’s highest priority be “more disciples” and “more training” to reach as many as possible, among as many neighbors and nations as possible?
What about you? Do you have a reason for urgently pursuing more disciples in your own life? I’d love to hear your additions in the comments.
I understand that many Christians want to make disciples and simply don’t know where to begin. For this, I can’t recommend Zume enough. It’s totally free, it’s online, and you can start right away. Get a together a group of four or more and get started.
