This morning I come to you and will say to you that we have a job to do.  This past week has been hard on us as we have people we know and love have died or have faced real difficult circumstances.  It is rare that so many families are hit with so many different problems all at the same time.  We have a job to do.

If you were to identify the church using a picture, what would that picture be?  The Bible shows the church as a bride, a temple, a body and a flock.  The picture of the bride shows the intimate relationship we can have with God, the picture of the temple shows the holiness of that relationship.  The flock shows our dependence, but the picture of a body is a picture of something in motion.  As the arms, legs, eyes, ears, nose, hands, heart, lungs, and brain all work together, the body is able to do what bodies are designed to do.  As the body of Christ, we have a job to do.

The job that we are to do is transmitted to us from the brain.  Christ is the brain.  Christ is the head.  When the Bible uses the picture of Christ as a head, I do not believe it is picturing the skull, but what is underneath the skull, the brain which is the command center of our body. 

I want us to read Matthew 28:18-20 this morning.  As we read it, we will find our marching orders.  This passage tells us what the job is we have to do.  See if you can identify the main order in this passage.

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

In this passage, we might think that the main verb, the primary order is for us to go.  In the Greek it comes out clearer that the main verb is to make disciples.

The going part is literally  “as you go”, the assumption being that we will be on the go.  We go to the store, we go to school, we go to work, we go on vacation, we go to visit friends and relatives; we are always on the go. 

Instead of adding this command to your life, Jesus wants it to be integrated into our lives.  Some people will do their forty hours or so of work and then come home, have supper, and perhaps say, “I am going to see this person so I can disciple them or lead them to Jesus.  What Jesus is saying is that during the forty hours you should be seeking to make disciples.

Actually, the word “make” is added.  The Greek has one word, which we could call “disciple.”  We could say, “As you go, disciple all nations.”  But disciple is not a normal verb that we use, so the translators put in teach or make disciples. Our job is to disciple all nations.

The word “nations” is important.  The message of Jesus was never intended to stay within Israel, it was intended to go to all nations.

The Jewish people divided the world into two parts.  The first was the people of God.  This included Israel.  The second was the nations.  The nations were all the Gentile nations.

The Romans saw nations as we do.  When Jesus adds the word “all” to nations he is telling the disciples this, “As you go disciple everyone.”

The book of Acts bears this out.  The disciples had a job to do.  They discipled in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, to the uttermost parts of their known world.

So what do we do when we disciple someone?  The word “disciple” indicates a learner, a student, or an apprentice.  A disciple is someone who learns from a teacher and then follows the teachings of that person.

Let’s take this question, “How do we help a person become a student or follower of Jesus” by looking at how we do it in any other situation.  I think you will find that there are three steps that we use.  First is the power of personal testimony.  Second, is the presentation of a clear way to get involved.   Third is the invitation to take the steps needed.

Let’s say that you were interested in helping a neighbor train their dog.  You had found real help from Caesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer.  You knew he could help your neighbor, but your neighbor did not know anything at all about him.  What would you do?

First, you would give a personal testimony of how this person had helped you with your dog.  If the dog was eating your table leg from your great-grandmother’s kitchen table and the Dog Whisperer’s techniques had solved the problem, you would not hesitate to give this personal testimony.  And many of you have.  You have found a person or a product that works and you tell everyone how good the camera is, how great the teacher is, how much you gained by going to a certain doctor or hospital.

Second, for a person to become a follower of the dog whisperer, they would need to know what resources were available and how to get them.  So you would send them to u-tube or tell them what channel the program was viewed on.  You might let them know that you have DVDs that you would lend them if they wanted to see them.  You might even invite them to your home to watch the show on your TV or on your DVD player.  It would be a very natural conversation, but absolutely essential if that person is going to be a disciple of Mr. Millan.

Third, because you have shared how good this program is for you and how they can get involved, the weight is now on their shoulders to make a decision.  Do they take advantage of the resources available or leave them alone. 

At this point you have two choices.  You make a choice dependent on your personality and on what you know about the other person.

Some people you do not press.  You know they know how good the teacher is, what they have to do to connect, and you leave them to make the decision.  Some people if you pressure them for a decision will immediately decide no.  I am that way a lot of times.  If a person calls me on the phone and says, “You need to buy this now.  It’s a great deal!”  My answer often is, “If I have to make a decision at this moment then my decision will be no!”

Some people need to be challenged.  They are people that you know don’t step forward without a little prodding.  They are often indecisive.  They want to see the video, they want the help, but if left to themselves, will never take the initiative. 

So what do you do?  You say to this person, “Why not give it a try?”  You want them to say “yes” as you know that will be important for them.

There is an extra dynamic at work when we come to making disciples of Jesus.  Sharing our testimony is powerful.  What has Jesus done for you?

Ted Williams has been in the news lately.  He is a homeless man who has an incredible radio voice.  Someone taped him and put his face on the internet.  His voice is so good that millions went to listen to him.  Now he has job offers from all over, including the Cleveland Cavaliers.  They want to hire him and give them the home that LaBron James lived in when he was in Cleveland.  When asked how he was going to beat the addiction that had ruined his life, he said, “I need to make God my number one priority.”  That was a powerful and simple testimony to the goodness and grace of God.

However, sharing the testimony needs to follow at some point by giving people more information about Jesus.  You are learning some of that here in church.  Take what you know and tell people what you know about Jesus.  Tell them of his love, of his death on the cross, of his resurrection.  Tell them that Jesus forgives anyone who repents and puts their faith in Him.  People need to know Jesus and what response is required.

Some people need to be left with that information and some need to be asked, “Why not trust him.”  For the extra dynamic that is at work when we share Jesus as compared to when we share with someone how to train their dog is the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Verse 20 tells us that as we make disciples that God is with us to the end of the age.  When Jesus is lifted up, he draws all men to himself.  The Holy Spirit is working behind the scenes to convict people of sin, righteousness and judgment.

So as we seek to make disciples, we need to tell others what Jesus has done for us and let them know how they can be reconciled to God, through faith in Jesus Christ.  The decision is theirs, but they cannot make that decision if they don’t at least have the basic information.

Some need to be left with the information.  God will work on their heart.  Others may need a gentle prod.  We need to be open to hear the voice of God.

But, that is what we can do to make disciples.  How we live our lives, our reputation, our honest, how we treat people are all important.  But our job is to make disciples of all nations.

Here is the real deal.  All of us have our circle of friends.  My circle and your circle have some common names in the list.  But both you and I have different people as well.  As you go into your circle, Jesus has a job for you to do.  He wants you to make disciples.  He wants us to go into all the world.  You have been chosen to go into your part of the world, I have been chosen to go into mine.  One purpose of meeting as we do on Sundays is to help prepare us as we go, to make disciples.

This also explains why this church spends so much on missions.  We have made a commitment to have 16% of our budget go to help missionaries.  Some places have no Bible.  Some people have never heard about Jesus.  We cannot be content to take care of our own little nation and neglect the world at large.

People need the Lord.  Why don’t you go?  In todays missionary world they need people with all sorts of skills and abilities.  It used to be all Bible teachers, but today they need teachers, truck drivers, electricians, carpenters, financial managers, doctors, nurses, and even more. 

When people make that commitment to trust Christ, this passage tells us that we are to put before them two challenges that Jesus requires.

The first is baptism.  When a person trusts Jesus, he gives them a new life.  We listen to his voice, we follow his teachings, we come to know him and all is new.  The old needs to be buried.  The Bible speaks many times about our “burial with him in baptism.”  A person who commits to Jesus leaves the old life.  Baptism symbolizes the burial of that life.  Baptism does not save, but shows that we have a right conscience before God because of how Jesus forgave our sins.

The second is teaching.  How can we follow Jesus if we don’t know what he says?  So we have the job of teaching disciples to obey all that Jesus commanded.  This is why we spend so much time in studying the Bible.  We do it Sunday morning, Sunday school, evening service, small groups, and personal devotions. 

Knowledge is not enough, but if we don’t know what to do, we will never do what we should.  Jesus said that we are to teach people to obey, not just teach people.

My question for us is simple.  At the end of 2011 will we have done the job God wants us to do?  Will we have made disciples?  Will we have gone to our parents, our children, our spouses, our friends, our coworkers, our acquaintances, our circle of people and as we have gone, made disciples?  If so, then God will be pleased.  If not, then God will not be pleased that we have not done the job that he has asked us to do.