Disciples T
Generation NEXT
by JohN LINdSEy BMAA Missionary to Ghana, West Africa
he oſten quoted and familiar command of Jesus, which we call “Te Great Commission,” is commonly considered by
Bible-believing Baptists to be the marching orders for obedient churches and their members. Within our Lord’s direct command to His followers is the order to “GO” carrying and proclaiming the Good News of redemption, “BAPTIZING” those who believe in and receive Jesus, and “TEACHING” the new believers to obey the commands of their Lord and Savior, especially this one command. Jesus’ disciples understood and obeyed their Master’s commands. Tey went, and wherever they went, they told people about Jesus. When the people believed, they would baptize them into their church and teach them Jesus’ instructions for them as they served His church body. Jesus initiated and enabled this plan to reach the entire world with the Good News. It was always Jesus’ intention for disciples to be focused on the next generation of believers. He taught His disciples to teach faithful people to be faithful to teach faithful people to be faithful to teach people to do the same thing (ad infinitum). Our focus should be to make disciples who understand that they are to be disciple makers. Jesus did! Making disciples in a foreign culture is
difficult. Te BMA of America and BMA of Africa had been working diligently to
provide training to help with the discipling process, but we were not seeing many positive results. Churches were reaching new believers, but the church members were not maturing in the Spirit. We prayed, and God responded by turning us to His Word. He used a question to cause us to have new insight into the Scriptures. Te question was, “how do you disciple a person who cannot read or write? Tis is a relevant question since more than 70 percent of the world’s population is functionally illiterate, and the percentages in West Africa are greater than that. So, let me ask you, how would you begin to help a person who cannot read or write learn about God and His will which is taught in Scripture. Would you first teach them to read? Would you read the Bible to them? If God wants them to be redeemed to Him and become disciples of Jesus, we can be assured He has a way it can be done. Jesus selected 12 men He would make
into His disciples. Scripture tells us that one would betray Him. Of the other 11, it is believed that only Matthew was literate. Matthew was a tax collector, which required the ability to record names and amounts. Te remaining disciples were uneducated fishermen and tradesmen. Jesus taught His disciples the Scriptures through stories and parables that combined
everyday life experiences with spiritual truths and principles. Tis combination made what He taught more memorable. For a person who cannot read or write, memory is the only way he has to record the thing being learned. Te method of teaching that Jesus used was effective. When Peter and John were brought before the council of Jewish religious rulers, aſter God had used them to heal the crippled man in front of the temple, Scripture points out (Acts 4:13), “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” It was our Lord who revealed
that the use of accurate stories from Scripture can make good disciples. BMA of Africa missionaries and church planters are now being trained to use
scripturally accurate, chronologically told Bible stories to make disciples who will themselves, make disciples. God’s plan and purpose for each faithful person is that they teach the faithful to be faithful to teach the next generation to be faithful to do the same. It is our Lord’s command, empowered by His Spirit, and includes the promise of His presence. We are to teach those we disciple to be focusing on the next generation of disciples. n
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