Bread of Life Church | Fresno: Today I want to talk about something most of us have heard our whole lives. And yet it's something that's easy to miss when we actually focus on what Jesus meant. See, most of us grew up hearing the Great Commission as a call to get people saved and praise God, Jesus really does save. ⁓ if we reduce the mission of the church to decisions alone, we quietly miss the heart of what Jesus commanded. With the statement when we say, ⁓ disciples not converts, That's not a catchy phrase. It's a return to Jesus's method, not just Jesus's message. Jesus didn't come only to start a movement of believers. He came to form a people, ordinary men and women who learn his ways, obey his words, and carry his life into the world. At Bread of Life, we say it like this. We don't attend church. We are the church, and we exist for the world. So the Great Commission is not mainly a call to collect converts, it's a call to make disciples, reproducible discipleship that multiplies from living rooms to lunch breaks to life groups to neighborhoods. And to get there, we need to understand something about Jesus's mission. So to start off with, Jesus came to seek and to save and to destroy darkness. Jesus defined his mission in Luke 10 when he said, for the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. And that's true, he rescues, he saves, he redeems. But the New Testament also shows another side of this purpose. When in John 1, 3 through 8, it says, the reason. the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. So the mission of Jesus is not passive. It's not only to rescue people from hell, it's deliverance, restoration, liberation, the king reclaiming what the enemy has broken. And that's exactly why discipleship matters. A convert can agree with the message, but a disciple learns the way of Jesus so that the works of darkness get pushed back. not just in the abstract, but in habits and in homes, in relationships and in entire communities. Now that leads us to the next picture Jesus gives his people after the resurrection. The picture of presence to peace, to power, to purpose. This progression of moving from his presence in peace and power into his purpose out to every place. Because after the resurrection, the disciples are hiding behind locked doors, afraid, uncertain, still processing everything that had happened. And then Jesus walks right into their fear. The Bible says, peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit. That's from John 20. Just let that land for just a moment. Jesus doesn't start with a pep talk. He doesn't start with pressure. He starts. with peace. there's a pattern in what he does. First, peace before assignment. ⁓ he shows them his wounds. Wounds before the mission, the sending flows out of the cross and the resurrection. ⁓ ⁓ with a purpose when he says, as the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. And fourth and finally, the empowerment by the Spirit when he says, receive the Holy Spirit. This ⁓ the church's rhythm. presence, peace, power, and purpose. Or as we love to say it, from His presence to every place. So if you're listening and you feel fear or fatigue or uncertainty, hear this, Jesus still walks into locked rooms. He still speaks peace. He still sends with the Spirit. Now that sending is directly connected to the Great Commission, but we have to hear it correctly. The command isn't get decisions, it's make disciples. When Jesus gives the Great Commission, he doesn't say, get as many hands raised as you can. He says in Matthew 28, go therefore and make disciples, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. That line, teaching them to observe is everything because it shifts the focus from information to transformation, from agreement to obedience, from one time moments to a life of lifelong formation. Jesus' mission is not only that people would hear His words, it's that they would learn to live His words. And notice what comes first in that Matthew 28 passage. It says, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Authority comes first. Mission flows from His kingship. So discipleship isn't powered by our personality, it's not powered by our programs, it's powered by Jesus' reign. Which brings us to the question, how do you measure discipleship? Here's a few ways. Obedience is the measure or metric of discipleship. The simple way to say it is that discipleship is not measured by attendance or agreement or inspiration or even activity. Discipleship is measured quite simply by obedience. That's why Jesus says, teaching them to observe, to practice, to keep, to obey. A disciple isn't someone who just knows more facts or has more information. A disciple is someone who increasingly says, yes, Lord, and learns to follow Jesus in everyday life. And the beautiful thing is this, obedience isn't heavy when it's empowered by the Spirit. Jesus sends us the way he was sent and he breathes his Spirit into the process. If you've ever felt like discipleship is just striving harder. Listen, the call of Jesus comes with the breath of Jesus. Now when we think about disciple making, it can sound complicated, but when you look at the early church, you see something surprising. The early church kept it simple and it multiplied. In Acts 2 to 42 it says, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Not complicated, consistent. And what happened? Acts 2 tells us of lives changed, communities formed, worship grew, generosity overflowed, and the Lord added to their number day by day. Then later in Acts 19, Paul teaches in everyday rhythms, in public spaces, relational environments, ongoing instruction, until discipleship spreads throughout an entire region. Acts 19 10 says, This continued for two years so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord. And that there is what we want again, ⁓ ⁓ reproducible discipleship. So what does that look like today, this week, right where you live? What reproducible looks like today is really It's faithful believers walking with others in Scripture in obedience and mission. Here are a few practical steps you can take this week. First, start a names list. Ask the Lord for three or three to five people you will pray for daily. Write them down. Pray over them. Be consistent. Second, invite one person into the Word. Meet weekly for coffee or lunch or even on a phone call. Open the Scripture together. Keep it simple. Keep it consistent. And then ask obedience questions, not just opinion questions, not just what do you think about this, but more importantly, what is God saying? What will you obey and who will you share this with? Fourth, practice spiritual family, share meals, pray together, carry burdens, discipleship grows in the soil of relationships. And finally, step into mission naturally. Watch for open doors, the hurting person, the honest question, the moment to pray. You don't have to force it. Just be faithful and available. This is how disciples multiply, quietly, consistently, and powerfully. And this is how we become a sent church that exists for the world. Let's close with a simple prayer for a sent life. And you can pray with me and just say, Jesus, thank you for seeking and saving me. Thank you for destroying the works of the devil in my life. Teach me to obey, not just to know. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and send me the way you were sent. Make me a disciple who makes disciples. In Jesus' name, amen. And if you wanna take a step into this kind of discipleship, start small. Pick one person, open the word, obey what Jesus says, and watch what he does. Because Jesus promised, when he said, Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.