Three Pictures of Discipleship - Zac Poonen
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Summary
The speaker discusses the two essential parts of the Great Commission: preaching the gospel to all creation and ensuring that those who hear it are saved. He emphasizes that when evangelizing to unreached areas, supernatural manifestations of God's power are necessary because people have no prior context for the gospel. The second part involves teaching scripture publicly, as the initial conversion is only the first step toward discipleship.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Preaching the gospel to all creationThe first part of the Great Commission is found in Mark 16, where Jesus commands going into all the world to preach a gospel centered on Christ's death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins.Mark 16:15
Signs following frontier evangelismGoing into new areas where the gospel has never been preached involves supernatural confirmations like casting out demons and healing the sick.
The limitation of a shallow conversionWhen evangelism focuses only on intellectual acceptance without deep repentance, believers often remain indistinguishable in their daily lives from nominal Christians.
The other side in Matthew 28A complete coin has two sides, and the second part of the Great Commission in Matthew commands making disciples and teaching them to observe everything Jesus commanded.
Hard words to the multitudeJesus spoke hard conditions of discipleship to large crowds, demanding that followers hate family ties, carry their cross, and give up all possessions.Luke 14:25
The tower builder and the foundationDiscipleship is like building a skyscraper where repentance and forgiveness form the foundation, but many believers stop at the foundation and never build the superstructure.
Faith and good works in EphesiansWhile salvation is a free gift without works in the foundation, the superstructure of the Christian life is full of good works prepared beforehand by God.
The king going into battleThe second picture is a king going to war, representing the spiritual battle against Satan where true disciples refuse to make peace with the enemy.Luke 14:31
Gideon's army and alertnessGideon's reduction of his army to three hundred men illustrates how God uses a small, alert core of wholehearted believers to rout the enemy.
Salt and speech seasoned with graceThe third picture is salt, emphasizing the need to retain spiritual fire and keep our speech seasoned with grace and truth at all times.
Standing before the Lord like JeremiahBy standing constantly in God's presence and sifting out the worthless from our conversation, we can speak as the very mouth of God.Jeremiah 15:19
Putting Christ above family tiesLoving Jesus must be so supreme that our affection for family members resembles hatred by comparison, ensuring no earthly relationship supersedes God's will.
Denying self and taking up the cross dailyTaking up the cross is not a once-for-all event like baptism, but a daily yielding of our own self-will when we face mistreatment or pressure.
Surrendering all possessions like AbrahamPossessing nothing means holding all earthly things and relationships loosely with an open hand, just as Abraham was willing to offer up Isaac.Luke 14:33
