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The Call and Qualities of an Effective Disciple Maker Acts 14:1-28

Read Acts 14:1-28

We are going to look at the call and qualities of an effective disciple maker.

Acts 14:21 They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. NIV

It is important that we begin by explaining the meaning of some words.

Let’s look carefully at the word “preached”.

The Greek word that is translated “preached the good news” is “euaggelizo” and it is a verb that means, to announce good news. It had a very positive connotation. It does not mean you are necessarily giving a speech to an audience. If you just tell one person about Jesus the word “euaggelizo” would fit that. It is critically important that we understand that all believers are called to “euaggelizo” (to tell the Good News.)

The word preach in our modern vernacular does not have the same meaning as the Greek word “euaggelizo”. Preaching has a negative connotation in our culture. People in our society often see it as a self-righteous and condemning act. Here is one definition from the Encarta Dictionary: To give advice Page 2 of 13 in an irritating way. They may use a phrase like “Don’t preach at me!

Preaching is also misunderstood as the exclusive domain of the pastor of a church. Nothing could be further from the truth.

A better translation would be to announce or tell the Good News. These words better reflect the meaning of the original word given to us by the Spirit.

Some may read about Paul and Barnabas preaching or telling the Good News in that city and winning a large number of disciples and they think that Paul and Barnabas had a special calling from God that the ordinary Christian doesn’t have.

Many Christians think that making disciples is somebody else’s responsibility. It’s the pastor’s responsibility or the deacons’ responsibility, but not mine. That attitude is unbiblical and is killing the church in America.

Who is called to announce the Good News and make disciples?

1. All believers are called to make disciples.

Jesus used the term “disciple maker” to describe every believer’s calling and responsibility to a lost and dying world in Matthew 28:19.

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Matthew 28:19 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." NIV

There's only one verb in that whole sentence. It's the verb "make disciples”. The word "go," the word "baptizing," and the word "teaching," are participles that modify the one main important verb "make disciples”.

Jesus gave the call to all believers to be disciple makers.

The only question is whether you're any good at it.

Jesus was a disciple maker, Paul and Barnabas were, Timothy was, Priscilla and her husband Aquila were, and every follower of Jesus in the New Testament was a disciple maker.

You are called to make disciples and I am called to make disciples. The responsibility of every believer is to make disciples.

So it is very important that we all know what a disciple is and how to make one!

T. S. What is a disciple?

2. A disciple is a follower of Jesus. Page 4 of 13

It is someone that has put their faith and trust in Jesus and they seek to live and act like Jesus. A disciple follows the example of Jesus. He does what Jesus did. He seeks to do in every situation what Jesus would do.

Jesus said in Mark 1:17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." NIV

A disciple is a fisher of men. If you are not fishing for men, you are not a disciple. Fishing for men means seeking out people that are lost.

Ill. A good fisherman does not wait for the fish to come to him. He goes to where the fish are. We need to do the same for lost people.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." NIV

If you are seeking to find people that are lost and seeking to lead them to faith in Christ, then you are a disciple.

We see that disciples are followers of Jesus, but…

3. How do you make disciples?

T. S. To answer that question we need to look again at Matthew 28:19.

Matthew 28:19 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 Page 5 of 13 to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." NIV

The first word that modifies “make disciples” is “go”, it is a participles that means, as you are going make disciples. Making disciples is to be a life style for the believer. We are to constantly be making disciples.

The second word that modifies “make disciples” is “baptizing”, it is a participles that means to immerse under water. It was the culminating act of bring someone to faith in Christ. “baptizing” was symbolic for win somebody to faith Christ. In the New Testament the person that won someone to Christ was often the one that baptized them.

(1.) You make disciples by finding people that are lost and telling them the Good News about Jesus and leading them to faith in Christ. Making disciples is to be a life style for the believer. We are to constantly do that.

Acts 14:1 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. (NIV What do you think they spoke about? (Jesus)

Acts 14:6 fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the good news. NIV,

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If the message was rejected by some, they just went to others that would listen. Please don’t get discouraged and quit when someone is not interested. That means the devil gets the victory. Instead, find someone that is interested.

Acts 14:21 They preached (or announced) the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. NIV

Acts 14:24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. NIV

They just kept telling people about Jesus.

The third word that modifies “make disciples” in (Matt. 28:19) is “teaching”.

(2.) You make disciples by teaching them to live according to the Bible.

Acts 14:21 Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. NIV

You can’t make disciples by just teaching people what the Bible says, you have got to encourage them and help them obey it.

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Ill. That is why we have Connection Cards, outreach events, and small groups. They encourage us and help us to obey God’s word.

(3.) You make disciples by emulating Christ.

Paul and Barnabas emulated Christ by making disciples.

You make disciples by being an example of what a disciple is to be. If you are obeying (Matt. 28:19), then you are emulating Christ. If you want to make disciples, you have to show them what one looks like.

T. S. All believers are called to “make disciples”, so how can we be effective? What are the qualities of an effective disciple maker?

We can learn a number of qualities of an effective “disciple maker” from studying how Paul and Barnabas did it.

4. Qualities of effective disciple makers: "make disciples

(1.) An effective disciple maker has courage.

Look at Acts 14:1,2 They proclaimed the Good News in the synagogue in Iconium. Some people received Jesus and some people rejected Jesus and got mad. That was a pattern that happened over and Page 8 of 13 over. They knew some would get mad and they still had the courage to tell people about Jesus.

Look at verse 3. So when the persecution began, they spent considerable time there speaking boldly. That is amazing courage. Persecution always makes Christ the issue. So the more the persecution grew, the more opportunity there was to talk about Jesus.

An effective disciple maker isn't daunted by adversity. He doesn’t quit because he met a closed door. He won’t say, “Well, I tried to talk to my neighbor, but he turned me off so I better quit witnessing.” If you go to a person and they reject the message, then go to someone else.

They finally had to flee the city of Iconium and they just go down the road 18 miles to Lystra and Derbe and start telling people about Jesus.

You develop courage by spending time with God and with people of courage. We also develop courage by being obedient. Make disciples and God will grant you His marvelous grace and courage.

(2.) An effective disciple maker has spiritual power.

Anybody who's going to be an effective disciple maker must have spiritual power.

Acts14:8, Is a beautiful illustration of power. Page 9 of 13

Here's a man whose feet have never worked. He has no power in them. They are totally paralyzed and no doubt the muscles were all atrophied because he was crippled from birth.

Paul spotted the man in the crowd and God reveals to Paul that he had faith. So look what Paul does. In front of that group Paul calls out, "Stand up on your feet!”

Paul went out on a limb. Do you think he had a battle in his mind like we do when God gives us opportunities to tell people about Christ?

Because God had promised him power, Paul simply acted on it. You and I do not have the promise of the power to bring physical healing, but we have been promised the power to bring eternal salvation.

God promised in Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you NIV

When we don’t believe God’s promises, we are calling Him a liar. It is truly an affront to God when we won't do what we've been empowered to do.

Ill. Most Christians have more faith in their car than they do in God. We just get in the car and expect it to crank. We expect the power to be there. We demonstrate the same faith in God when we step out in faith and make disciples.

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His power is always there for the believer that acts in obedience.

An effective disciple maker is somebody who believes that the power of God is his and claims it and steps out on faith.

(3.) An effective disciple maker keeps the focus on Jesus.

This is illustrated beautifully when the people wanted to start worshiping Paul and Barnabas. Watch what happened.

Acts 14:11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" NIV

They had a polytheistic religion and they believed in many gods. They thought Barnabas was Zeus and Paul was Hermes. When Paul and Barnabas realized what was happening, they did everything to point them back to the one true God. It would have been easy to let the people think they were something special.

An effective disciple maker keeps the focus on Jesus.

(4.) An effective disciple maker speaks to people in the context of their own culture.

Acts 14:15 We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, Page 11 of 13 who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. NIV

They told the people about the God of creation. Every person on the planet is aware of God because of creation.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. NIV

Notice they did not start with Abraham and Isaac or Moses. They would have had no idea who they were.

An effective disciple maker speaks to the people in the context of their own culture.

(5). An effective disciple maker is persistent.

Acts 14:19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. NIV

Some of them came as far as 118 miles and they probably walked the whole way. That'll give you some idea of the fervor of the persecution.

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Paul just got up and went right back into the city. Then the next day they walked to Derbe and started telling the people about Jesus. That is what got him stoned. But they are back at it again. Stoned one day and back making disciples the next. That’s real persistence.

When the door closed in one place, they just went to another. They did not let those that were opposed keep them from going to those that were open. And we should not either.

Ill. Early in his life, Robert Morrison of England, a great missionary, set his heart on going to China. He studied Chinese in London and in 1807, he came to New York to get a ship to China. No one wanted to take him. He couldn't find a ship. He couldn't get there. Foreigners were not allowed in China. But he finally by some means was able to get passage and arrived in China and had to live hiding out for six months in a French warehouse on the docks of Canton. He learned to cook Chinese food and dress in Chinese clothes. He studied the difficult Cantonese language. Preaching was illegal, but he gathered a group of people and behind closed doors, met with them and there were never more than ten people, but he met with them. Seven years after coming, he baptized his first convert, seven years. Finally, he finished the Book of Acts in Cantonese and succeeded in having it printed but an argument arose among the Christian craftsmen who chipped out the wooden blocks for each page and the authorities heard about the argument and Morrison was Page 13 of 13 forbidden from preaching and printing anything at all and all of his effort was halted. Persistent and undaunted, his biographer says, he stayed on the job feeling God was in it. He mastered the Cantonese language and translated the entire Bible into Cantonese. He completed a six volume Chinese-English dictionary to train missionaries and every missionary that ever went to China is indebted to one man's persistence...one man, persistent.

What kind of a disciple maker are you? Are you easily discouraged?

(6.) An effective disciple maker follows up.

Acts 14:21Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. NIV

Then they go back to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening and encouraging the disciples that had been had made. Some by them and some by those they had led to faith in Christ.

How do you follow-up? By teaching them the Bible and by encouraging them to obey the Scripture.