In this masterful work George Gray calls the church to live out the most natural expression of her love and obedience to the Master. Grounded in careful exegesis, comprehensive, and sensitive to the complexities of modern life, Gray examines the Gospels as a script that reveals not only how Jesus shaped the first disciples, but how we must carry on making disciples in His name". -David B. Capes, Thomas Nelson Research Professor, Houston Baptist University * * * Discipleship is not about teaching someone to pray and read his or her Bible; it is about learning how Jesus wants us to pray and read our Bibles. Discipleship is not about the doctrine of the Church, but the doctrine of Jesus Christ, the head of the Church. It is not about attending a church service, but attending to the Lord Jesus's view of what it means to be the church. In Discipleship from Jesus's Perspective, author George Gray presents a guide for becoming a disciple the way Jesus intended, that discipleship means adhering to His expressed will. Gray carefully examines Jesus's pivotal statements regarding discipleship and unearths the key principles that transform the art of making a disciple from a subjective guessing game to an objective and definitive master plan. Including purposeful questions and exercises, Discipleship from Jesus's Perspective provides practical steps for following the master plan and applying the commands to everyday life to become a true disciple of Jesus".

DISCIPLESHIP from JESUS'S PERSPECTIVE

Rediscovering and Reinstituting the Master PlanBy George Gray

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 George Gray
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-5959-8

Contents

Part One: Jesus's Perspective: Rediscovery Knowing the Master's Objective.........................1I. Exegesis of Pivotal Passages....................................................................3II. Implications of Exegesis.......................................................................38III. Other Statements That Reveal Perspective......................................................83Part Two: Jesus's Perspective: Reinstitution Keeping the Master's Imperatives.....................103Section One: Spiritual Infant......................................................................109Section Two: Spiritual Toddler.....................................................................175Section Three: Spiritual Preschooler...............................................................229Section Four: Spiritual Schooler...................................................................297Section Five: Spiritual Adolescent.................................................................369Section Six: Spiritual Adult.......................................................................437

Chapter One

Exegesis of Pivotal Passages

In order to arrive at the perspective of Jesus Christ on any matter it is imperative that those passages in the gospels that record his particular viewpoint are fully considered. Modern scholarship has tended to shy away from such an exercise in suspicion that the text is somehow not trustworthy. The assumption is that the original words of Jesus must have been tampered with in order to control the direction of the Church in a way that best suited those who remained.

Placing new words in the mouth of the original leader does not necessarily guarantee any results; for as it is today, those words are either forgotten or manipulated on the interpretive and applicative levels. We can basically make the Master say whatever we want regardless of what is actually written. Therefore, it is not necessary to change the original.

Nor can I imagine it a remote possibility that any such fabrication would have been tolerated by the early Church whose heart and soul breathed the oral gospel tradition. To alter the original message of the gospels would defeat the primary reason for their existence. They were written for the very purpose of making disciples of Jesus, not to further personal political agendas.

Inherent in these doubts about the reliability of the documents is also a lack of faith toward any possibility that God's hand was uniquely involved in their preservation or that anyone had a serious enough relationship with Christ that it would render such a miserable deed unimaginable. Scholarship that is agnostic at its core should not become the gathering point for all future discussion on such critical matters of faith. To demythologize scripture is to remove the supernatural, for the Bible is not a book of myths. To remove the supernatural is to remove deity. To remove deity is to remove any reason for further discussion about spiritual matters: hence we have uncovered the plot of Satan.

The author of this manuscript does not share the presupposition that the "historical Jesus" is someone very different from the person presented to us in the gospels. On the contrary, scripture is valued as the most trustworthy source available and therefore indispensable to arriving at a reasonable conclusion on any matter. I accept those gospel records that were canonized and reject those that were not. I consider this issue of determining what is and what is not accepted as a gospel to have long since been resolved. It is not about changing the original writings as much as it is having the courage to accept them at face value. The point at which they are being tampered with today is not so much on the written level as it is on the level of their interpretation and application.

On the issue of how disciples are to be made, there is only one passage that actually addresses it directly. Yet it is addressed and with great detail and significance. For it is in what is known as the Great Commission that we find the process spelled out in a manner that leaves no doubt whatsoever as to the Lord's original intentions. It is especially noteworthy that these instructions are among the final words to the Church prior to Jesus's ascension. Knowing that this would be His last chance for direct communication, Christ is presented as laying out the ground rules for how His church is to function henceforth.

If there is a desire to know what discipleship is all about the place to begin is Matthew 28:18b-20: "I was given all authority in heaven and upon earth. Therefore, having gone, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all things that I commanded to you. And behold, I myself am with you every day until the end of the world" (author's translation).

MATTHEW 28:18-20

At first glance there appears to be a smattering of ideas with little to gather it in a singular direction. It is only by looking beneath the surface and discovering the actual Greek infrastructure that everything begins to fall into place. A clear pattern emerges that cannot be denied. As will become apparent in the unfolding commentary, the central issue revolves around one single expression in the original Greek. This one word that translates into two in English is the mandate that pumps the life-giving blood to the rest of the body. It is the verb [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII.] (matheteusate), which represents the primary activity that is to define Christianity, namely to "make disciples."

After a careful study of the syntax and grammatical structure, it can be said with full confidence that this one term is the center of the universe for the Christian Church. The sun does not revolve around the earth but the earth revolves around the radiant splendor of this fiery orb called discipleship. Furthermore, it is just such an accurate understanding the nature and order of things that means life or death for the kingdom of God. There is a rare atmosphere that one experiences when approaching this portion of scripture. It is as if Jesus has appeared on the scene once again as the eternal Logos to set in place the principles by which this spiritual universe will continue to function in an orderly sequence from henceforth. Let us examine this passage line by line so as not to overlook any important detail.

In 18, it says, "I was given all authority in heaven and upon earth." The context is the risen Messiah in Galilee meeting with the nucleus of the church in order to provide them with final instructions for the continued advancement of his kingdom in his absence. He approaches them as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as the victor over hell and the grave. As such He is appropriately "worshipped," in verse 17, yet some still doubted. Perhaps it is that very doubt that causes Him to reemphasize at this point His supreme authority. However, it is also necessary when laying down the policy and procedure for all future engagement that one's right to do so is firmly established. Furthermore, as a message to all future generations it will serve them well as a reminder of just who is supposed to ultimately be in charge. This is not for Christ's sake, as if He is desperate to hold on to power, but for the sake of those who will tend to drift toward their own priorities in His absence as well as the absence of their own faith walk. For we now approach a critical juncture of change from "seeing is believing" to "We walk by faith, not by sight" (1 Corinthians 5:7). All that will remain are these final words of direction and our resolve to either repeat or replace them. It is for this very reason that believers must "die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31) to further the kingdom. The self-denial, taking up the cross, and following must continue (Luke 9:23). No longer is there an earthly personality to cling to but only His message, and the Holy Spirit's reminder to oblige.

The term used in this sentence that will most readily determine its meaning is [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII.] (exousia). The Greek Lexicon offers five possible meanings that all seem to rotate around this idea of authorization: 1. the right to act; 2. ability or power; 3. authority or absolute power; 4. ruling power or official power; and 5. means of exercising power. Number three is offered as the closest to the intended meaning in Matthew 28:18 by Gingrich's lexicon. The fact that this authority Jesus speaks of is described as "all authority in heaven and on earth" leans heavily in favor of Gingrich's conclusions by supporting this idea of absolute power and authority. One gets the idea that there is no further appeal process by which any higher authority could be summoned. This is as high up the ladder as a man can possibly go. Yet it is also interesting to note that this supreme authority and final say was handed over to Christ. The implication can only be that this was the decision of the Father (Luke 10:22). It causes the recollection of that well-known passage of scripture in Philippians 2:9-11 that states, "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Ultimately the point is substantiated that this absolute power that was handed over to Christ could have come from none other than the Father. Who else would be capable of possessing authority on a universal dimension?

19-20a: "Therefore, having gone, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all things I commanded you." Notice first that my translation does not start with "go" as do many other translations. Even the New American Standard Bible translates [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII.] as "go" but at least has the decency to offer an explanation in the notes: "Or having gone; Gr. aorist part." They correctly surmise that due to the fact that [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII.] is an aorist participle, it cannot be properly translated as if it were an imperative (e.g., order or mandate). Aorist means it is to be translated as if took place before the actual activity that is being insisted upon. This is why having gone is preferred over as you go. "As you go" means it is occurring at the same time as the making of disciples. As you go is not aorist participle but present participle and is therefore an incorrect translation. Translating it go is also wrong because it is suggesting that it is an imperative and not a participle. Examples of imperatives are go, tell, preach, teach, baptize, make disciples, sing, submit, love, etc. Notice how they all can express a direct order from a superior. However, when you place those same terms in a participle form, you will notice how they all become verbal adjectives: going, telling, preaching, teaching, baptizing, discipling, singing, submitting, loving, etc. As such, they all will naturally end in "ing." You cannot translate a participle without that. Therefore it is totally incorrect to start Matthew 28:19 with the word go. This is an error in the translation process.

When the translation begins with go as the directive, it increases the possibility that the understanding of the passage will immediately begin heading in the wrong direction. This has unfortunately been the case for many generations. The actual imperative of the sentence is not go but make disciples. The going, baptizing, and teaching tell us how to make disciples of all nations. In Greek grammar, any time you have an imperative statement followed by a string of participles it constitutes the development of a main and subordinate clause. Notice the pattern below:

I. Main clause

A. Subordinate clause

B. Subordinate clause

C. Subordinate cause

When it is read in the original Greek, the above structure naturally falls into place and the actual order of things is clearly understood. However, when one tries to transfer that into another language, it can come out a bit jumbled. Great care must be taken to rearrange each term in its proper sequence for the English way of communicating and thinking. Since this has not yet been attempted, what we currently have in our English translations looks like this:

A. Having gone

I. Make disciples of all nations

B. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

C. Teaching them to keep all things I commanded you.

It is easy to see that the typical translation is a bit disoriented. The arrangement above reflects the actual sequence of the original language. However, this sequence must be reordered to make sense in our language. A translation that better communicates what is meant in the original language might be like so: "Therefore, make disciples by going into the entire world, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teaching them to practice everything I commanded you."

I. Make disciples by

A. Going into the entire world.

B. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

C. Teaching them to practice everything I commanded you.

This way the main clause is in the correct position and is properly followed by all of the subordinate clauses that tell you how to perform the task at hand. It is not unusual in Greek to see participles out of place. Routinely they will be positioned both before and after the main clause, expecting the reader to realign them in his or her thinking. If you fail to do so the message comes out a bit jumbled.

The point of all this internal investigation in terms of Greek grammar and syntax is to help us arrive at just exactly what the principle aim of the Great Commission is. The bottom line is that Jesus is communicating in no uncertain terms what is the primary objective: making disciples. Even that fact was hidden for some time as these very words (make disciples) were originally translated as teach in the King James Version. But the term for teach in Greek is [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII.] (didasko), which is not even close to the actual word we have in verse 19, namely [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII.] (matheteusate).

For centuries this Great Commission has remained under a cloud of uncertainty just because greater care was not taken in the translation process. It is hard, therefore, to doubt that Satan was and is working behind the scenes to keep this message from getting out to the public in a completely understandable format. This is one of those improvements in modern translations that was long overdue. Today, make disciples is the common terminology used in most translations. Once you isolate the mandate and its subsidiaries, confusion about the Great Commission is greatly diminished. Instead of many ideas that are disconnected you are left with a singular objective and the steps to achieve it.

So now that we have everything accurately restructured for maximum clarity we can move on to the particular message the author likely wants to communicate. The first thing that stands out with a great deal of particularity is not what is said but what is not said. There is no mention here of "preaching the gospel" or "that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed" (Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47). It is repentance and faith rather than works that allows one to enter into the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14; John 3:16). So it is rather curious that Matthew never mentions faith. He only focuses on making disciples through baptism and teaching.

However, as is so often the case, if you speak only of grace there is a good chance that self-serving individuals will gladly take you up on it and never consider the hard work that is to follow. Such an empty faith would no doubt be reprehensible to the Jewish perspective. We know the Gospel of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience. Perhaps this is the very reason "faith in the gospel" is not presented as the only thing required. Rather, it is at best implied by the fact that it is not possible to introduce a lengthy and severe training process to an unmotivated doubter. Unrelenting dedication is always preceded by burning desire.

In Judaism, it is that desire that is first tested before one is baptized in water, which is understood as a sort of initiation or rite of passage into the religion. The individual Gentile approaches Judaism expressing his wish to unite with the children of God. At that point, the person is examined according to the nature of his or her faith. If the questioners are convinced as to their belief, they are prepared for water baptism by further teaching. This is perhaps why it is possible not to mention what Matthew and his audience considered the obvious prerequisite. Common heritage allows for common knowledge. It seems that this is likely the scenario we see in the Matthew account. Thankfully we have the other commissioning accounts to provide the less discerning with the rest of the story.

There is one marked departure, however, from typical Jewish protocol. That is the act of offering this message and training process to the heathen. To go into all the world and approach sinners with the good news and invite them to become part of the family of God would have been quite beyond the norm in Judaism. It was the Gentile who was to approach the Jew, not vice versa. This proactive method is no doubt part of the new wine that Jesus is offering that will not be contained in the old wine skins of Jewish tradition. Yet at the same time we see that the making of disciples is that aspect of Judaism that remains intact and is to continue to be part and parcel of the Christian experience today. Yet even this exercise is reshaped by Jesus and ends up with His unique signature.

We know that typically, application is made to rabbis who chose from those applicants whom they considered to have the best potential. More than likely they would have chosen the ones who thought, acted, and looked most like them. However, Jesus was proactive in His selection process. There was no application procedure. It was simply Him acting in his Father's best interest and tapping that person on the shoulder that God led Him to. Also personal ambition was frowned upon. The objective for every student in Judaism was eventually to rise to the status of master. Not so with Jesus's disciples. There would always remain throughout all time the one and only Master: Jesus. We are not dealing here with a mere man but the Son of the living God.

Very few in the Jewish faith could rise to the level of rabbi or even be a student of a rabbi. In Christianity everyone is called to become a student of the one and only rabbi, Jesus. He is permanently our Master and we are permanently His and one another's servants.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from DISCIPLESHIP from JESUS'S PERSPECTIVEby George Gray Copyright © 2012 by George Gray. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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