48010.1 Why Making Disciples

Disciples are students who closely follow and learn from their master to become like him.

Every Christian is a disciple of Jesus. We devotedly love and closely follow Jesus our Lord and Savior, learning from our Master to become more like Him (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2).

Jesus’ final words to his followers were: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

We make disciples because God commands us to do so.

Making disciples involves helping others on their spiritual journey. It begins with those who don’t know Jesus and His love for them. So, loving them well and sharing your faith is an integral part of disciple-making. The process continues when they become Christian. Helping them grow in their relationships with God is also an important aspect of disciple-making.

By making disciples, we are helping others become who they are designed to be and fulfill God’s unique purposes for their life.

God’s Call to Good Works

Ephesians 2:10 states: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” These good works flow out of his love poured out into us. Jesus-followers scattered across the globe (the Church) are meant to embody the love for God and love for others not only individually but also as a community. In fact, to do good works means to love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-40; John 13:34-35).

Before we can do these good works, we first have to embrace that the Church is God’s handiwork. It’s His. He made it. It is good. It was made for a purpose. The corruption of sin can certainly distort or even obscure how the Church reflects who God is, but even the worst soiling of sin can itself become an opportunity for the transforming power of the Gospel to shine forth. We the Church are God’s handiwork and we’re created to do good works!

We as the Church do the good work of loving God when we worship Him, obey Him, depend on Him, and testify to His greatness through our collective words and actions. Something amazing happens when the Church is united in love for God. As is explained in Ephesians, “And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). We become a place where we and others can experience God’s presence!

From Generation to Generation

Two thousand years ago, Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death. There was forgiveness, healing, and restoration. There was new life and new creation in Christ. God’s grace and truth turned the world upside down.

This good news fully revived and overflowed from those who first heard it. So much so, that disciples who had been paralyzed with grief and crumbled expectations suddenly didn’t care if the political powers that be killed them! They were preaching in the streets, healing the sick, selling their possessions, and giving away money—advancing this good news simply mattered more than anything else in life (Acts 2) because the risen Lord was with them through the Holy Spirit. The scared-then-unreasonably-bold followers of Jesus together—as a group—answered God’s call to love God and love their neighbors as themselves.

Because of their good works, the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread throughout the world over the years. Today, if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that is because believers who came before you were faithfully obedient to their call to good works (of loving God and loving others).

When you make disciples, you are continuing the work the Lord Jesus began with His twelve disciples and making it possible for the next generation to experience the amazing love of God and peace and freedom in Christ.

The next phase of your spiritual journey begins by asking the Lord to lead you to a few individuals whom you can disciple. Then lead them through “The Adventure of Living with Jesus” study.

This foundational study will help lay a solid foundation for their relationships with Jesus.

Contact Us

We can also help you! Our JO App ministry team is available to train and coach you as you disciple others. Contact us via the “Community” message system in this app. You can access “Community” from the main menu.

31053 The Good News

For four hundred years, the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt.

Can you remember your family history over four hundred years?

Their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents—as long as they could remember, they were slaves. The people of Israel knew no other life than the life of slavery.

But the truth is that they were God’s chosen people. At first, they came to Egypt as honored guests. They were a family of Joseph who had become the second most powerful man in the Egyptian Empire.

The history of the people of Israel tells us the story of humanity, our story.

We don’t remember our true heritage and true identity as members of the family that was designed to live in the two realms and manage this world with God. We don’t remember the glory of the original creation because it was so long ago. Humanity has been slaves to sin and death for most of its recorded history.

The consequences of our sins are all around us. We suffer and cry out for help and temporary relief in life.

At the root of all of our problems in life is our sin, that is, our rebellious nature against God. For our crime against the Supreme Authority, we have been sentenced to death—permanent separation from God.

God Answers Our Cries

Just as God heard the cries of the people of Israel under bondage in Egypt, God hears our cries under the bondage of sin and death.

His answer is…Jesus.

Just as God through Moses led the people of Israel out from Egypt to the Promised Land, Jesus leads us from slavery under sin to freedom in life.

God does not require us to become good enough. It is impossible.

God asks us to trust Him and His solution, Jesus Christ.

Instead of trying to figure out yourself, to work your way out from under the power of sin and death, God wants you to turn your life completely over to Him. He wants you to trust Jesus as your Lord (King and Master) and believe in Him to be the Savior of your life from sin and death.

It’s like the people of Israel trusting Moses and following him into the wilderness under his leadership. God wants you to trust Jesus as the leader of your life and bring yourself fully under His rule and authority.

Through this act of faith, God will consider you righteous (right with God), forgiving all of your sins. Not only that but because of the resurrection of Jesus, you will also be spiritually born again to a new life in Christ!

God’s solution to our sinful nature is death through Christ and rebirth through Christ. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, you are no longer your old self. You are a new creation in Christ. You are not a better version of your old self. You are recreated as new!

The most notable difference is that the Holy Spirit dwells in you when you trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. In the deepest part of you, you are united with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit now can guide and empower you to live the abundant life Jesus promises.

2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 2:5 even though we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved! — 2:6 and he raised us up together with him and seated us together with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 2:7 to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 2:9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast. 2:10 For we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them. (Ephesians 2:4-10)

This is good news!

71006 The Satan and Demons

The storyline of the Bible presents a populated spiritual world, full of creatures who are in rebellion against their Creator, just like humans. For lots of fascinating reasons, our modern conceptions of the Satan and demons are based on serious misunderstandings of the Bible. So let’s go back to the book of Genesis and start over as we learn about the powers of spiritual evil in the story of the Bible.

Spiritual Being Study Notes

The Satan and Demons Study Notes

22220.062 Dr. Larry W. Poland

Larry Poland is the author of this devotional series, “Wisdom from the Trenches” which was originally published as a book by the same title (ISBN 978-1-0980-8113-3).

Dr. Poland is a native of Ohio and a graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois with a Bachelor’s degree in sociology. He also earned a Master’s degree and Ph.D. from Purdue University in college administration, and a Master of Divinity degree from Grace Theological Seminary.

Having placed his personal faith in Jesus Christ as a young boy, Dr. Poland committed his life to God for vocational Christian service while an exchange student in Germany in 1956. In 1967, he was seeking a greater spiritual challenge and prayed, “God, give me a job so great that if You don’t undertake it, I’ll never be able to do it.” In three days, he was asked to assume the position of president of Miami Christian College in Miami, Florida, making him the youngest college president in the United States at age of twenty-seven.

Dr. Poland is the past director of the Agape Movement, an international volunteer service organization under Campus Crusade for Christ, Intl. This movement trained more than 800 volunteers for service and opened 35 nations for volunteers during his eight years of leadership. He has traveled to 80 countries of the world.

Dr. Poland has been a college professor, founded WMCU-FM, the first Christian radio station in Miami, Florida, and was executive producer of the world’s largest traveling mixed media production, World Thrust. He is an ordained minister, lecturer, conference speaker, consultant, and writer. He has authored numerous articles in national periodicals and seveal books, Spirit Power, Rise to Conquer, The Last Temptation of Hollywood, How to Prepare for The Coming Persecution, 2084: A Novel, Lion’s Den Survival Principles, Miracle Walk, and Chasm: Crossing the Divide Between Hollywood and People of Faith (Morgan James Faith).

Media has been a key part of Dr. Poland’s life since the late 1970’s when he hosted an issues-oriented television talk show which was syndicated in major TV markets across Canada. He hosted a short radio feature, The Mediator, which was aired daily on hundreds of radio stations for 18 years.

Dr. Poland is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Mastermedia International, a ministry to the top leadership of film and television in Hollywood and New York, and one which seeks to keep Christian believers informed of the spiritual dynamics inside media. He’s the recipient of the coveted Covenant Award for significant, Christian influence on the secular media and the founder of the National Media Prayer Breakfast.

Harvest House publishers included Dr. Poland on their list of “The 365 most influential people in the world” based on his network of relationships with those holding global media power.

Larry and his wife, Donna Lynn, have six children and fourteen precious grandchildren. Larry’s hobbies include collecting toys and toy trains.