What Does It Mean to Be a Disciple?

So, what does it mean to be a disciple? Jesus said, go into all the world, make disciples.

What does it mean to be a disciple? It's time for The Line of Fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Michael Brown is the director of the Coalition of Conscience and president of Fire School of Ministry. Get into The Line of Fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH. That's 866-34-TRUTH.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. You know, a lot of problems can be solved if we just go back to the basics. Back to the basics. Being disciples, making disciples. We are here to know God and make God known. We are here to be disciples and make disciples. But what does it mean to be a disciple? How do we make disciples? Why is that so fundamental, so foundational, so critically important in the life of the church today? And friends, if we get this right, how will it affect everything else?

I tell you it will in a massive way. Welcome to The Line of Fire. This is Michael Brown and here's the number to call 866-34-TRUTH, 866-34-87884. Bottom of the hour we're going to have a guest, a man of prayer, pastor who's going to share some neat things with us in a new book he's written. The rest of the show we're going to devote to the subject of being disciples, making disciples. What does it mean? How do we do it? Maybe you're in ministry and you've found some things to be very effective with excellent long-term fruit.

Maybe you're one who says I need discipling or how do I get it or what does it mean? How does it work out in the local church? We want to talk about these things. We want to be practical and we'll start with a scripture and then I want to illustrate to you how crazy things are in the body today. But in Matthew the 28th chapter Jesus has risen from the dead and his disciples see him. They're still trying to process everything, overwhelm with his death, his resurrection, see him because it's even true and he ends up spending 40 days with them before his ascension to heaven.

But look at what it says in Matthew chapter 28 beginning in verse 16. Now the 11 disciples went to the Galilee to the mountain Yeshua had designated. When they saw him they worshipped but some wavered. Still just overwhelming and Yeshua came up to them and spoke to them saying all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore or really in Greek as you go make disciples of all nations immersing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Ruach HaKodes the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all I have commanded you and remember I'm with you always even to the end of the age.

So think of that for a moment. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus as the Son of God. He clothed himself in human flesh became fully man while remaining fully God laid aside his divine prerogatives on this earth dies rises from the dead and the Father gives him all authority in heaven and earth. Whatever we do when we're doing his will we have his authority. Oh we submit to earthly authorities we can't tell the policeman get out of my way I'm going to preach I'm going to go 100 miles and I'll break the law. No we we submit to earthly law and earthly authorities unless they tell us to disobey God but in the preaching of the gospel in the setting captives free and the bringing the message to places where it's never gone before all authority in heaven and earth belongs to Jesus it's very powerful to meditate on that and he's with us always wherever we go that's why I said I'm with you always wherever you go whatever happens he's with us always but we're here on a mission we're here for purpose we're here as we go as we go through this world to make disciples of the nations to baptize them to immerse them and then Jesus says teaching them everything I have commanded you so we're going to come back to that what it actually means how it works itself out but let me say this first life is short I'm about to be 66 years old I feel like a kid on the kid on the inside by God's grace I'm healthy and strong and vibrant but almost 66 right even though I've lived to a hundred that means I'm I'm I'm two-thirds in already right even if I lived that long so life is short on the one hand yet long time to be here on the other hand here do they gone tomorrow Carmen remember Carmen Christian recording artist really cutting edge at some of his music blessed me tremendously years back he passed away now 65 the big news in media Rush Limbaugh passing away today at 70 we knew he was very ill I happened to mention him in passing on the radio talking about voices on the right voices on the left and just prayed for a miracle for him he's gone at 70 and a friend that we knew from Long Island many many years ago maybe 76 some around there just got word that he passed away today life is short we need to weigh the times that we have the opportunities that we have and we live we need to live with sobriety before the Lord Psalm 90 teach us to number our days that we may gain that we may acquire a heart of wisdom or that we we may bring a heart of wisdom teach us to number our days not living in some paranoid thing Jesus coming any second and I and for some that's a paranoid thing for others that's a wonderful thought for fathers that you'd paranoid you just can't even think about tomorrow and for others like okay well I only sat down with a family we just kind of played a game maybe I shouldn't do that maybe I should be knocking on doors preaching the gospel no don't get all worked up where you can't even breathe and enjoy Sabbath rest and enjoy family God's given us all things to enjoy richly so first Timothy 6 it says so you can sit and enjoy a beautiful sunset sit and enjoy quiet time with a spouse just we we are in this world but look at the overall course of your life and ask does my life make sense in the light of eternity the choices I'm making the decisions I'm making the direction I'm going does it make sense in the light of eternity and does my life have the earmarks of a disciple does my life have the markings of a disciple that someone can look at me and recognize I'm a follower of Jesus look at me and recognize that that my life is set apart for divine service even as I'm in this world whatever your job whatever your family responsibilities single married whoever you are young old do we have the marks of a disciple I'll explain more of what that means in a moment but can I can I be just absolutely candid with you I mean you know I am you know that's what you see is what you get I have just been so grieved over the state of the body I've been so grieved over so much carnality so much sin and it's not please understand it's not that I get grieved like look at how holy I am and how unholy everyone is now this is us we're all family in that regard or the a scandal for one hits all of us pain for one loss for one hits all of us and I maybe it's naive but I just believe we can be better in God I just believe we're called to be better I just believe this whole thing about being disciples is something supposed to be reality and not just talk and when I just see so much carnality and so much junk and so much immaturity and so much crassness and anger and hatred we're talking yesterday about the world knowing us by our hate more than by our love it grieves me and sometimes when I'll see people attacking me online I get burdened not because it's me I'm called to be a lightning rod the attack it comes my way that's just natural but I get grieved because of the state of the body I get grieved because we're not supposed to be like this I read the New Testament I know we have problems I know we have issues I know their ups and downs I know we're all flawed I know that only God in his essence is good I understand all of that yet I see that we're called to walk worthy of our calling that we're called to live in such a way that that we don't bring reproach to the name of the Lord in fact that by our lifestyle that the world is one to the Lord when they see our light when they see our conduct when they watch us when they're close to us they see there's something different about us in a positive way and when we behave just like the world it it hurts me not because I'm the one being attacked in some cases but because of the state of the body here let me give you an example and then we're going to look at some really interesting dictionary definitions of disciple look at some very interesting quotes from early Jewish literature because there was such an emphasis put on making tell me Dean making disciples but I posted an article yesterday which said it's time to to move on with our focus it's time to get our focus off Trump and I said look whatever happens court cases heard by the Supreme Court and Trump's potential political future if he has any political future or ambition or whatever it is that's not we've been so focused on Trump for five years he's been such a major and divisive character for good for bad whatever but every side talking about him constantly and because he was so connected to evangelicals I was constantly writing about Trump related issues and there were many things to sort out and work through but I said hey look let's just refocus let's let's refocus if this doesn't apply to you fine but I think for many it does let's refocus and step back and say what matters most and have we been caught up with other things so here's one response to this article I got blasted by a bunch of people I don't read comments but I looked at a few yeah the doc is anti Trump so voting for him twice I'm anti Trump he's shown that he thinks that when he was in the White House that people somehow forgot about Jesus that is ridiculous of course never said forgot about Jesus but just we got consumed with other things and look to Trump in an unhealthy way excuse me quote doc and quotes but stop trying to insult our intelligence like you think folks can't walk and chew bubble gum at the same time we are quite capable to support the right man in the White House 2016 2020 and quite believe in Jesus knowing that God put them there 2016 2020 and I believe one of them to remain 2020 2034 but the devil comes to steal Gospel of John 10 I'm tired of the doc besmirching us lost respect for you doc so each time you know insulting me with quotes the Lord rebuke you Jesus Lord have mercy on this person they're probably sincere but very misguided here's someone rebuking me in Jesus name for saying we need to focus on Jesus more I mean can you imagine the state of things and that's just that's just one among many now many others were saying absolutely this is necessary thank you for writing this we agree God's saying the same thing to me etc but can you imagine someone rebuking you in Jesus name for encouraging people to focus more on Jesus and to not be so focused on trouble what's gonna no March no April no what you watch it's gonna happen that's gonna happen no no let's focus on Jesus and get back to the basics I get rebuked in Jesus name for doing it now the reason I bring that to your attention is stuff like this is all over this kind of carnality this kind of confusion and by the way by the way it was master prayer for the election the devil didn't steal God's like oh man I want to trump in another four yeah I tried God said I really tried I know you're all praying to me and I really but the devil was too strong the devil was not too strong anything got stolen got stolen cuz God allowed it to be anyway we'll be right back it's the line of fire with your host dr. Michael Brown your voice of moral cultural and spiritual revolution here again is dr. Michael Brown thanks for joining us friends 8 6 6 3 4 truth I'll get to your calls in a little while but I want to put up another screenshot for you just to give you this is I run into this all the time here's someone posting again in response to me saying hey let's let's really get our focus on Jesus that we've been distracted from a lot of issues so here's a guy responding no I think not and I think you're an arrogant blank if you tell me what you think I need Brown and you have never met me lol pretty relevant blank huh Wow I despise presumption in any level and you have a spouse the height in your squeaky small blank diatribe I mean it's real gross stuff you wrote a little self-loathing might help you with your attitude problem there was a whole lot less where this came from grow some dot-dot-dot so that's a pretty crass if I put the whole text in real crass junk type post you said why do you post okay here's the guy's but I just clicked out of curiosity someone sent me hey look at some of this I just read some of the comments here's here's the guy's about look at this description here of himself this is what he says about himself it's all about Jesus Jesus had joy is an immutable truth I will be with Jesus one day that's the guy that posted the garbage post I just read to you my point is we may have a lot of people professing faith in Jesus we may have a lot of people talking about Jesus we may have a lot of people going to churches but we don't have a lot of disciples because disciples don't act like that it's not how disciples act so a disciple is a student is a follower it is a devoted follower it is someone who now gives themselves to follow a particular person in this case we're talking about being disciples of Jesus so here are some leading Greek dictionaries New Testament dictionaries and I want you to see the definitions because the the Greek word for learn is connected to the Greek word for disciple and the same with the Hebrew words for learn and disciple so one dictionary says this one who engages in learning through instruction from another pupil or apprentice let me read that again the Greek word math it is one who engages in learning through instruction from another pupil apprentice all right let's look at another definition in this same dictionary and this is the one that would apply even more now to the larger meaning of disciple one who is rather constantly associated with someone who has a pedagogical reputation or a particular set of views disciple adherent so you're constantly associated with someone who has a teaching mentoring reputation or a particular set of views translated then disciple or adherent and that's how it used frequently in the New Testament so to be a disciple of Jesus you are constantly associated with him you are modeling your life after him you are spending quality time with him he's here in this earth right going back 2,000 years you're sitting at his feet you're listening to him you're learning from him you're learning of him you're learning from him and and now you're practicing what he's preaching that's what the disciple does it's not just an observer a spectator the disciple is is a student seeking to emulate the life of his master or teacher all right let's look at another definition so math a taste follower often a disciple who is a believer and close follower though other less committed relationships are indicated pupil student one tutored implying a closer relationship than mere information so to be somebody's disciple here think of it like this if you're just going to a church service and hearing somebody preach you could hardly be called a disciple just by doing that unless you were absorbed with that teaching you were caught up in that teaching you were modeling yourself after that teacher and the course of your life was to put those things into practice and to grow in those ways let's look at another definition got a couple more for you and then I want to read some rabbinic writings to you here's another these are all authoritative highly respected Greek New Testament dictionaries math a taste a person who learns from another by instruction whether formal or informal disciple pupil with the quote no pupil is greater than his teacher but every pupil when he has completed his training will be like his teacher every pupil so we are devoted pupils devoted students of the master teacher Jesus listening to his words absorbing them in our lives following his example seeking to live as he lived that there was our whole life is caught up in being that and doing that one more one more definition just to put up for you I think I've got one more do I and so Talmid Talmid is the Hebrew word for student now here's what's really interesting and I've got a screenshot for those watching from the Sephardic website I searched for the word Talmid it only occurs once in the Bible it's interesting occurrence in Chronicles it only occurs once in the entire Bible and it is a meaning of a student learner okay and the root la mode is to study Talmud is that what you study that's the basic the main sources of of rabbinic foundational literature the Talmud but but notice this and the Sephardic website where you can search basically a massive database of rabbinic literature and a lot of it translated into English otherwise in Hebrew Aramaic Talmid or related forms occur over 47,000 times there was this is a major emphasis of early rabbinic Judaism that you sit at the feet of your teacher that you absorbed in studying the literature day and night and in rabbinic Judaism the tremendous emphasis is on learning but then this learning should cause you to live a certain way so there's a famous tractate or book of the Mishnah called Pirkei Avot chapters of the fathers or ethics of the fathers and it starts off with the notion of Moses receiving an oral law on Mount Sinai of course I differ with that very strongly but this is foundational rabbinic Judaism Moses received the Torah at Sinai transmitted it to Joshua Joshua to the elders the elders to the prophets the prophets to the men of the great assembly which would be days of like Ezra Nehemiah around then they said three things be patient in the administration of justice these were three of their famous sayings raise many disciples and make a fence around the Torah so Hamidu Talmideem Harbei or Suseh Yagwath Torah raise many disciples and make a fence around the Torah make a fence around the Torah would mean if if the law says you can't go over 60 miles an hour they'll say don't go over 40 to make sure you don't even get close to doing it but notice one of the key things that they said was raise up many disciples all right let's let's go down to the fourth verse it's called the Mishnah within the Mishnah Yossi ben Yoser men of Zareidah and Yossi ben Yohanan a man of Jerusalem received the oral tradition from them so this is again the from Shimon the righteous and Antigonus excuse me Yossi ben Yoser used to say that the house be a house of meeting for the sages and sit in the very dust of their feet and drink in their words with thirst so this is that this is a concept of being a disciple you sit at the feet of your teacher and you drink in the words you drink them in so it's again it's an absorbing of what they're saying it is a it is your life is devoted to learning from them and then putting these things into practice and then of the sixth verse or Mishnah Yehoshua ben Parakh and Nittai the Arbalite received the oral tradition from them now again I don't believe in the full transmission of oral tradition or the rabbis do but I'm just giving you insight in terms of these beliefs Yehoshua ben Parakh used to say appoint for thyself a teacher and acquire for thyself a companion and judge all men with the scale weighted in his favor so you are compassionate your judgment of others but get a teacher and acquire a companion a companion is a study partner I was listening to a rabbi the other day saying that he said the same study partner the last 25 years so weekly or daily they've engaged in study rabbinic texts but again it's a lifestyle of learning and then one more section at chapter 6 verse 6 or chapter 6 Mishnah 6 to be precise I want you to see it's a long passage but I want you to feel for the idea of how learning was considered to be transformative to the whole life in other words it was not just intellectual information greater is learning Torah than the priesthood and then royalty for royalty is acquired by 30 stages and the priesthood by 24 but the Torah by 48 things by study attentive listening proper speech by an understanding heart by an intelligent heart by all by fear by humility by joy by attending to the sages by critical give and take with friends by fine argumentation with friends by clear thinking by study of Scripture by study of Mishnah by a minimum of sleep by a minimum of chatter by a minimum of pleasure by a minimum of frivolity by a minimum of preoccupation with worldly matters by long suffering by generosity by faith in the sages by acceptance of suffering who recognizes learning of Torah is also required by one who recognizes his place who rejoices in his portion who makes offense about his words who takes no credit for himself who is loved who loves God who loves his fellow creatures of those righteous ways of those reproof who loves uprightness who keeps himself far from honors who does not let his heart become swelled on account of his learning who does not delight in giving legal decisions who shares in the bearing of a burden with his colleague who judges with the scales weighted in his favor who leads him on to truth that leads him on to peace who composes himself at his study who asks and answers who listens to others and himself adds to his knowledge who learns in order to teach who learns in order to practice who makes his teacher wiser who is exacting what he has learned and who says the thing in the name of him who said it thus you have learned everyone who says the thing in the name of him who said it brings deliverance into the world that it said Esther told the king and Mordecai's name okay you say wow that was a lot the point is the idea is not just learning information but taking in truth that transforms your life how much more do we do this now as disciples not just of a book or of a teaching but of Yeshua Jesus himself that we were absorbed with his life we were absorbed with following him the purpose of our life is to know him and make him known the purpose of our life is to be with him and be like him anyway we're gonna take a break from this for a moment I want to bring on pastor Joseph Parker and then we come back stay with us those are on hold stay with us I want to get your comments about discipleship on the other side of this segment Oh God of burning cleansing flame sand it's the line of fire with your host dr. Michael Brown get into the line of fire now by calling 866 34 truth here again is dr. Michael Brown thanks for joining us friends on the line of fire boy just getting reports from friends in Texas and what they're dealing with there and folks in other parts of the country I know there's some really rough weather affecting many of you and if you are listening somehow live or watching live you've got cell phone service or got internet on or radio stations still working glad to be talking with you may God's grace be there to help and help those really struggling so as I have gone down to be with American Family Association a couple of different times in Tupelo Mississippi I've had the joy of joining some of their radio hosts and American Family Radio they carry the line of fire on Sunday afternoons for a couple of hours and I've been on with pastor Joseph Parker and he's got a really neat ministry he has been pastoring for what is it yeah most of the last 45 years currently serving with his wife leading Bethlehem AME Church in Winona Mississippi and he serves as the host of the radio broadcast the hour of intercession so it's it's share things and then prayer share things in prayer gentle heart great heart for the Lord involved in pro-life helps undergird a lot of what American Family Association does in prayer has a new book that he wrote I said hey man we got to get you on the air even for a few minutes to be my guest so Joseph great to have you with us today you know what when we were on the last time I was so pleased I remembered your first name only to realize I remembered it wrong so that's Joseph Parker was a famous preacher in the 1800s and and he's got a great quote I've always remembered so that I always feel like yeah I know Joseph Parker so thanks for being with us hey just tell us quickly as a pastor how was it that that this ministry of prayer has played such a foundational role not just in your private life but in your public ministry well you know back when I think of this that prayer you know the Word of God tells us to pray without ceasing and press us the Thessalonians chapter 5 and I've had the privilege and honor of hosting this broadcast the hour of intercession that I do for about seven years and I would say that prayer has been a foundational part of my life as a believer for ever since I came to know the Lord but I've been steady growing in my understanding of the fact that prayer is so much bigger so much more critical to everything in the kingdom of God and I believe the most fruitful people in all of the world in the kingdom of God are people that really know how to seriously pray and get things done through their prayer life so prayer is really critical to everything in the kingdom of God yeah it really is and how is it that with all the years of ministry you've done pastoring can be very stressful American Family Association on the front lines of a lot of culture battles culture wars you seem to have a gentle spirit about you and a peace about you is that the fruit of your prayer life well I would think so as you perceive it that way but I I would say that without question one of the wonderful things about our life of praying as well as the study of the Word of God and I guess I would say this to the study of God's Word is a form of prayer a form of communion with God and it's very helpful for believers to understand that but our time in walking with God is clearly a way whereby the Spirit of God molds and shapes us to become more and more like Christ it's our intimate walk with Christ is of course is a critical part of us being faithful disciples and so I think it works on me and all the rest of us to become more like Christ yeah and that's what it's all about being like Jesus and that's been a focus of the show before you came on today what it means to be disciples so so tell our audience about this book that you've written what prompted you to do it what are we just going to get out of it well you know the title of the book of course is a pastor's note God calls the church to stand boldly for life and I would say without question if the work of discipleship because I think one of the great challenges in the church today is people who say they know the Lord but they they've not been the site they've been not been taught how to walk with God to walk with him in prayer to listen to his word and obey it and so the book is a compilation of articles I wrote over a period of years that addressed the life issue pretty head-on and aggressively I'm very much of the opinion that the church is way too laid-back on that issue of a board of standing for life against abortion and even churches that consider themselves strong pro-life churches typically there's also much more we can and should be doing to address the life issue and so my hope is that this book and I'm believing that God will use this book to stir pastors in particular but the church as a whole to recognize that we all must become much more aggressive about standing for life and standing against abortion so in other words it's not just a matter of we cast our vote every two years or every four years and then we hope the Supreme Court will do something this is really our job on the ground do you think if maybe one-tenth of the churches in America took this seriously that the pro-life movement would revolutionize the whole country well I think that definitely could and would happen and of course we'd hope that there'd be much greater response of course than that of course of course you know that's what I think of this that the need for us as believers as it relates to being disciples with the life issue but this is true for any issues that you really seek the heart of God in prayer and in the study of his word but there's there's an there's always an assignment at the end of our prayers I think every pastor and every church every believer should say Lord show me what you want me to do about the life issue show me what you'd have me to do and I believe God has an assignment for absolutely every congregation to help address the issue I think too often people may pray but they're not listening for the assignment because there's so much work that still needs to be done that is not being done by the people of God so give me one example maybe one one section or chapter or article from your book in terms of practical action that that every local church could take for the cause of life to to combat the evil of abortion okay well the initial chapter amongst other things touches on the critical importance of the work of pregnancy clinics well pregnancy clinics of course are wonderful ministries in our culture today that do a great work of actually do a lot of evangelism and discipleship and pastoral ministry and I'm of the opinion that there should be so much support from local churches for pregnancy clinics that they don't have to do fundraisers they should church you should put them in their budgets do fundraisers for them send volunteers and baby items well sadly many pastors they don't even know what a pregnancy clinic is and couldn't refer you to the closest one now some do but many don't so educating themselves about this work because I think of the pregnancy clinic as being not I wouldn't I don't want I don't care for the term parachurch I think it's an extension of the church and typically the directors are people with a big heart for what they do or great representatives to educate people about the need to get passionately involved with the work that pregnancy clinics do but that's just one small thing churches should send lots of volunteers to pregnancy clinics as well they should be flooded with baby items as opposed to having to beg the community and community churches for such that would just be one thing I think of also for example one of the chapters deals with what I call the dear parent letter it's simply a letter that explains that if a woman wants to keep her baby it's a it's against the law for a boyfriend or a dad or a mom or anyone to coerce that girl to get an abortion lots of people don't know that's the law dr. Brown and so sadly many abortions happen even though the mom wanted to keep her baby a dad or a mom or a boyfriend or a husband forced it and again that can be prosecuted but again many people if they knew the law they would not force and so I think of an instance that had incident that happened I got a phone call one day in my office right here in Tupelo Mississippi a 17 year old girl called from another city across the country and said I want to I want to keep my baby in my skit my parents are scheduled me to get an abortion tomorrow can you help me well all I did was I emailed her the letter didn't hear from her the next day right away so out of concern called when I called she and her mom were at the abortion clinic she'd gotten the letter had printed it off but she hadn't showed her mom I encourage you please show your mom the letter well later in the day we heard back from her she showed her mom the letter mom was not happy but the abortion clinic workers knew they could not legally do the abortion because the mother said she didn't want it you do an ultrasound on the 17 year old found that she was carrying twins the Holy Spirit used the letter to save not just one baby but two but just think if lots of believers got a hold of that letter and sent it to local high schools and police stations and local youth directors how many babies could be saved because we're knowing the law actually can save lots of babies in our culture today so they'll just those are just a couple small things but there are many other things believers can do to help get involved to help stand for life in our culture got it let me ask you this candidly and I've said you know you've got a gentle gracious spirit but you are you were tenacious for life in every way I I've gotten very grieved with controversy over the recent election and people very upset with those who voted for Trump very upset because he was pro-life and Joe Biden this is pro-abortion etc and and they're all outraged and I've said to them well if this is such a big deal to you I voted for a pro-life candidate yes that's better if if this is such a big deal to tell me the abortion clinics name for me the abortion clinics in your city name for me the pregnancy crisis and I've asked those questions because most are indignant about this but actually aren't doing anything the rest of the year in all in all honesty my brother does that strike you as as hypocritical well you know I guess that's right I wouldn't use the word hypocritical but I guess I would use the word I mean tragically uninformed okay they're clearly believers should be as Pat even more passionate about learning about what they can do to help end abortion as they are passionate about voting for the right candidate now clearly voting for the right candidate one that is pro-life is critical but that's one very small thing yes that believers can do the church could end the tragedy of abortion our culture the church could do it but we have to decide that with God's help we're going to do it and so doing our part is critically important to everything within in the kingdom of God as far as addressing the issue as God would have us to I very much believe so yeah and I'm so I'm so glad you put this out because it's the practical steps for pastors for individual believers tell us the name of your book again and where folks can get it again it's a pastor's note God calls the church to stand boldly for life and they can get it at a FA store dotnet or they can call one eight seven seven nine two seven four nine one seven the AFA bookstore and get it as well all right so there's a couple ways all right great so friends check it out on the American Family Association website pastors notes pastor Joseph Parker hey my brother thanks for for doing the work thanks for being faithful these many years and and may God get your great readership thanks for joining us today I appreciate it thank you dr. Brown god bless it's the line of fire with your host activist author international speaker and theologian dr. Michael Brown your voice of moral cultural and spiritual revolution get into the line of fire now by calling eight six six three four through here again is dr. Michael Brown I appreciate what pastor Parker had to say hope pro life movement it's part of our discipleship part of getting God's heart people of prayer people of the word now putting that into action so that's where we started today what does it mean to be a disciple Jesus is going to all the world make disciples Paul does not use determinants letters because the Greek word method tastes in the letters he was writing would have had a different connotation than what was intended when Jesus spoke about making disciples but if you'll notice in the book of Acts that that's just the way the believers are identified the number of disciples grew number of disciples grew acts 11 in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians that's the first time that these disciples were called Christians and that was apparently the outsiders looking at these Jews and Gentiles together following this Christos Christos guy who was it just some name to them so they mockingly called like these Christ guys it'd be as if I had a following and and people were named Brownites or something like that that's how the term Christian appeared some of them called it Christian because they they thought it was Christos instead of Christos they had no meaning of Messiah to them but the notice that that Luke tells us in acts 11 that the disciples that's whatever that's how he describes them were first called Christians at Antioch as you read elsewhere an accident were disciples grew in other words to be believers to be a disciple that it wasn't like oh the disciple is the super saint the disciple is really really you know cuz the disciples like a missionary I'm just a church no there was no such category is just a churchgoer you were saved or lost and if you were saved you're called to be a disciple and so that means you go back through the Gospels and read what Jesus says about disciples leave everything follow me that we don't all quit our jobs and and and all just sell our positions go on the mission field but we all died to what hold held us before died to our old lives we don't just add Jesus in oh I'd like to have a better life I'm gonna add Jesus in and get rid of the guilt and bad feelings and just have good feelings it's a lot deeper than that it's the end of our old life and the beginning of a new life in God and then we live to do his will we're his and our lives become absorbed with being with him that's being a disciple eight six six three four truth let's go over to Nashville Tennessee Eliyahu welcome to the line of fire can you hear me dr. Brown yeah I can loud and clear oh sorry I won't be filled out no that's good I'm go ahead I'm honored I've been walking you to and fro I've been seeing how you're standing up for morals and values for you know Christ and so my vision of discipleship came when I was studying the scriptures from Genesis to the to Revelation and I got to the book of Acts and they were waiting in the upper room they received the Holy Spirit as the first step for me this is my personal opinion mm-hmm the next step you know um there was a speech given by Peter he's like we'll pay every one of you and be baptized the name of Yeshua of Nazareth on not sorry and you shall receive the Ruach HaKodesh that time 2000 or 2003 doesn't I don't remember exactly we're baptized the next step was that they that believe were gathered together daily at the temple and they broke bread from house to house I'm not again I'm not getting into communism first um but I think that there's something I see so many churches closed now you know when we see the day approaching we're supposed to gather more off and yet we have so many churches closed um obviously denominations not going to save any of us it's not going to bring us together denominations only brought us every every man goes back to his own house in the book of Haggai when the temple of the Lord Hashem is left in ruins so all these churches are closed down and I understand we can do prayer from home but we're supposed to gather ourselves together more often see it approaching yes so I agree yeah let me give you a thought you know as you're as you're reading through acts you did have gathering in the temple and things like that but the main growth was house to house to house to house to house and and I think it's an interesting thing but but I think a point to consider is that the shutdown as it continues should be getting us to think more about gathering in smaller groups in other words that the the best way to make a disciple is not only be in a large group with worship and teaching that's great I love those I love corporate settings I love big meetings I love them love being in them love ministering in them receiving in them but ultimately is living life out together in a smaller setting and and with close friendships and with with smaller groups that are more intimate you can each grow you can't really hide in that setting if you're struggling it's a place where you can open up so that's the other thing let's take advantage of this when in many cases it's difficult to gather or the building after this distancing and things you know whatever that you're living by in various from state to state let's seize this moment to find other ways to really live this act as we should be getting together absolutely and finding ways and looking for creative ways to do it thank you for weighing in I appreciate it Robert Coleman famous professor church growth specialist dear dear brother I got to spend time with them years back when I served as a visiting professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield Illinois when he was a professor there in church growth missions and things like that but famous books you know master plan of evangelism master plan of discipleship things those classic books so he was telling me that he was a Methodist pastor and the the Methodists had circuits there would you be responsible for several churches so you'd have a circuit where you go maybe over a period of a month and you cover all the different churches and you maybe go so this one at this time and then you travel on from there and get hours with this one and so on and there was one just the way the schedule worked where he would arrive on a Saturday and he would he would be with them on Saturday the folks the the folks in the church and they were farmers and things and so he'd do community with him he'd do chores with them just hang out with the people hang out with family have meals with them the new church service and that congregation really grew and thrived and new people got saved and so on and so now they looked him like you're the expert on this how'd you do this you're the expert it's like I'm the expert I did chores I did farming chores but they realized ah it was being together and living life together I know students that have gone on missions trips with me say to India so you've got the journey over there and the hanging out time and you know obviously you're on you know just flying and stuff but but you know in between the hangout time and then all the travel within India and then the meetings and the pouring your hearts out together and seeing God move and getting the times to talk in debrief something just happens it's very special doing that because you've experienced life in God together and and then I I've noticed our school of ministry now is entirely online we put our entire school life in by the way if you want a place to study at home fire school of ministry check it out fire school of ministry comm check it out enroll for one class and see if it interests you just audit one class if you want if you don't even know how seriously you want to take classes I think you'll be blown away by the content full audio classes as we taught them with full study guides with ministry practicums to follow through on it a really rich program two years and then plus if you want to take more classes but when when our school is at its biggest I would do a third year class a mentoring class and when the school is at its biggest we had almost 1,200 full-time students and maybe let's say to 200 when the third year or whatever the number was and and and we had all of our faculty and then the students would put on a list who they whose class they wanted to be in all right so that they have this list whose class they want to be in or whose mentoring group they want to be in and because I was the leader of the school and well-known and things so I would always have the highest number and then you know all the other faculty would get but I can only take a certain number of those people so let's say 30 wanted to be in my mentor group and I could only take 12 so we figure out 12 and then the others would be spread out with the other groups so you think you know disappointed I wanted to be in dr. Brown's group no that all they as soon as they were in another group and another leader spent quality time with them every week and and and they prayed together and they shared together and and maybe they had meals together they could care less about dr. Brown they it didn't matter because they were in a situation of someone really pouring into them and being a mentor and I would notice that when the students would be giving special appreciation they'd always give the greatest appreciation to the one they spent the great time with oh they'd appreciate this teaching or preaching or other things like yeah we just will never forget those meals at your house we'll never forget there's something about living life together and it's the essence of discipleship us in the Lord us with people that are pouring into our lives us getting this ingesting it as to who we are so making disciples is not just preaching and handing someone over it's it's getting that one to know the Lord and then getting them vibrantly and vitally connected with Jesus so that your life revolves around doing his will and you were constantly sitting at his feet learning and communing with him in the course of our day in the midst of all the other responsibilities we have that's our focus that's our desire and when we live like that people will be drawn to us they'll see something in us that we want let us go and make disciples oh and let's first be disciples