Do you disciple others to only “enjoy God’s grace” without also discipling them to “extend God’s glory” to all nations? If so, your discipleship is incomplete. Reaching the nations needs to be integrated into your discipleship of others!
How can you integrate reaching the nations as you disciple others?
Teach them the Bible’s grand narrative.
Model living as a Global Christian.
Pray with them for the nations.
Teach disciples the Bible’s grand narrative.
How did Jesus teach His disciples to interpret the Bible? In Luke 24:44-47, Jesus “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” He taught them how to interpret all of Scripture. “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead” (Luke 24:46). Yes, all of Scripture is about Jesus but all of Scripture is also about the global proclamation of His name to all nations; “that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47).
The grand narrative of the Bible is God’s plan to gather worshippers from all nations. Show how God’s heart for the nations begins in the first chapter of the Bible where He tells His image bearers to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen. 1:28). This is the overarching theme of the Bible (Luke 24:44-47), including the Bible’s conclusion of “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9). The Bible is the story of God extending His glory to all nations through His people as a response to His marvelous grace. We were created to enjoy His grace so that we can extend His glory to all nations (Gen. 12:1-3, Ps. 67:1-2).
One way to teach your disciples the grand narrative of Scripture is to go through a group study like God’s Heart for the Nations by Jeff Lewis. This is an eight lesson study to discover the missions basis of the Bible.
Another tool is Missionary Bible, Missionary God, a one-year daily devotional based on a chronological reading of Scripture. Each day connects that day’s reading with its place in the Bible’s grand missions narrative.
Don’t only teach, model living as a Global Christian.
In discipleship, more is caught than taught. Those who have had the greatest impact on my life are those who I spent a lot of time with and learned from their example. Jesus spent three years with His disciples, not just teaching but living life together with them. In college, my discipler, Olan, introduced me to my first missionary over dinner. He also introduced me to my first cross-cultural experience by arranging an opportunity to spend the summer with 3 others from a different culture. We read and discussed a missionary biography together. Olan modelled evangelism across cultures. Take those you are discipling along with you as you live as a Global Christian; as a welcomer, a mobilizer, a sender and an intercessor. The apostle Paul wrote, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:9). What are others “seeing” in you that they can emulate?
Lastly and maybe most importantly, pray for the nations with those you disciple.
My most impactful times of discipleship have been times before the throne of God’s grace in prayer with others. In His presence we are changed! Prayer changes our view of God, ourselves and the world. We recognize that He is not just a God worthy to be worshipped among one people, but among all the peoples of the world. When we pray for the nations in faith, we are eager to see how God will answer our prayers. In college, our discipleship group would spend 3 hours in prayer every Monday night; and we also had a few all- night prayer meetings together. We would pray for God’s glory to be known and honored among the nations. Here are ways you can use the Unreached People of the Day app to begin to pray with those you disciple.
Integrate God’s heart for the nations in your discipleship of others by teaching, modeling, and praying with those you disciple; to enjoy God’s grace AND extend God’s glory to all nations.
