Discipling the Nations!
Discipling the Nations!
The Great Commission (as rendered by Matthew 28: 23 & 24) dominates most of our mission motivation. We always place our emphasis on obeying the command to ‘Go’ and ‘Baptize’. Discipleship then becomes just a task in the process. Unfortunately, many of our mission fields illustrate our failure in providing adequate discipleship. Melba Maggay a Filipino theologian and social anthropologist during an Interserve Leadership conference in May 2008 said that discipleship lays its emphasis on building relationships and not just programs that we organize.
We assume discipleship means discipling individuals one at a time. Recent literature on missions by several missiologists says that we are called to disciple ‘nations’. ‘Nations’ does not just mean ethnic communities or people groups as it is popularly known. As much as the word ‘nations’ mean ethnic or linguistic peoples it also means political nations. We see this emphasis when we read the whole of the scripture and not just the Great Commission as rendered by Matthew.
Abraham was called to be a blessing to the nations. Israel was chosen to be a blessing to other nations. Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream brought the whole Egypt and other nations to follow God’s instructions during the great famine. Prophets were commissioned to proclaim God’s word to the nations. God judges nations and blesses nations. God even used other nations to bring judgment on Israel. Our God is the ruler of all the nations. Daniel and his friends witness to the kings influencing a whole empire. Esther influenced a whole nation. We are called to disciple whole nations. It is in this context that we should see our mission. India is not the only nation God is concerned about. As much as God brought people from other nations to preach the Gospel to us, God has called India to take the Gospel to other nations.
India is not the only nation in the world. As our economy looks beyond, as Indian business goes beyond our borders, we need to go to the ends of the earth. India is influencing the nations of the world in economics, politics, media, technology and even in spirituality. The Diaspora Indian phenomena – is an act of God. The influence of the Diaspora Indians around the world is now part of the global reality. How can we come along and participate in God’s mission? Do we see nations that need to be discipled other than our own India? Does our mission strategy involve discipleship of other nations or are we still talking about discipling one individual at a time? We need a paradigm shift in our understanding of God’s mission of discipling a whole nation. We need to influence the whole society in its areas of influence like in arts, sports, entertainment, business & economics, education, media and governance. We need to disciple a whole nation in the ‘way of the Lord’.
Abraham’s call was not to just to follow God but to bless other nations so that they can follow the way of the Lord. How many of us have received that calling? Discipling a nation requires us to reach out to the influencers – the middle class. Discipling a nation does not mean just individual conversions but leading a whole nation, community or society in the ‘way of the Lord’.
Paul was seeking to disciple the whole Roman Empire and so he strategically placed himself in various cities. Paul’s ministry brought people from high places: synagogue rulers, city council members, people from the royal families several leading business men and women and even a philosopher in Athens – a member of the Areopagus. Melba Maggay also said that we need only 5% of the population as a critical mass to become a catalyst to bring change. Discipling nations have nothing to do with the numbers game. If we serve to transform the influencers a whole nation can be discipled to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Let us together disciple whole nations! John Amalraj
© 2009, INFOCUS, Interserve India
The Great Commission (as rendered by Matthew 28: 23 & 24) dominates most of our mission motivation. We always place our emphasis on obeying the command to ‘Go’ and ‘Baptize’. Discipleship then becomes just a task in the process. Unfortunately, many of our mission fields illustrate our failure in providing adequate discipleship. Melba Maggay a Filipino theologian and social anthropologist during an Interserve Leadership conference in May 2008 said that discipleship lays its emphasis on building relationships and not just programs that we organize.
We assume discipleship means discipling individuals one at a time. Recent literature on missions by several missiologists says that we are called to disciple ‘nations’. ‘Nations’ does not just mean ethnic communities or people groups as it is popularly known. As much as the word ‘nations’ mean ethnic or linguistic peoples it also means political nations. We see this emphasis when we read the whole of the scripture and not just the Great Commission as rendered by Matthew.
Abraham was called to be a blessing to the nations. Israel was chosen to be a blessing to other nations. Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream brought the whole Egypt and other nations to follow God’s instructions during the great famine. Prophets were commissioned to proclaim God’s word to the nations. God judges nations and blesses nations. God even used other nations to bring judgment on Israel. Our God is the ruler of all the nations. Daniel and his friends witness to the kings influencing a whole empire. Esther influenced a whole nation. We are called to disciple whole nations. It is in this context that we should see our mission. India is not the only nation God is concerned about. As much as God brought people from other nations to preach the Gospel to us, God has called India to take the Gospel to other nations.
India is not the only nation in the world. As our economy looks beyond, as Indian business goes beyond our borders, we need to go to the ends of the earth. India is influencing the nations of the world in economics, politics, media, technology and even in spirituality. The Diaspora Indian phenomena – is an act of God. The influence of the Diaspora Indians around the world is now part of the global reality. How can we come along and participate in God’s mission? Do we see nations that need to be discipled other than our own India? Does our mission strategy involve discipleship of other nations or are we still talking about discipling one individual at a time? We need a paradigm shift in our understanding of God’s mission of discipling a whole nation. We need to influence the whole society in its areas of influence like in arts, sports, entertainment, business & economics, education, media and governance. We need to disciple a whole nation in the ‘way of the Lord’.
Abraham’s call was not to just to follow God but to bless other nations so that they can follow the way of the Lord. How many of us have received that calling? Discipling a nation requires us to reach out to the influencers – the middle class. Discipling a nation does not mean just individual conversions but leading a whole nation, community or society in the ‘way of the Lord’.
Paul was seeking to disciple the whole Roman Empire and so he strategically placed himself in various cities. Paul’s ministry brought people from high places: synagogue rulers, city council members, people from the royal families several leading business men and women and even a philosopher in Athens – a member of the Areopagus. Melba Maggay also said that we need only 5% of the population as a critical mass to become a catalyst to bring change. Discipling nations have nothing to do with the numbers game. If we serve to transform the influencers a whole nation can be discipled to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Let us together disciple whole nations! John Amalraj
© 2009, INFOCUS, Interserve India
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