MANUFACTURING DISCIPLES
“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” — 1 Corinthians 3:7 The Great Commission is woefully misunderstood. It has never been, nor will it ever be, a church-growth formula or command to synthetically manufacture visible responses. In Matthew 28:19, the Lord’s controlling imperative is NOT to “make” anything. The single verb in the original Greek is μαθητεύσατε— “disciple” —with going, baptizing, and teaching describing the faithful work involved. Christ commands His Church to proclaim His eternal objective truth, to identify with Him, and to teach people to obey everything He commanded; He does not assign us the power to regenerate hearts. No preacher, evangelistic strategy, emotional appeal, or carefully engineered environment can cause someone to be born again. Yet, many preachers, pastors, and churches pilfer and pervert the role and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Biblical ministry begins with the recognition that Christ Je...
