We who bear the name of Jesus are his followers. Where he goes, we go. If we stay hand-in-hand with our Savior, we can never be more than an arm’s length from his will and plan for us.
Here is the truth that too many of us miss: Jesus is always moving toward lost sheep. He is the Good Shepherd, and his heart aches for wandering sheep to come home. Our Lord came to seek and save that which is lost (Luke 19:10). Our Savior is on a mission to reach the broken and save them. In other words, the more we grow in Jesus, the more we will go with him to the wandering sheep all around us.
Too many people see discipleship (growing in Jesus) and evangelism (going with Jesus on a mission) as separate. They are not. Here is a little saying I came up with for myself and other Christian leaders:
Discipleship and evangelism are not enemies. Discipleship and evangelism are not just friends. Discipleship and evangelism are marriage partners.
Let’s never treat these two spiritual callings as rivals or competitors. That is the wrong outlook. Also, the idea of friendship is simply not strong enough. Discipleship and evangelism are not just buddies. There is much more going on here. The spiritual reality is that discipleship and evangelism are bound together in the heart of our God, and must be inseparable in our minds, hearts, lives and ministries.
What does this look like? How does our spiritual growth and formation into the character of Jesus propel us outward to a world that needs his good news? Let’s think about three common practices of spiritual growth, and ask ourselves how growing in Jesus in each of these ways should launch us into the world with his love, grace and message of salvation.
1. Bible Engagement
Most Christians believe that reading, understanding and living out the teaching of the Bible is a key part of their spiritual growth journey. We teach children to read the Bible. We give a fresh new Bible to people who place their faith in Jesus, and we dare to tell them, “This is the Word of God. You need to read it.” We exhort long-term followers of Jesus to study their Bible, get into a small group where they can learn the Scriptures in community, or take a class to go deeper into God’s Word. We put a lot of emphasis on this, and we should. It is central to our growth in faith.
What does this have to do with evangelism? How does growing in our biblical engagement move us outward toward the lost in our community? In the opening pages of the Bible, we see sin destroying community and driving people away from God. We also see God’s plan to restore his lost children and bring them back home (Gen. 2–4). In Genesis 12 we discover that Abraham received God’s blessing, not just for himself, but so he could be a blessing to all the nations. In Isaiah’s prophecy, we see the suffering servant who came to bring messianic hope and salvation to the world. In Jonah’s prophecy, we learn that God is far more gracious and compassionate than we might want him to be. It is God who desires to save and restore the most sinful of people.
When we get to the New Testament and the Gospels, this message is revealed in human flesh and the incarnate God is brutalized, dies and rises to save all who will place their faith in him. In the Epistles, we are called to pray, love and share the good news with the lost in the world. By the time we get to Revelation, we see the fulfillment of the promise that every tongue, tribe and nation will gather and worship God for eternity.
These are just a few examples of how the message of Scripture calls us outward to the lost in the world. We are expected to invite lost sheep home to the Savior. Growing in the Word of Jesus will lead us to go with Jesus on his mission. If it doesn’t, it might be time to read our Bible in a fresh new way with a greater openness to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
2. Passionate Prayer
Jesus loved to pray—in quiet moments away from the masses as he shared time of solitude with the Father, in crowds before a miracle, in the garden while he was preparing for the suffering he would face in the spiritual battle before his passion, when he was hanging on the cross dying for our sins. In all of this, Jesus was a model of the importance of the spiritual discipline of passionate prayer.
Our Savior not only gave us many examples of prayer, but he called his followers to pray in very specific ways. In a moment of deep emotion and heartache, we read these words from the mouth and heart of Jesus: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matt. 9:37–38).
These words call us to pray like he did. When we cry to heaven for the Spirit of God to send out bold and loving servants to enter the evangelistic harvest fields, we will feel a personal conviction that this call applies to us. Biblical prayer aligns our hearts with Jesus’ vision and moves us to walk in obedience. This will include engagement in the mission of Jesus.
3. Consistent Community
Of all the people who have ever walked the face of this earth, if there was ever a person who did not need community and the help of others, it was Jesus. He was God in human flesh. His power was limitless. Yet he loved community. Jesus had the crowds that followed him.
There was the 72 that he sent on mission (Luke 10:1–24). Jesus walked closely with his 12 apostles. There were small groups who were very close to Jesus such as Peter, James and John. There was also the family of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Jesus went to parties and loved being with people.
Those who follow Jesus discover that consistent community with other believers is essential. In our day of online services, polarization between friends and family members, and growing isolation, we need to recapture the call to Christian fellowship. You might wonder what this has to do with discipleship. But, if discipleship and evangelism really are marriage partners, then there must be a connection here as well. Actually, it was Jesus who connected the dots on this. He let his followers know that the world would see and realize that we are following him when they see the way we love each other (John 13:35). Our community gives a glimpse of the presence of Jesus.
When we walk with Jesus and stay connected to our Lord, we will grow up in faith (discipleship). As we do this, we will go where the Master of our soul goes: to the lost, wandering, broken sheep all over this world (evangelism). This is the adventure of the Christian faith: growing in Jesus and going with Jesus.