Have you ever thought that we could have a generation that does not know God? Judges 2:10 states, “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.”
What I see in that passage is that one generation did not pass on its heritage to the next. May the Lord help us to tell our children and grandchildren all the good things He has done. We all have a responsibility to disciple those God has placed in our lives.
What is a disciple? A disciple is a learner, one who follows both the teaching and the teacher. If we have a generation that has not been discipled, we must ask ourselves if it is because that generation lost the desire to learn or because we lost the desire to teach. Is it possible that we have grown weary in doing well?
Matthew 28:19-20 tells us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations … teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” I need to allow God to relight the flames in my heart, that I may never lose the desire to teach the next generation about the goodness of God. I pray that that is your desire also.
Disciples are people who are following the teaching of God’s Word and the Teacher, Jesus Christ. When people have been discipled successfully, they should respond to the same call to make disciples.
Making disciples is an ongoing process, and prayer is the key to ensuring that it is successful. I pray that the church will rise up and begin to speak more loudly than the world systems. I pray that our young adults begin to hunger after God because of the flame that they see burning in those who teach God’s Word.
Every day we have candidates for discipleship before us in our homes, churches and communities. Let’s put our hands to the plow and not look back.
Reprinted with permission from © The Foursquare Church. Judy Thigpenn is senior pastor of Panorama Full Gospel Foursquare Church in Panorama City, Calif. Click here for the original article.
