"He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built" (Luke 6:48).

2,000 years ago, Jesus began a movement that would touch the lives of countless millions. Though Jesus reached the multitudes, His ministry focus was on the training of 12 disciples.

The strength and quality of the foundation determines the strength and quality of everything built upon it.

To build on rock means to build on the Master’s foundation using His blueprint. Peter reminds us that the church is to be built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (God’s Word and through the power of His Holy Spirit), with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone (1 Pet. 2:4-6). All believers are joined into His church by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, the same faith that Peter expressed (see also Eph. 2:20,21). Jesus praised Peter for his confession of faith. It is faith like Peter's that is the foundation of Christ's kingdom.

Pastors around the country ask me, "Do you think Jesus’ discipleship can really work in today’s church?"

My answer is always the same: It worked for Jesus. It worked in the church in Jerusalem. It worked in the church in Antioch. It worked in the New Testament churches. And there's no reason why it cannot and should not work if applied today.

The Great Commission remains the same. The message of the Gospel is the same. We minister through the same power of the Holy Spirit. We have the same Word of God. Why then do we not see more of this going on? The answer I think is because we have too often relied on programs in lieu of a relationship-based process.

Bill Hull writes: “I think the problem at its root is that we have accepted a non-discipleship Christianity that leads to plenty of motion, activity, and conferences, but without lasting transformation. By transformation I mean consistent long-range change into the likeness of Jesus ... I can confidently report to you that there is a desperate search among church leaders for something more meaningful. We have found that church growth does not satisfy the soul, neither do accolades about sermons or completed projects. There is a movement in our land that is driven by hunger for intimacy with God. There is a growing consensus that the Great Commission has as much to do with depth as strategy.”

It takes time to make disciples.

Jesus spent over three and a half years, an investment of more than 30,000 man-hours, training the 12. Comparatively, in today's typical twice-a-week, one-hour-each church services, it would take about 294 years per person to receive the same number of hours of training.

Yes, the ministry of making disciples takes time and effort and life, but the results are eternal.

In his book, "The Cost Of Discipleship," Dietrich Bonhoeffer made the following statement, "Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves...the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship..."

Purpose to make disciples following Jesus’ code.

Grow in grace and truth,

Doug Morrell

CORE Notes From Doug