Go and Make Disciples

I was reading the blog 42: My Life, the Universe and Everything by Dave Warncock. Dave is a Methodist minister in the UK whose blog I often enjoy. This morning, I found this quote in one of his posts, written by Sam Norton. The quote is taken from Sam's blog. The link I reference is a post called the Nature of Discipleship, in case you want to go read more.

So the key, the core point for the church is precisely this formation of character, what we can call the making of disciples. Because we are not actually in the business of converting people. We are not in the business of saving souls. Does that seem surprising? Jesus says, "Go and make disciples." He doesn't say, "Go and work out who is saved and who isn't" He says, "Go and make disciples." The salvation of someone's soul is something which is utterly unknowable to us. We cannot know who is saved and who isn't. What we can do and what we are commanded to do is make disciples. That is the business of the church. The salvation of someone's soul is something belonging to God. We are not in that business, we are in a very related and closely attached business, but it is different.

What do you think of that quote? I had some thoughts I wanted to share:

1. I'm not sure that I like the distinction between salvation being God's business and the making of disciples being our business. I think both of them are God's business. He partners with us -- he could do it all on his own, but he chooses to involve us in his business. Using the terms for grace that are so often found in Emmaus walks, at times we are asked by God to be the means by which people are touched by God's justifying grace and other times the means by which people are touched by God's sanctifying grace.
2. I do agree with the idea that salvation -- or that moment of recreation when a relationship begins between God and one of his children -- is God at work, and that we can't really understand it. I also think, though, that God is involved in the creation of disciples in just the same way. I wonder if perhaps this quote paints the picture of the church as God recruiting and enrolling members, and those in the church as the teachers, training new students without the need of God's involvement.
3. I really like the emphasis in the quote on what happens after a person is brought to God -- Jesus told us to "go and make disciples." Once a commitment to God is made, the job of the church is just beginning. We don't get to stop at that point.
4. Do you think that the making of disciples equates to the formation of character? I'm not sure that I do. I think that a Christ-like character is formed as a person becomes a disciple, but there is more to it than that. It's bigger than that.

I think that the making of disciples isn't us teaching people how to live more like Christ. Discipleship-making is sharing God's grace with each other so that we are transformed by God from what we were to what he wants us to become. If we act nicer, if we are kinder, if we live our lives loving our neighbors and if the love defined in Corinthians is seen in what we do, then all of that is fruit of a transformation to becoming more Christ-like, and God is the one who enables the transformation to occur.