EACH ONE, REACH ONE, TEACH ONE
Here's a dream for our church that I pray we can work on together: Each One, Reach One, Teach One. What if each one of us were to reach one person for Christ and then guide them on their new faith journey?
Let me remind us that God’s primary method to reach the lost is His people, not programs.
His concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men whom the multitudes would follow. Remarkable as it may seem, Jesus started to gather these men before he ever organized an evangelistic campaign or even preached a sermon in public. Men were to be his method of winning the world to God. The initial objective of Jesus’ plan was to enlist men who could bear witness to his life and carry on his work after he returned to the Father. -Robery E. Coleman, Robert E. The Master Plan of Evangelism
Why? Programs are limited by a location, time, and agenda, and are less personal. Programs limit quality time for personal connection and processing. Meanwhile, God’s people can reach and teach anywhere at any time.
God doesn't expect each of us to reach thousands; just start with one.
Let’s look at our first verse of the series and go further with it…
Main Scripture: Matthew 4:19
Notes:
Matthew 4:19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
The whole journey of the Christian life is packed into this one verse. Discovering Jesus. Salvation and following Jesus. Becoming like Jesus. Disciple-making with Jesus. This verse serves as a refresher for your life and where to guide your one.
“Come...” Personal and relational reach
When Jesus went to reach or fish for His few, he simply invited those who were observing and curious to “Come and See” (John 1).
We do the same as we GO. We invite our One to come and see, hear, and discover Christ, whether it is at church, at work, at home, in small groups, or in everyday life.
The number one bridge to Christ, A missionary in India, Donald A. McGavran, first explored the topic of who led you to faith in Christ and published his findings in 1955 in his book, The Bridges of God. McGavran wrote his book in the hope that it might “shed light on the process of how people become Christian.” He discovered that people in India did not come to faith through revivals, mass crusades, or chance encounters. Rather, they came largely through family relationships and friendships, which he called the Bridges of God. As he might put it today, we are the bridges over which others walk to find salvation in Jesus Christ. Predictably, North American church leaders did not read his book, as it was primarily for missionaries and mission executives. It was twenty-five years before church growth researcher Win Arn, building on the initial discoveries of Donald McGavran, conducted one of the largest studies of how people come to faith in Christ and to the church in the United States and Canada. Arn’s Institute for American Church Growth surveyed over 17,000 people, “What or who was responsible for your coming to Christ and to your church?” Arn published his findings in The Master’s Plan for Making Disciples, and church leaders were astounded. He reported that people gave eight responses as follows.
Special Need . . . . . . 1-2%
Walk-in . . . . . . . . . . 2-3%
Pastor . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6%
Visitation . . . . . . . . . 1-2%
Sunday School . . . . 4-5%
Crusade . . . . . . . . . . 0.25-0.50%
Church Program . . 2-3%
Friend/Relative . . . 75-90%
In one report, the institute proclaimed, “The great majority of people today trace their ‘spiritual roots’ directly to a friend or a relative as the major reason they are now in Christ and their church.” https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2014/what-person-led-you-to-faith-in-christ
A personal and relational invitation is the most effective means of reaching one person for Christ.
Story of One: Abraham Aguilar
“Follow me…” Invitation to Salvation & Consecration
Salvation can happen at the “Come and See” stage or even after they choose to follow Jesus and then believe after learning more. Sometimes people have to belong to a Biblical community before they believe. Some need to learn more or see Christlike faith and love in action before truly understanding. So the “Come and See” phase may take some time before your “one” truly believes and decides to follow Jesus. Eventually, we discern when we need to invite our ONE to believe in Christ, repent (turn away) from their old life, and choose to follow Jesus.
When we choose to follow Christ, we also choose to unfollow the ways of this world. Jesus calls us to a belief that is devoted to Him above all. We are called to turn to Christ and have no other gods before Him. Jesus calls us not to have or serve two masters, because you can only serve one, faithfully. This is not easy. Following Jesus calls us to deny our fleshly desires and the evil in this world. It takes surrendering to Jesus as the only way, truth, and life. What we gain in Christ is far greater than what we lose in this world. This part of the journey is a lot of learning new life in Christ and unlearning the old life.
Availability and faithfulness to your ONE are critical in this phase of the discipleship journey. Lots of care, teaching, and guidance are required.
Let’s not forget that in this part of the journey, we encourage our ONE to be baptized.
“I will make you...” Encourage Abiding and Transformation
We encourage our ONE to be in fellowship with the church, God, and be molded by the Word of God.
This part of the Christian journey is very important. Jesus wants to impart all that we need to be fishers of men, to be disciples who make disciples. But this requires that we be with Him in faithful and obedient spiritual fellowship so we can become more like Him. What we behold, we become.
We guide our ONE to depend on God, daily worship and devotion to God, and continue learning and following Jesus. This is a daily relationship, not a weekly religion.
Jesus said to His disciples in John 15, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” Who they were becoming, what they were being transformed into, and what they would do for the kingdom of God could not be done unless they remained and depended on the source of life, Jesus Christ. We can become more like Him because the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, comes to dwell in all believers and imparts whatever is needed for our lives and the mission.
As we abide in Jesus, the Holy Spirit guides, helps, and equips us to minister to those around us. We love, serve, work, and minister for the Lord in the circles of our lives. We start in our own home, which is a safe place to practice and learn how to love and serve around us. Then we love and serve in our workplaces, our community, and our church.
Jesus transformed and equipped His disciples through on-the-job training so they could learn from observation and experience, not just teaching. We show our ONE how to faithfully serve and care for others.
“Fishers of men…” Encourage your ONE to join the Great Commission
Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This sermon has been covering the process of this scripture. We go reach and invite them to believe, and they become a disciple. We baptize and teach them to obey and how to grow. Now we teach and show our ONE how to make disciples.
This is multiplication. 2 Timothy 2:2 “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” This is the dream…multiplication through disciple-making.
Close
Calvary created the disciple-making vision and pathway using these five words to remind and guide us in fulfilling the great commission.
REACH. CONNECT. GROW. EMPOWER. GO. As a disciple-making church, we REACH the unbeliever with the love and the gospel of Jesus, CONNECT them to the body of Christ, teach and help them GROW in their faith, EMPOWER and equip them to be a disciple-maker, and encourage them to GO make disciples.
Here’s a simple explanation of what a disciple of Christ does to care and guide their one: Every believer should have a Christian friend, a mentor (disciple maker) to follow. The friend and mentor (disciple maker) should stay with the new believer as much as possible, studying the Bible and praying with him or her, all the while answering questions, clarifying the truth, and seeking together to help others until he or she can lead another.
Who’s your ONE? Perhaps, God has already been putting this person on your heart? Who has been curious or asking questions about your faith, church, or even opinion on things…
Where do you find your ONE? You can find the ONE to disciple in the community or at church. Many come in here who already believe and need a spiritual mentor and friend to help them grow and encourage them to reach the lost.
Pray for your ONE. Keep in mind that when you get ONE they tend to have family or friends who are also seeking and searching for truth and community, so your ONE may quickly grow to a few.
Discussion
What is one thing from the message that resonated with you?
Pastor Ryan shared statistics that stated 75–90% come to Christ through a friend or relative. How does this change the way you view your role in disciple-making?
Is there someone in your life you believe God is calling you to reach? What step can you take this week to build a bridge toward that person?
Why do people often need to belong before they believe?
Why is it important to walk closely with your ONE after they decide to follow Christ?
What additional notes did you make during the sermon?
What can we pray for regarding the sermon? Do you have any prayer needs?
The most important decision you will ever make!
If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life, we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and when you’re ready, say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!
We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!