Do you want to understand how to be a more intentional disciple maker? We have been emphasizing that skill as we look toward the Discipleship.org 2023 City Tour events this Fall. Now, we are pleased to announce that our theme book is being released today.
We are giving a free copy of Brandon Guindon’s book, Intentional: The Eight Practices of Disciple Making to everyone who attends our 2023 City Tour gatherings this Fall.
I’d like to share with you, the foreword to the book that I wrote for Zondervan.
The Greek word matheteuo is a single word found in Jesus’ final mandate to his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20. It’s also the most important Greek word in that mandate.
Jesus said:
“Therefore, go and matheteuo of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
matheteuo is in the imperative mode—the form of a command—and that one word typically translates into two English words – make disciples.
Greek dictionaries flesh out the meaning of this one word in several nuanced ways: “make disciples,” “train in discipleship,” “to disciple,” “to instruct,” “to make apprentices.” But Jesus’ mandate is simple enough—that we make disciples. Yes, we must go; yes, we must baptize; yes, we must teach obedience to his commands; and yes, we must remember Jesus’ presence will be with us to the end. But these other expressions are all contingent phrases which explain key parts of that one key imperative in the Greek text: make disciples.
Jesus said we must make disciples. This means we take people and, by what we do, people become disciples of Jesus or become better disciples of Jesus. He put the onus on us. Yes, he promised to be with us in the process, helping us (Matthew 28:20) and yes, he teaches elsewhere that the Holy Spirit is at work in the disciple making that we do. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3) Still… he said we are to do it. And if we take this command seriously, many people honestly respond with an important question.
How do I make disciples?
Let me suggest that there is one key word that captures the posture we need to have in response to this command of Jesus.
Intentional.
Jesus gives us many things to do. But behind all we do is something else. Something essential to being a disciple-maker. You must be intentional in all that you do.
Intentional means it’s “done on purpose”—deliberately. And in this new book in the Discipleship.org series, Brandon Guindon shows us how to cultivate this essential posture of effective discipleship. It’s not complicated if we adopt an intentional strategy and mindset.
For those who are nervous about reading a complicated book with lofty ideas that never make a practical difference, let me assure you right now, before you even start: this is an easy-to-read book, written in a relaxed tone, filled with lots of stories.
Brandon has written several books and has years of experience as a pastor and disciple-maker, but I believe this is his signature book. It best expresses his personal life mission statement: “I must motivate and inspire people to master the art of relational discipleship.” Brandon invites you into his heart, his mind, and his purpose in life and both motivates and inspires us to fulfill Jesus’ final mandate through simple but profound points illustrated by stories of hunting, the tragic accident and near death of his daughter, and how he himself was discipled. Of course, he also shares practical suggestions rooted in how he has discipled others over the past two decades of life and ministry. And as a bonus, he provides us with great questions at the end of each chapter to facilitate discussion with others.
Brandon is the real deal. He lives what he writes about everyday–as a church planter, lead pastor, father, husband, and national and international trainer of disciple making churches. He is one of the most highly effective church leaders in the USA. The fruit of his life and disciple making is clear, profound, and far reaching.
I plan to ask everyone on the staff and in the eldership at my church to read this book. It is joyful and easy to follow, yet also a profound journey that will help every one of us to effectively develop the strategy and mindset summed up in that one very important word. You can buy the book at amazon. You can also find out more about the City Tour, where Brandon will be speaking here.