Preparing for the After-Party: 2 Key Ingredients for Making Disciples

What is needed for a good after-party?  If you ask your average college student they would probably say a big keg and a lot of people ready to get loose.  But the after-party I’m speaking about here is not your typical festivity. Louie Giglio, in a message he recently gave to college students, described heaven as just that – an after-party. In his message, he mentioned every type of people group worshipping before the throne of Jesus, the King of Kings.

 I am currently working in India, and as one could say, I’m working together with brothers and sisters for the biggest after-party ever.  I train others to go and reach their people so that particular people groups will be a part of the heavenly party.  So I ask the question what is needed for the after-party?

 I believe the answer is found in a quote written down in the front of my bible.

“Faith and vision were Paul’s greatest resources, and wherever these resources are present then the church experiences growth in ministry and outreach.”

 I heard this from a man who was teaching about overseas service, but it was not until I reached India that I realized how true these words actually were.  Faith is a theme that runs throughout Scripture.  Hebrews 11 is completely devoted to giving examples about men who had faith in God. The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God, though vision, on the other hand, is a bit harder to discover and attain.

 Paul was a man who was saved miraculously through Jesus appearing to him on the road to Damascus.  It is safe to say from a quick read of Acts 9 that God had a plan for Paul’s life.  Acts 9:15 says, “But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel.”  These words were not spoken to Paul, but to Ananias. Ananias was the one who was to go and meet Paul in Damascus.  He was reluctant because he knew Paul’s reputation among Christians; he was out to kill them.  Instead refusing to go, Ananias obeyed the voice of God.

 I would put money on the fact that Ananias told Paul what Jesus had said about him.  Can you imagine what Paul thought when he heard those words?  They probably echoed in his ears for the rest of his life.  Little did he know at that point how God would use him, or how big of an instrument he would be.  Or, we could say, how big his vision would become!

 A quick synopsis of the results of Paul’s vision is found in Romans 15:18-19, which says, “For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience- by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God–so that from Jerusalem and the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ.” Paul covered the entire Roman world in 12 years.  How was this possible?  Well, Paul realized that he was an instrument to carry Jesus’ name to all the nations, and he saw each of his disciples as an instrument for God’s glory.  This was Paul’s vision: “To see his disciples do more than even he could do.”

 It was not until I came to India that I fully understood the words my friend had spoken to me about faith and vision.  After discovering Paul’s vision about discipleship, I began to ask the question, “How did I miss this?”  If this is indeed one of the most important resources then why was I not taught about this?  For those of you who are obeying Matthew 28:19-20 about making disciples I want you to ask one question:  What is you vision?

Maybe you have the resource of faith, believing Jesus can do anything, but do you have the resource that makes that faith go to the ends of the earth?  May we together have a vision to equip men and women all over the world to see the gospel spread to ends of the earth!  When we do this, we are preparing for the biggest after-party ever!