When we look at Jesus' final instructions to His disciples, we see a set of specific directives that He gave to those faithful men. As followers of Christ, we are bound by that same charge. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18–20represents the Lord's permanent orders, which remain in force for all followers of Christ. What is this commission? It is to "go . . . and make disciples of all the nations." Not only does it still apply; it is also as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago.

The Nature of Discipleship

    A great deal of confusion exists in the church regarding the nature of genuine discipleship. Many believers, in fact, use the terms evangelism and discipleship interchangeably. This is a misperception. Evangelism is connected to the spreading of the euangelion—the good news of the Gospel. In contrast, true discipleship is reserved for those who have already made a saving profession of faith in Christ. It is through discipleship that they learn and grow in their Christian walk.

    In a sense, "evangelism" is the starting point of one's Christian experience, and "discipleship" is that next step of obedience. This means that discipleship may look different from person to person. The idea is not to become enslaved to a set pattern of "to-do" items, but rather to consistently seek God's direction and follow through with obedience.

    It is a tremendous loss when some pastors and lay people place heavy emphasis on evangelism and practically none at all on discipleship. Remember the words of Jesus' Great Commission—we are not called to "make believers"; we are called to "make disciples." Our responsibility goes beyond a simple presentation of the Gospel; we must take the next step by helping new believers grow. And we can do that only if we ourselves are growing.

Next Steps in Scripture

    The New Testament provides many wonderful examples of men and women who were boldly moving forward in the Christian life. Scripture also presents some who had difficulty taking the next step. The most obvious example, perhaps, is the sometimes-erratic apostle Peter.

    Think about all the ups and downs in Peter's life. We know that he was bold and brash, often speaking before thinking. He declared that he would never betray or leave Jesus, yet within a few short hours, he did just that. (Mark 14:29, 66–72) Peter was the first to identify Jesus as the Messiah; however, his inspired declaration was quickly followed by a refusal to believe the Lord's message of impending death. (Matthew 16:16, 22–23) Moments after hearing Jesus implore him to commit to prayer, he swung a sword that disfigured an unsuspecting soldier. (Luke 22:46, 50) For quite a while, Peter's spiritual life was marked by a series of steps forward and stumbling backward.

    This back-and-forth behavior culminated in Peter's most dramatic change. Within a matter of weeks, Peter was transformed from a frightened, mourning man into a bold, powerful preacher. He went from cowering in a locked room to standing prominently in Jerusalem, declaring the Gospel of Christ. (John 20:19; Acts 2:14) What accounts for this remarkable change? His Lord gave him an assignment along with the supernatural power to achieve it. (Matthew 28:18–20) Armed with marching orders and the Holy Spirit, Peter boldly took his next step of obedience.

Next Steps in Christian History

    The past 2,000 years have been filled with dramatic, world-changing "next steps" by believers all around the globe. The church's first martyr, Stephen, took his next step as he preached the Gospel in the face of death. The Lord's twelve disciples showed their willingness to take the next step as they all faced execution and/or exile because of their radical faith.

    Many centuries later, Martin Luther defied the established orthodoxy by standing firm on what he knew to be scriptural truth. Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield led the way into a tremendous Great Awakening of Christian thought and belief throughout Europe and America. D.L. Moody gave birth to modern American revivalism. And more recently, Billy Graham captured the heart and attention of the whole world through his sound preaching and public stands.

    Even a high school student made a worldwide impact when she answered "yes" to a gunman's question, "Do you believe in God?" Cassie Bernall's response showed great courage in taking her next step of obedience, even though it cost the teen her very life in the Columbine school shootings of April 1999. Over and over again, we see what God can and will do with that next step of obedience—that next level of growth, conviction, and spiritual maturity.

Next Steps for In Touch

    In September 2002, In Touch took its next step of obedience by undertaking two momentous, world-changing objectives for the next ten years. First, the ministry set an ambitious yet Spirit-led goal to air its IN TOUCH radio program in 100 languages by the year 2012. When that goal was set, we were already broadcasting in 29 languages, which left ten years to add 71 new ones. Now, less than two years later, IN TOUCH is already on the air in 52 languages, with more scheduled for development soon. At this rate, we will reach the 100 language goal well before the ten-year deadline!

    Is this the result of our own hard work and diligence? No, of course not. Rather, it is a testimony to the faithfulness of God. When you sense the Lord directing you to take the next step, and when you are bold enough to take it, He will bless the outcome more than you can imagine.

    Why is In Touch so concerned about adding these broadcast languages? The answer is simple: Each language represents a people group who will for the first time be given the opportunity to hear the Good News in its own tongue. On this subject, Dr. Stanley commented, "[Early on,] I discovered that I couldn't just declare truth; I had to declare truth with a purpose. And the purpose was to bring about a change in people's lives through the powerful Gospel of Jesus Christ." This is precisely the objective of the IN TOUCH program.

    But how does a radio ministry disciple believers with whom it has no physical contact? One of the most difficult aspects of any broadcast-based ministry is implementing a solid form of discipleship to correspond with its evangelistic thrust. In fact, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, the late Dr. Bill Bright, once shared with Dr. Stanley that 50% of the people who come to Christ through a broadcast presentation of the Gospel will leave the church within a year. Why? The reason is a lack of follow-up, or, to use the proper vocabulary, a lack of discipleship.

    It is for this reason that In Touch set its second major ten-year goal: the implementation of a broad-based, global discipleship program that would give a user from any nation the opportunity to participate in a one-on-one mentoring relationship with Dr. Stanley. The result was the introduction of the Charles Stanley Institute for Christian Living (CSI),* which went live online in 2002.

The Next Step Philosophy

    Taking the next step of obedience requires full trust in Jesus Christ. People will not follow someone in whom they lack confidence. So how does one develop complete trust? Read the New Testament accounts of Peter's life or a biography about Martin Luther, D. L. Moody, or Cassie Bernall, and you can see how they did it—by responding in obedience to something He asked of them and then watching the positive consequences.

    As God's faithfulness in situation after situation stacks up like building blocks, a believer's trust grows. For Peter, obedience ultimately required martrydom. And Martin Luther accepted ex-communication from the Catholic Church for His willingness to follow the path God laid before him. Chances are that we will not face choices so dramatic, but we know that the path of discipleship is not always easy or free of pain. So why choose to take the next step at all? Because no matter what your next step is, you will simply not grow to full potential in the Lord without following His lead in your life.

—Allen Harris

* For more information or to register online, visit www.charlesstanleyinstitute.com