Date posted: 02-08-2022
Estimated Reading Time : 6:00
Andrew Wommack is president of the Truth & Liberty Coalition. He and other influential Christian leaders formed the Truth & Liberty Coalition to make a difference in culture by speaking about moral issues and dealing with current events.
Whether you know it or not, discipleship is what is missing in most people’s lives.
I really believe that one of the biggest mistakes that has been made in the body of Christ is that we have put the emphasis on evangelism and making converts – getting people born again – instead of doing what Jesus told us to do.
Let me just say, I am not against evangelism. I want to see people born again, but Jesus didn’t tell us to just go and get people born again. No, He told us to go and make disciples.
‘Teach Them to Observe All Things’
Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
In the King James Version, it says go and “teach all nations,” but if you look at this in nearly any other translation, it says go and “make disciples.” Either way, it is very clearly saying that you don’t go and just get people to repeat a prayer to get born again, and then leave them. You teach them to “observe all things” that Jesus commanded. This is exactly what the word “disciple” is all about.
The difference between a convert and a disciple is that a convert is somebody who has the Lord arrest them. People recognize they are in need of a savior. They pray to receive salvation and be born again. If they were to die, they would go immediately into the presence of the Lord.
That’s wonderful! That’s awesome! But that is not being a disciple.
Jesus told us to go make disciples.
When a person gets born again, other believers are supposed to teach them to observe all things that Jesus taught—to live according to all that is written in the Word of God. Did you know that this is precisely the reason that we see so many problems?
Missing Out on God’s Benefits
This is why so many Christians have an assurance that if they were to die, they know that they would go to be with the Lord, but they aren’t able to receive all that God has for them. They’re sick, they’re depressed, they’re discouraged, their marriage is falling apart, they can’t prosper, and so on.
They are saying, “I’ve invited the Lord into my life,” but they’re living no better than their unsaved neighbors.
Thousands of people contact our ministry on a daily basis and, if you were to look at all of the correspondence, emails, and phone calls that come in, most people are in crisis mode. They’re born again and yet they don’t know how to receive. Their life isn’t what it’s supposed to be.
If going to be with the Lord after you die is all there was to salvation, I would preach that. But God has provided not only a great future for us in heaven, but we are supposed to be prospering in the here and now.
If a person is struggling, it’s because they haven’t renewed their mind to the Word of God (Rom. 12:2). Instead of pie in the sky in the by-and-by, you can have steak on the plate while you wait. But you’ll never live that way if you’re just a convert—if you haven’t been discipled.
Knowing Your Rights
The same could be said of a citizen of the United States. A person can be born here or be naturalized—meaning they immigrated legally and went through the process of becoming a citizen—but still not exercise their rights.
At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty about the government-mandated lockdowns placed on churches and ministries. We voluntarily cooperated with the authorities in Colorado for a while, but once someone told me that the governor’s emergency powers were limited to a certain period of time, I became aware of our rights. On Pentecost Sunday of 2020, we sent a letter to the governor notifying him that our voluntary cooperation was over—we would no longer forsake the “assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25).
You see, I had to be discipled. Someone had to inform me of the rights I already had as a citizen. I didn’t just have to consent to a decree from the government if it wasn’t constitutional.
When we stood up for our rights, it caused no small stir. It took the rest of that year to resolve, but the Supreme Court ruled in favor of other churches who also defended their constitutional rights, which caused our state and county to drop the lawsuits they filed against us. Praise the Lord!
Taking a Stand
Maybe you’ve heard about all these mandates the federal government is trying to force on people. Even though they’re unconstitutional, they’re hoping no one will fight back and that everyone will just comply. But some people are taking the government to court because they know their rights. Someone with knowledge of the law sat down with them and told them, “I believe we can win this fight because we’re in the right!”
Brothers and sisters, I’m telling you that we have a fight on our hands—as believers and as Americans. If we just sit there and let people take our liberties because we’re ignorant of our God-given rights, they’re not going to give them back!
We need to be disciples—of the Word of God and of our nation’s founding documents—and know what rights God has given us. The Truth & Liberty website is a clearinghouse of resources to help you become an informed citizen. If you go to our Research Center, you’ll find links to the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and more. You’ll be blessed!
God is doing great things in this nation, and He’s given us everything we need to be successful! We can win this fight if we know our rights!
Learn More
Explore the Truth & Liberty website and visit our Research Center for great practical resources. Also learn how you can become a Truth & Liberty Coalition member and join us in standing for truth in the public square.