The Disciplemaker Mindset
How we set our mind determines what we think of ourselves, how we think of others and how we live our life. A person’s beliefs and attitudes about events, people and circumstances in life have a powerful influence over his thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The beliefs and attitudes are called a person’s mindset. How a person’s mind is set will determine what he thinks of himself and of others. It will determine what he does. The “I can do it” mindset enables a person to try new things and give success an opportunity. The “I can’t do it” mindset keeps a person from trying new things and shuts the door on any success that may have been achieved. A person’s mindset is critical for success and well-being in the person’s life and in the lives of those in his sphere of responsibility. The Apostle Paul stated truthfully that our minds need to be renewed by the will of God for us to experience God’s beneficial, satisfying and completing will (Romans 12:2b). Does your mindset enable you to successfully live out God’s will or does it keep you from experiencing God’s beneficial, satisfying and completing way of life? Matthew 28:19-20 is a test to determine if your mindset enables you to experience God’s beneficial, satisfying and completing way of life or not. Matthew 28:19-20 is God’s will for every believer.
Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Are you willing, while going about your life, to make disciples, baptize them and teach them to obey Jesus’ commands with Jesus always present to help you? If yes, does what you do fulfill what you say you are willing to do? If you are not willing to make disciples, you need to change your mindset. If you are willing to make disciples and aren’t doing it, you need to change your mindset. Jesus is willing to renew our minds to think and do His will. The following paragraphs reveal every believer can have a disciplemaker mindset. A disciplemaker mindset will bring benefit, satisfaction and completion to the believer and to those in his sphere of responsibility (children, family, friends, neighbors, fellow believers). Every believer can have the mindset of a discipler.
The Apostle Peter is our model and teacher of a disciplemaker mindset. If we let our minds be renewed by 2 Peter 1:1-15, we will have a disciplemaker mindset and bless the people in our sphere of responsibility.
2 Peter 1:1 “Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:” Note Peter’s mindset. He sees himself as a slave of Jesus Christ that has been made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ. He believes that each of the believers he is writing to have equal standing with him as a righteous slave of Jesus Christ. A slave of Jesus calls Him Lord and is willing to obey all He commands, including the command to be a disciplemaker.
2 Peter 1:2 “May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Peter’s mindset moves him to pray for those in his sphere of responsibility to have grace and peace multiplied to them through the knowledge of God and of Jesus his Lord. A disciplemakers mindset moves him to pray for those in his sphere of responsibility to have God’s resources multiplied in their lives through knowing Him.
2 Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” The disciplemaker mindset informs him that he is fully equipped and capable of living out God’s will in this present evil age. He knows he can obey God’s command to make disciples of his children and the adults that are in his life and the command is not burdensome because he has divine power.
2 Peter 1:5-8 “For this very reason, do your best to add by your faith virtue, and with virtue knowledge, 6 and with knowledge self-control, and with self-control steadfastness, and with steadfastness godliness, 7 and with godliness brotherly affection, and with brotherly affection love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The believer with a disciplemaker mindset lives an increasingly godly life by faith in Jesus. Every year his lifestyle becomes more like Jesus. He is effective and fruitful as he serves the Lord Jesus Christ. He is enriching the lives of those around him as he does his best to live according to God’s will trusting God to fulfill his efforts with His power (2 Thessalonians 1:11).
2 Peter 1:9 “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” The disciplemaker mindset is fully aware of the danger of not remembering and living according to God’s will and forgetting God has cleansed him from his sins. He daily puts on his “glasses” (lenses of scripture) to see clearly and live according to God’s will. He is careful to not forget God’s word (Psalm 119:93).
2 Peter 1:10-11 “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fail to do God’s will. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The disciplemaker mindset moves him to systematically read the scriptures and hold himself accountable to practice what he learns. He knows that God will reward him for doing His will on the Day of Judgment (1 Corinthians 3:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
2 Peter 1:12-15 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.” The disciplemaker mindset never tires of reminding disciples of the Truth. He will make every effort to help disciples know and remember the Truth when he is no longer with them. The goal of a disciplemaker is to make sure those he disciples will be able to remember and pass on to another person what they have been taught. The disciplemaker mindset does not get weary of reminding those he disciples of the Truth.
God’s Word to us: Have a disciplemaker’s mindset and change the world!