Since 1941, sociologists and economists have referred to “the law of the vital few.” You might know it as the 80/20 rule: 20% of the members in any community are responsible for 80% of the work. I first heard of the 80/20 rule from Ben Watson. Whether it’s enterprise management, occupational health, quality control—leaders are taught to account for the 80/20 rule.

Often, the 80/20 rule affects churches as well. A simple Google search reveals several articles helping churches understand the 80/20 rule—20% of the members will be committed to 80% of the work. Many within that 20% eventually experience exhaustion. Yet without their efforts not much would get done. So, they soldier on. It can become an underlying assumption where leaders expect it and members operate by it.

Perhaps none of us agree with the 80/20 rule. But how do we function? This morning, we’ll discover that Christian discipleship rejects the 80/20 rule. Jesus makes disciples through a church where every member helps others follow Jesus. Last Sunday, we asked the What question: what is discipleship? This morning, we’re answering the Who question: who’s involved in discipleship? To begin, I want to return to Matthew 28 and consider how Jesus envisions the church in the Great Commission. Then, we’ll look at a snapshot from Ephesians 4, where the church together grows into Christ. Lastly, I want to show you a few ways this plays out in various relationships.

The Great Commission and the Church

First, let’s see how Jesus envisions the church in the Great Commission. Matthew 28:18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Notice, in baptism we confess that God is Trinity—it’s in the one name of Father, Son, and Spirit. Basic to Christian discipleship is knowing God as Father through Jesus Christ in the communion of his Spirit. Those who know God this way also pledge to submit their lives to Jesus’ authority. In baptism, Christians are not simply pledging to hear Jesus’ teaching but to observe his commands.

Such wording fits what Jesus teaches earlier in Matthew 18:15-20. Before he gets to the Great Commission, Jesus has already said a few things about the church. In Matthew 18, Jesus teaches his disciples how to practice correction when someone chooses not to observe Jesus’ commands. If a professing Christian refuses to repent and follow Jesus, the matter is to be taken before the church. The church is then to extend more love to this erring member by calling them to repent. The church even has the authority under Christ to excommunicate the person if they refuse to submit to Jesus.

Basically, Jesus planned to demonstrate his heavenly authority on earth through visible assemblies who observe his commands.[i] Baptism becomes a visible ordinance for a visible kingdom. The people themselves—you guys represent his rule as we grow in submission to Jesus while encouraging and correcting each other. In other words, the context for discipleship is the local church. Discipleship is not a “lone ranger” project. Part of belonging to Jesus is belonging to his people and helping one another obey everything he commanded—both in positive instruction and corrective discipline.

Every Saint Doing the Work of Ministry

One great example of the church acting this way is Ephesians 4—a chapter that includes both baptism and teaching, just like Matthew 28. Ephesians 4 is a snapshot of discipleship in the church. But lest we forget where the church comes from, let’s race through Ephesians 1-3. 1:4, God chose the church before the foundation of the world. Verse 7, he redeemed the church through Jesus’ blood. Verses 9-10, our salvation was part of a cosmic plan—“uniting all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth.”

Once we were dead in sin—Ephesians 2. We were cut off from God’s promises. We had no hope in the world. But in Christ God made us alive. More than that, Jesus’ death made us fellow heirs to all his promises. Jesus tore down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile. The church represents God’s new humanity. Jesus is our Cornerstone; and we are God’s holy temple, his dwelling place. All this God did for his own glory (Eph 1:6), and “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places”—3:10.

Then Paul enters chapter 4, saying, “Therefore [because of what God has done], I…urge you [church] to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Question: how do you obey that command by yourself? You can’t. Disciples were never designed to go it alone. Jesus makes disciples in a community eager to maintain unity.

He continues, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Then get this:

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

That’s a beautiful snapshot of discipleship in the church. Discipleship is the visible outworking of Jesus’ reign. The quote from verse 8 is from Psalm 68:18. The Lord goes forth to battle. He ascends the mountain in victory. He then takes the spoil of his enemies and distributes it to his soldiers. Paul is saying that Jesus went to battle for us at the cross. He won. Then he ascended to heaven where he reigns on Zion; and given that victory, he now gifts his church with leaders that the saints might be equipped.

Equipped for what? Equipped for the work of ministry, the work of serving the church. It’s not simply the leaders who do the work of ministry. The leaders equip the saints, and they do the work of ministry. The leaders and the saints—they both work to build up the body of Christ. And what’s the goal? Knowing the Son of God, maturing into Christ and his love. Jesus makes disciples through a church where every member helps others follow Jesus.

How does that happen? Verse 15, “speaking the truth in love.” Verse 16, “every part of the body working properly.” Does this vision captivate your imagination? Do you want to see more of Jesus? Do you want to experience more of his love, his truth, his grace? Then devote yourself to the maturity of one another. The more you mature in Christ the more of Jesus you will experience in our gatherings. The goal is that each of you represent Jesus more faithfully on earth while he reigns in heaven.

That’s what our world needs to see as well—that Christ is reigning. Our lives together are designed to put his reign on display. Your partnership in pursuing Christ is no small thing. When the church embraces her partnership in making disciples, we increasingly look more like Jesus and imitate his love. The local church is God’s plan for discipleship. Spiritual maturity comes through the church, not apart from the church.

Partnering in Making Disciples

If that’s true—if every saint plays a role in helping others follow Jesus—what does that look like? Let’s now look at a few ways discipleship plays out in various relationships. I won’t spend much time on how to disciple in these relationships—that’s for next week. I simply want to highlight some of the opportunities right before you.

Elders to the church

It begins with the elders, the ones that Paul calls “shepherds” in Ephesians 4:12. One of the major disciple-making relationships in the church is the relationship of elders to the church. In Acts 14:21-23, Paul goes about from Antioch and Iconium and Lystra making disciples. And upon his return to each city, he appoints elders in every church. Then later—in places like Acts 20 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9—we learn that the elders have an important role in teaching the church.

In many ways, elders are to be the exemplary disciple-makers. They educate people in the Christian faith. They pour themselves into the members. They lead the sheep toward godliness. So, Jordan, Trey, myself—maybe others of you who aspire to the same office: Are we making disciples as leaders? Are we educating people in the faith? Are we modeling discipleship ourselves? Can we say to Redeemer Church, imitate me as I imitate Christ in making disciples. A passage I always find reforming is 1 Thessalonians 2:8—“we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, for you had become very dear to us?” It’s tempting think that if we just get things down on paper for people, then discipleship will automatically happen. But that’s not true. It includes personal, patient instruction of those we hold dear. 

Faithful men to faithful men

Another relationship we find is faithful men discipling faithful men. 2 Timothy 2:2. “[Timothy], what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Discipling is like running a relay. To win, you’ve got to pass the baton. Paul is passing on the gospel-baton; Timothy passes the gospel on to other faithful men; those faithful men pass the gospel on to others.

Don Carson once put it this way: “There’s a ‘given’ about the Christian faith; it is something inherited from the very beginning of God’s action for our salvation, and it is to be passed on as long as this world lasts.”[ii] Brothers, have you received the clear teaching of God’s word? Along the way, has somebody invested in you? How are you taking what you’ve learned in the faith and passing it on to others? Formally speaking, maybe this happens in Sunday School or care groups or men’s meetings. Maybe it’s a special class on theological training or another group that works through a book. But it could also happen informally—over coffee, during exercise, at a hangout. The point is that faithful men should be looking for opportunities to train other faithful men.

Older women to younger women

But it’s not only faithful men training men; faithful women are making disciples too. Titus 2:3-5 speak of older women training younger women. It says, “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

Sisters, with your words and by your example, you are to set before the younger women what is good. Those of you who’ve walked with Jesus are obligated to take the younger sisters and show them how the gospel of Christ applies to marriage and eating and purity and work and serving others.

Older women, how are you training the younger women in these things? A couple weeks ago, Rachel and I had the privilege of attending a retirement party for Pastor Doug Helms at Rock Creek. But throughout the evening, we also heard testimony from many of the women. Doug’s wife, Selah—she took the younger women beneath her wing and trained them. With many, she worked through books like Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology or met for counsel on parenting and childrearing. But the refrain throughout the evening was steady—as an older woman, she was present.       

Sisters, are you leaving margin in your life to spend time teaching younger women? To those who are married—brothers, are you helping your wife to have that kind of margin to disciple other women? This a crucial ministry. In Titus 1:11, false teachers were upsetting households. Here, women are being trained to manage their households as a reflection of God’s love and kindness. God uses your teaching and example to keep his church in good order. The Lord uses your discipleship to help younger generations stand firm. So, consider how you might go about this. If you want help with practical How-Tos, the Women’s Retreat this September will be covering the topic of discipleship.

Husbands to wives

Discipling also extends to families like with the husband’s relationship to his wife. Ephesians 5:25-30, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

Brothers, our marriages are designed to be a parable of Christ’s sacrificial love for his church. And part of our calling is to wash our wives with the word—not by identity, of course, but by analogy. Only Christ can truly wash with the word. But when we become one flesh as husband and wife, Christ uses us in teaching our wives.

What are we teaching them? The word of the gospel. With this word, Christ separates the church from the world; and then with this same word, he holds the church near to himself. It’s also the word that makes us holy. Husbands, we have a unique charge of covering our wives with this gospel word. You see this also reflected in 1 Corinthians 14:35, where wives were asking their husbands questions at home—the assumption being that husbands were attentive to God’s word and happy to interact with their wives about the Scriptures.

Parents to children

Or consider parents to children. Ephesians 6:1-4, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Parents—especially fathers—carry the responsibility of regularly imparting truth to the children the Lord has given us. That happens through intentional times together in the word as a family; and it happens through spontaneous opportunities throughout the day. Fathers, how are you intentionally leading the home in discipling? Parenting is part of the Great Commission—make disciples at home. Children, if you have believing parents, that’s an immense blessing. Submit yourself to them. They’re trying to help you know Jesus; and in him God holds out a rich promise for you.

Mothers, consider the example of Timothy’s mother, Eunice, in 2 Timothy 1:5. She had a sincere faith and raised Timothy in the Scriptures from childhood (2 Tim 3:15). The author of Amazing Grace, John Newton—his mother would be another example. She educated him in the faith at a very early age. “But before her son was seven years old this good woman was taken to a better world.”[iii] She never got to see him become a Christian; and it wouldn’t be until his adult years that the Lord saved him. But one biographer notes this about Newton’s early years: “Most beautiful…and instructive is the illustration it affords of the priceless value of a Christian mother’s early training, and of her ardent prayers; for after many days those instructions brought forth fruit, and those prayers, laid up before God, were answered when the mother had passed into the skies.”[iv]

All to All

Lastly, discipleship extends to every believer. It’s not that these other relationships are the only ones we engage in; nor that these relationships never overlap. Rather, all these various relationships nurture a community where all disciple all.

Romans 15:14 for instance: “I myself am satisfied about you…that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.” Ephesians 4:15, “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” This is everybody speaking the truth in love to each other. This is young speaking to old, old speaking to young, wealthy speaking to the poor, poor speaking to the wealthy, married speaking to the singles, singles speaking to the married, everybody speaking the truth to each other.

Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you [plural] richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Hebrews 3:12, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

You and I have been joined together to disciple one another. The sermon on Sunday morning is important—but it isn’t everything. It’s not sufficient to make disciples. Discipleship comes when you take what’s learned and then help each other grow into it. Discipleship is like looking through a telescope at a star cluster or the rings around Jupiter; and in your amazement you’re calling others over, “Come here! Look! You can fit a thousand earths inside Jupiter!” That’s what we’re doing with the Christian life: “Come here! Look at Christ! Look how great he is!”

A Few Practical Considerations

So, what about that 80/20 rule? It’s a far cry from what the New Testament teaches. Jesus makes disciples through a church where every member helps others follow Jesus. Imagine if everyone in this church believed that someone else’s spiritual growth was partly their responsibility. Discipleship isn’t a ministry for a select few. It’s the ordinary life of church members. As much as possible, every Christian should be looking upward to learn from someone and outward to help someone else.

Having said that, some will still ask how to begin. Again, next Sunday I want to answer how we disciple one another. But let me close with a few practical considerations. First, pray. Jesus is the vine. You are the branches. Apart from him, you can do nothing. So, pray. Pray for his help in knowing next steps. Pray for courage if you’re fearful. Pray for wisdom where you’re confused. Not everybody is in the same place—some of our members have long workdays, others are retired; some are single, others are married; some are healthy with all kinds of energy, others are not; some are old in the faith, others are young. Whatever position the Lord has us in right now, pray that God will give us wisdom to navigate the various complexities of life.

Second, evaluate priorities. We give ourselves to the things we love. We invest where our heart is. Is growing as Christ’s disciple something you prioritize? Is discipling others something you value? Whose kingdom are you most interested in building? Given the priorities of the New Testament, work in concentric circles outward. Start with your family, then the church, then the world.[v] If married, make sure that you’re reading Scripture together. If you have children, nurture your children in the faith. Investing in others while your family languishes isn’t a good plan.

Then, look around the church and see who you can help. Maybe it’s meeting for coffee with a couple people on Saturday mornings. Maybe it’s discussing the word while you go for a walk. Maybe it’s asking someone to read Scripture together and discuss accountability. Then consider how to enfold outsiders. Maybe it’s a neighbor, a coworker, a classmate, someone you met at the park—and they don’t yet know Jesus but they’re interested. Find a way to spend time reading the Scriptures with them.

Next, proximity is worth considering. The closer you live to each other, the easier it’ll be to invest. We usually encourage folks to gather with the small group that’s closest to where they live. We’ve found that the further people are spread out, the less often their schedules allow them to meet. But if proximity isn’t close, then figure out other moments where schedules overlap. Where possible, make plans not to eat alone. In some cases, lunch breaks are good for one-on-one discipling. Show hospitality and use that time to encourage one another. If it runs later than expected, have family devotions together—read, talk, sing, pray, goodbye!

Fourth, pick someone. Those of you older in the faith, pick someone younger in the faith who’s willing to learn. Those younger in the faith, be willing to learn. Also, ask somebody more mature to help you. If they can’t, ask them to help you find someone who can. Now, being in a city with multiple colleges and a military base, we experience some turnover—younger, less established families join and then move a few years later.

The temptation is not to pick anyone who’s moving away. If not careful, we can think, “Why bother? They’ll be gone soon anyway.” But that’s not a good mindset. Jesus shed his blood for them too. Discipling is about Jesus. He is worthy of every hour you invest in them. You are like a discipling hub for these families. Think of how many churches you can bless, by helping these families mature in the time they are here.

Fifth, be purposeful. Set goals like, “Let’s meet together for three months and work through 1 Peter.” Or, “I have this resources that takes us through the Gospel of Mark with study questions. Let’s do one lesson every other week.” Maybe you have a set of questions that you ask each other like, “How’s your time in the word? What truth of the gospel have you been meditating on? Is anything making you anxious, fearful? In what ways have you been tempted this week? What can I be praying for?” and so on.

Sixth, be patient. Remember, discipleship is a process. Not all of us are in the same place or struggle in the same ways. Change happens over time as the Spirit works his truth into us. Don’t feel like you need to replace the Spirit either. He does his work just fine and in his own timing. You just stay faithful in the relationships the Lord gives you. Plant, water, and then trust him to cause the growth.

Finally, persevere. Persevere in discipling others because this is exactly how Jesus treated us. No matter how many times they missed it, he never gave up on his disciples. He patiently taught them. He washed feet when they betrayed him. He prayed when they fell asleep. He died when they forsook him. And he returned when they ran away. And now the risen Christ continues to make disciples through you.

Everything you need to disciple others is found in him. Every time you patiently open the Scriptures with another believer, every time you encourage someone who’s weary, every time you lovingly correct someone wandering from the faith, Christ is continuing the work he promised in the Great Commission: “I am with you always.” Make disciples because Christ lives to make disciples through you.

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[i] Cf. Matt 16:18-19; 28:18; John 20:21-23.

[ii] D. A. Carson, et al., Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 380.

[iii] Josiah Bull, The Life of John Newton (Carlisle: Banner of Truth, 2007, reprint), 4.

[iv] Bull, Life of John Newton, 3-4.

[v] Cf. priorities in 1 Tim 5:8; Gal 6:10.