Greg Laurie: No Christian Is 'Off the Hook,' All Are Called to Evangelize, Make Disciples
Every Christian has a responsibility to evangelize and try to bring people to Jesus Christ, says megachurch Pastor Greg Laurie, describing discipleship as not unlike a plane's safety instructions.
Laurie, who leads Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, reflected on Jesus' Words in Matthew 28 in a Facebook video posted on Tuesday.
In Matthew 28, Jesus Christ said: "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo I am with you even to the end of the age."
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Laurie explained what the passage means, saying: "It means go out, [and] to the best of your ability, lead people to Christ, get them on their feet spiritually, and go and repeat the process again, and again, and again."
He added: "It's sort of like, wash, rinse, repeat — evangelize, discipleship, do it again. We're all called to do this, no one gets off the hook."
Laurie said that in order for people to make disciples, they must first be disciples themselves.
"You know when you're on the planes and they're telling you what to do in case you lose oxygen, and the masks come down? They say first put it on yourself, then on your child. Why? Because you can't help your kid if you're not getting oxygen," he said.
"You can't help others if you don't know God as you ought to."
Laurie has preached on the importance of discipleship on a number of occasions, and in a September sermon series on the topic said "you cannot take people any further than you yourself have come."
The pastor warned that it's possible for some to still be "spiritual babies" even years after accepting Christ.
"Success or failure in the Christian life is dependent on how much of the Bible we get into our heart and mind on a daily basis and how obedient we are to it," the church leader added.
He also reminded church members that people see them as a "physical representative of Jesus Christ."
Others, such as the men's ministry organization of the United Methodist Church, have also said that practice of discipleship is a "contact sport" that cannot be ignored.
Gilbert Hanke, general secretary and CEO of the General Commission on United Methodist Men, told The Christian Post in July that many churches are missing a systematic way in which to make disciples.
"So each of the presentations and workshops was directed toward making a positive impact on the men and to help them grow in their discipleship; to be a disciple who makes more disciples," Hanke said of the 12th National Gathering at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis at the time.
Hanke told CP that the gathering was designed in such a way "that men would have a positive impact on disciple making at their local church."
