The Power of Ten

Christ calls us to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching until he comes again. How can we do the job? Let me show you The Power of 10. There are 10 New Testament books which contain 10 chapters or more. Interestingly enough, chapter 10 of each of these books has something to teach us about our disciple-making mission.

1. Our mission flows from God's grace. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 10, "Freely you have received, freely give."
2. Our mission starts in the nursery. Mark 10 describes how parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. Likewise, we who are parents must do our best to disciple our own children and bring them to Christ.
3. Our mission reaches to our neighborhoods. In Luke 10, Jesus defines neighborliness with his famous story about a mugging victim left by the side of the road half-dead, neglected by religious leaders but rescued by a Good Samaritan. As long as we remain captive to our comforts and traditions, and refuse to reach out to our neighbors, we're no different than the priest and Levite who passed by on the other side of the road.
4. Our mission meets people at the point of deepest need. We can help lost sheep find the Good Shepherd who said in John 10, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
5. Our mission extends to cultures different from our own. Peter was a Jewish fisherman, but God sent him to the home of Cornelius, a Gentile centurion who served with the Italian Regiment. Talk about culture shock! But Peter adjusted, and in Acts 10 he confessed that he finally understood how God accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
6. Our mission requires sending and supporting workers who go where we ourselves cannot go. Romans 10 says, "Faith comes by hearing," for "How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?"
7. Our mission requires unselfishness. In 1 Corinthians 10 Paul says, "I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."
8. Our mission is empowered by God. The world evangelism arena isn't a playground; it's a battleground. But God provides spiritual weapons which "have divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10).
9. Our mission isn't finished until Christ comes again. Hebrews 10 urges us to persevere, "for in just a very little while, 'He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith.'"
10. Our mission compels us to share our Creator's worldview. The apostle John was given a special responsibility to prophesy "about many peoples, nations, languages and kings" (Revelation 10). Our task is to make disciples in these nations while we look forward to that great day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

What if each of us were to multiply our disciple-making efforts by the power of 10? What if our churches increased our mission budgets by another 10 percent? What if each of us took 10 more minutes a day to pray for world evangelization? Or gave 10 extra dollars per month to missions? Or made a list of 10 people we could prayerfully seek to bring to Christ?

What would happen if we seriously set out to disciple our nation and the world in this generation? I'd like to find out. Wouldn't you?