Teachings from India (3):
According to Matthew 16:17, certain signs will follow a believer–they will cast out demons and speak in new tongues etc. But a believer who casts out a demon may not be a disciple. He may believe in all the promises of God, but still not be a disciple. Matthew 7:21-23 describes a group of people who prophesied, cast out demons and performed miracles, but because they hadn't done the will of the Father, they would not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
A disciple is a person who makes disciples that make disciples (Matthew 28:16-20). The eleven disciples were commanded to make disciples who obeyed what Jesus taught. That teaching includes the instruction to make disciples. Many of us may sit in church or read the Bible or pray but that doesn't make us a disciple. A disciple will bring forth an abundant harvest, a vine loaded with fruit (John 15:1-8).
If everyone in our churches is equipped to make disciples, and instead of listening to long sermons listens instead to testimony of what God is doing, and if we are willing to hold people accountable by asking them what they are doing to make disciples, then the church will grow rapidly. If a church has short sermons and long testimonies, it will grow!
[This sort of teaching goes against our Christian culture here in the West. But remember, this teaching comes from a group who saw more than 250,000 baptisms on the Day of Pentecost last year.]
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