Jamie Legrand Jamie Legrand

The Importance of Language in Making Disciples

Hello Disciple-maker,

Indulge me for 30 seconds as I lay out the importance of sharing a common language in disciple-making.

 I remember being in Bogota, Colombia walking back from the local orphanage  when suddenly we were surrounded by 10-15 military men with guns drawn. They did not speak english and our weak Spanish was of no use. We were held in separate rooms for a couple hours while an interpreter was brought in to separate out what was fact and fiction. Needless to say we were released, unharmed, several hours later due to a simple case of mistaken identity.  If only we had shared a common language.

I am reminded of the tower of Babel in Genesis where The Lord Himself said, "Let us go down and confuse their language or nothing they attempt will be impossible for them." These are infinite  words that reveal the power of speaking the same language.

Let us add to this the second piece of the formula for starting a movement. Do you remember it? It is a commitment to making disciples who can make disciples, sharing a common culture and language.

Do you see the connection....The Lord Himself says that nothing is impossible when men/women share the same language and in fact, sharing the same language is critical in starting a movement.

I understand fully that there are several ways to make disciples and I believe that The Lord is into all of them; but make no mistake, The Lord is after the glory of His Name. What better way for The Lord's name to receive His glory than seeing a full blown movement of Jesus across the globe of men and women who share a common passion, culture and language. 

I must stress to you....share the common language. Here's a few reasons why.

1. It is critical for a movement to begin
2. It allows us to help each other "cross pollinate" enabling us to help parent each others "kids"
3. It simply moves things faster and removes barriers of explanation
4. It promotes the unity that Jesus spoke of John 17 and destroys denominational lines
5. It will allow you to "own" the basic concepts and put flesh on them accordingly as you grow
6. It will make your spiritual kids and grandkids be part of something bigger than their spiritual family. 

There are more reasons than I can account for but this is a start and we will unpack some of these in the weeks to come.

Grace and Peace,
Chris

Read More