Who isn’t concerned about the breakdown of America’s values? Who hasn’t felt anger, frustration, and a sense that your hands are tied?

How can we turn it around? Is there a guiding principle of such crystalline clarity that it can guide ALL of us? There is. Jesus said it in many ways and on many occasions, and this is as clear as anywhere:

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17)

How would Jesus do that today?

He would not posts rants on Facebook. He would not publicly humiliate sinners. He would not turn the breakdown of America into a political issue. Because He doesn’t exist to condemn people. 

If Jesus was incarnate today, He would take a few men under his wing, show them the ropes, help them become robust disciples, then send them out to disciple others with instructions to, in turn, disciple others–starting at home. 

That’s His plan, then and now: “Disciples making disciples.” Why? Because He wants to save the world. Our failure to execute His plan is why our country is breaking down.

The cause of our breakdown is NOT the economy, tax reform, poverty, racism, better law enforcement, reforming immigration, or defeating ISIS. As important as those things are, they are effects, not causes.

Rather, the breakdown is “disciples not making disciples.” How so? The vast majority of those who have been discipled have no vision or passion to disciple others. 

They are like soldiers who enlisted in God’s army and were issued a weapon they never learned how to clean and shoot. As a result, they are losing the battle not only for other souls, but their own.

Disciples not making disciples is the bottleneck holding back the gospel spread of the Gospel. It’s why Christians are not salt, light, and leaven in the culture. 

Personally, I think “disciples not making disciples” is ignorance, not malice, which is why we urgently need to train people how to make disciples.

God, of course, can do anything He wants. He can send a wholesale spiritual awakening even if NONE OF US makes a single disciple. God can reform our governments, churches, and families even if NONE OF US makes a single disciple.

But apart from begging God for such a miracle, “making disciples who make disciples–starting at home” is what He commissioned as His designated way to turn things around.

Are you making disciples who make disciples? If yes, praise God for you! But if you’re not sure how, and tired of sitting by while Rome burns, send an email to patrickmorley@maninthemirror.org and we’ll get you what you need.

Until every church disciples every man…

Patrick Morley, PhD

Founder and Chairman, Man in the Mirror