Matt Chandler: Evangelism without Discipleship Falls Short of the Great Commission

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Pastor Matt Chandler says the Great Commission does not end at conversion, yet too many modern churches have operated as though it does, emphasizing professions of faith while failing to ensure those new believers are still walking with Christ years later.

The lead pastor of The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, Matt Chandler, is the author of the new book Becoming Like Jesus (Thomas Nelson), which he wrote after watching young people enthusiastically embrace Christ only to drift from the faith years later, as well as longtime believers abandoning their convictions after enduring difficult life struggles. The book’s subtitle hints at its content: “The Everyday Journey to Living a Life of Holiness.”

“The main goal has never been conversion,” he said. “The main goal has always been discipleship. And so I think the majority of churches put a ton of energy into ‘how do we get people saved?’ – and put not near enough energy in the ‘now what?’”

Chandler cited his own church as an example.

“We just baptized some people this Easter. I'm real curious: Where are they going to be three years from now? How are we helping them know what it looks like to walk with Jesus now?”

Jesus’ commandment in the Great Commission, he said, is “not just ‘baptize all nations.’” Instead, it’s “make disciples of all nations.”

Drawing on Jesus’ teachings in the Beatitudes, Chandler’s book emphasizes “progressive sanctification” – the Spirit-led journey of gradually becoming more like Jesus over time.

Chandler describes Becoming Like Jesus as the book he’s wanted to write for 20 years.

“I'm 51 now, and I've endured. I had a terminal cancer diagnosis. I had seven years of a very difficult marriage. I've been betrayed internally, externally. I've just experienced enough and far enough away from some of that sorrow to see the good work of God in it at the time. I couldn't have seen it at the time [and] didn't enjoy it at the time,” he told Crosswalk Headlines. “… But now all these years later, I can look back on some of that and go, ‘Oh, He was right there doing a deeper work in me.’”

Chandler likens the Christian life to a horizontal coil – marked by highs and lows yet always moving forward toward Christlikeness.

Discipleship, he said, is ultimately “growth in holiness,” and he rejects the notion that following Jesus guarantees an easy, struggle-free life, calling that idea a “lie from the enemy.”

The doctrine of discipleship and sanctification, he said, should bring encouragement rather than discouragement.

“The Lord is patiently transforming you. You should be as gracious to you as He's been to you, because you're going to make mistakes. I'm going to make mistakes. We're human. He's not. Let God do His work in you,” Chandler said.

“See hardship, failure, and suffering as an opportunity for the Spirit to shape you more into the image of Jesus.”

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Photo Credit: ©The Village Church

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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