“Obey me.”

It sounds kind of harsh, doesn’t it? Like something from the dark ages. Someone not so jokingly remarked, “One of the most noticeable things about any backward country is that the children obey their parents.” It might be funny if it weren’t so true. Obedience is decreasingly in vogue in our so-called “advanced” society.

A residence director who, for 10 years, has lived and worked with university students on a Christian campus, recently commented, “There has been a marked change in students from when I first started. Back then when a student was caught breaking the rules, he admitted it. Today, he almost invariably debates it.”

Such a reality presents us with a daunting challenge as disciple-makers given Jesus’ clear mandate to “teach them to obey everything I commanded you.” As outdated as that may sound, it is every bit as relevant today as it was when Jesus said it. Obedience to Christ is incumbent on everyone who would aspire to follow Him.

One of the primary goals of a disciple-maker is to instill in the would-be follower an understanding right from the beginning that following Jesus is all about obeying Him. The goal of Bible study is not knowledge, but obedience. We must immediately and regularly be prompting one another to actively obey God’s revealed truth.

So the next time you open the Word with fellow believers, don’t just ask them what they’re learning — ask them what they plan to do about it. That’s not from the dark ages. It’s straight from the wisdom of the ages!

“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” – Jesus (NASB)