Taking Dominion and Making Disciples Devotional
Fish Fry August 2026
The mandate given to families:
“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule [or have dominion] over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” Genesis 1:27-28 NASB [LSB,ESV]
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Genesis 2:15 ESV
The commission given to disciples:
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” Matthew 28:18-20
The work we’ve all been given:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
Our mission:
Take dominion and make disciples; walking in the good works God has prepared for us.
Take Dominion
Taking dominion is to subdue and rule.
To subdue is to order creation according to God’s will. (Matt. 6:10) According to the MacArthur study Bible, it is “a productive ordering of the earth and its inhabitants to yield its riches and accomplish God’s purposes.”
To rule: is to be God’s representative, His image bearer, over creation, ruling under God’s authority and as his ambassadors. (Genesis 1:27-28, Psalm 8:6-8, 2 Corinthians 5:18,20)
Personal Dominion
Rule yourself well.
- Grow in the knowledge of God. (John 17:3, Eph. 1:17, 2 Peter 3:18)
- Grow in sanctification by killing sin. (Prov. 8:13, Rom. 8:13)
- No longer walk as unbelievers do. Eph. 4:17
- Put off your unbelieving way of life. Eph. 4:22
- Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Eph. 4:23
- Train to wield the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:17, 2 Tim. 2:15)
- Practice spiritual disciplines: worship, prayer, fasting, sabbath rest, and scripture reading, meditation, and study.
Family Dominion
Rule your family well.
Husbands
- “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,” Eph. 5:25
- Your marriage is a reflection of the gospel relationship between Christ and His bride the church! Eph. 5:32
- Disciple and teach your wives. Eph. 5:26, 1 Cor. 14:35
Fathers
- Raise your children in the instruction and discipline of the Lord. Eph. 6:4
- Our children bear the image of God. Gen. 1:27
- Render to God the things that are God’s. Matt. 22:21
- Let the children come to Jesus and do not hinder them. Matt. 19:14
- Teach God’s instructions to your children throughout the day. Deut. 6:7
Rule over a household. Household: (hebrew: bayit) Family, Clan, Estate, Dynasty, Amory, Strong Fortress.
A well ordered and managed estate, dynasty, or strong fortress!
A man is not qualified to lead the church as an elder unless he rules over his own household well. 1 Tim. 3:4-5
“The ultimate husband flex isn’t a truck or a watch. It’s telling your wife, ‘Retire. Homeschool.’ Trading a second paycheck for a household where your kids are formed by their own mother, not a stranger. That’s not a downgrade. That’s dominion.” Robert Bortins, CEO of Classical Conversations, a homeschool curriculum and community program.
Church Dominion
Rule well as a member of the church.
- Lead your family to church, assemble with God’s people to worship our God. Acts 2:44, Psalm 96:7-10, John 4:23-24, Hebrews 10:25
- Devote yourself to the “teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42
- Use your spiritual gifts to serve the church. 1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:6
- Meet the needs of our fellow members. Acts 2:45
- Love one another. Romans 12:10-13, John 13:34-35
Community / Civil Dominion
Rule well as a member of the community and civil body politic.
“IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten… Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country… Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid [the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith]: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience.” The Mayflower Compact, 1620
- Love your neighbor. Matt. 22:39, Rom. 13:10
- Obey the civil authority. Rom. 13:1-7, 1 Pet. 2:13-15
- Strive for the common good. 1 Cor. 10:24
- Strive for order, law, and justice. Lev. 19:15, Deut. 16:19-20, Isaiah 56:1, Prov. 18:5, Prov. 21:3,15
- As the pillar and buttress of truth, be a prophetic voice promoting biblical truth for the good of the community. 1 Tim. 3:15, Rom. 3:19-20, Rom. 13:4, Mark 6:17-18
Make Disciples
In all domains, personal, family, church, and community, we are commanded to make disciples.
- Bear witness to God’s truth and grace (law and gospel). Matt. 5:14-16
- Proclaim the good news of the gospel. Rom. 10:14-15
- Teach all God has commanded. Matt. 28:20
The example of Paul in Athens (Acts 17:16-34:
- Reason in the marketplace. Acts 17:17
- Proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. Acts 17:18
- People will ask what these things mean. Acts 17:19-20
- Be ready to give an answer. Acts 17:22-31, 1 Pet. 3:15, Col. 4:6
For better ordering and preservation…
As we take dominion we should preserve or protect it. Gen. 2:15
- Like Abram taking 318 trained men from his household to rescue Lot. Gen. 14:14
- Or Nehemiah stationing families as a guard while rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Neh. 4:13
- Protect also from false teachers and “unfruitful works of darkness”. Eph 5:1-21, 2 Peter 2
We should also work together to take dominion and make disciples into the future.
Households, Churches, Communities, Ministries, Businesses, Schools… Christian’s need to work together to build institutions of change. Our combined or corporate strength can make the world a better place and shine the light of the gospel like a city on a hill into the future (Matt. 5:14).
An example of living a life for the mission is Christopher Columbus. He was motivated by a desire to evangelize the nations and fund a crusade to rescue Jerusalem from the Muslim invasion. He wrote, “It was the Lord who put it in me to sail from here to the Indies. The fact that the gospel must be preached to so many lands – that is what convinced me. Charting the sea is but a necessary requisite for fulfillment of the Great Commission of our glorious Savior.”
The great adventure and endeavors he took were all to take dominion and make disciples for the glory of God!
This is our mission: Take Dominion and Make Disciples
Rule yourself well, rule your household well, serve in the church, and bring God’s truth and grace into every sphere of life that you enter into until every nation proclaims “Jesus is Lord!”
And “Now may the God of peace…
equip you in every good thing to do His will through Jesus Christ,
to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)
THE GOOD NEWS
There is a God that created the heavens and the earth. We humans are created in His image.
We are sinners, we have rebelled against Him, our Creator. Our rebellion has brought “all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice… envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness” to the world. Romans 1:29-31 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.1.29-31.ESV
Therefore we justly deserve our due punishment of death and damnation, “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” Romans 3:10-12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.3.10-12.ESV
But good news! God is merciful and loving. Jesus is God the only begotten Son and He took our punishment upon Himself in our place. Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death and securing the hope of our salvation.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.15.3-8.ESV
““Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”” Acts 2:36-38 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/act.2.36-38.ESV
We need only repent and believe it. Repent: turn away from our sins, proclaim Jesus is lord and savior, and we will be forgiven our sins and have life ever after! “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”” Romans 10:9-11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.10.9-11.ESV
There is hope. Believe in Jesus! ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.3.16.ESV
It doesn’t matter who you’ve been or what you’ve done, God stands with arms wide open, ready to forgive you. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.1.9.ESV
Dobra Family Ministry 