Making DisciplesSample

If you are passionate about making disciples, it can become one of the most exciting journeys you have ever embarked upon. I say that because you will be engaging in something very close to the heart of God. Jesus highlighted it before leaving the earth, when He said: "...go and make disciples of all nations." Matt.28:19. NIV. These were His last recorded words to His disciples.

Have you ever been with someone who was dying? I have. A few days before my dad passed on, I stood beside his bed. I had traveled from a nearby town where I was working. He was 84 years old, weak, and frail. I had a clear sense that this would be our last conversation. He spoke in a whisper and shared everything that was on his heart. I listened wide-eyed, soaking up every word. I thanked him for being an example of a godly, praying man with a heart for the lost.

During his lifetime, he never shied away from sharing Christ with people in our community and elsewhere. Every morning before 5 am, for as long as I can remember, he faithfully prayed for people God had laid on his heart. His prayers and discipleship drastically impacted my own life. Now his journey was coming to an end. A few days after I visited him, he passed on.

When someone is dying, they don't talk about things that are unimportant. They share their deepest thoughts and desires. That was what my dad did in his last conversation with me. This is also what Jesus did with his disciples before He left the earth. He instructed them to go and make disciples.

This instruction was not only meant for pastors, evangelists, or church leaders. Every follower of Christ has been given the responsibility to go and make disciples. Eph.4:11,12 says that God has given to the church apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists, to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry. Every believer's hand is required on deck when it comes to discipleship.

Let’s look at some practical ways to do it. It means:

1. Helping people to follow Jesus well, according to what the Bible teaches us. We do it by walking closely with them in their journey with God. We make ourselves vulnerable by sharing our own struggles, victories, setbacks, and disappointments so that they can see how a follower of Christ deals with the issues of life.

2. Creating a pattern in someone’s life of daily obedience to the teachings of Jesus. Share why you have a quiet time, how they can have one too, and where to start reading scripture. If it's a new believer, the Gospel of John is a good place to start. That book was written for new converts to see how Jesus engaged with ordinary people.

3. Being in an honest relationship with someone who trusts you to speak biblical truth to them, assisting them to walk out of sinful patterns and come into a holy lifestyle that honors God.

4. Seeing the God-potential each one of us possesses, calling this out and holding it constantly in front of that person until they believe it.

5. Equipping someone, imparting the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and enabling them to walk into a life of effective ministry.

Are you ready? This is going to be an exciting journey. Tomorrow we will unpack more...