Making DisciplesSample

The Great Commission was introduced so we could go to all the nations (outside the church building), find those who are not like us, and make disciples of them.

We can interpret Matt.28:18-20 in 2 ways:

a) Teach people the commands of Jesus. This interpretation is knowledge-based. The overriding thought is that people need to know.

b) Help that person to live out /obey the commands of Christ in their own lives. This one is more accurate. It means that you help people to live out a changed lifestyle in accordance with scripture. It means helping people to walk the road of discipleship. Are we doing that as a lifestyle? This is something very rare among modern-day believers.

Often, gifted leaders draw people who are added to the church. This is called the model of addition and is not unscriptural. We see in Acts how gifted leaders caused numbers to be added to the church. Addition seems the best initially. Acts 2:47 says, "... people in general, liked what they saw." (The Message Bible). We see the results as the church fills up, but Jesus expected us to pursue a model of replicating ourselves in others as He did. He did it slowly, over a period of 3-4 years, and it resulted in far greater numbers of people impacted than any other model could.

Multiplication through discipleship may look slow at first, but it produces a rapidly growing, deeply maturing church that can impact a culture of hedonism, govern in a climate of hostility, and create peace and love in every suburb and city. The Great Commission has discipleship in its very DNA. How should we do it?

By an Intentional lifestyle

Effective disciple-makers should always strive to have 2 or 3 people that they are discipling. It is intentional, but it also becomes a lifestyle. As you disciple people, you will pass on the same passion for disciple-making to those that you are mentoring.

Whether you’re in the marketplace or in missions, whether you work in an NGO or the corporate world, the impact will be the same. The model that Jesus showed us was that He intentionally picked people completely different from Him and asked them to follow Him. We should do the same and point them to Christ.

Therefore, pray and ask God to show you 2 or 3 people, then approach them and build a relationship with them. Create a safe environment for them to connect at heart and share their deepest longings. They need to know that you are not perfect, but that you are as sincere as they are in your search for truth and meaning, and that Christ offers all that to whoever wants to follow Him.

That means that we walk in integrity with them and are transparent. It creates the best discipling opportunities, but also deep and lasting friendships. All of this becomes life-changing and brings excitement. It literally breathes new life into your walk with God.