Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus gave a mission to His disciples to make other disciples. It was a daunting task for the eleven men who had just watched the person who made them into disciples disappear into the clouds. By following Jesus’ teachings and with the help of the Holy Spirit, they came together and pulled it off. That mission continues today and it continues with you. From the first disciples and through the ages this mission has been passed along until it has reached you. It is now your responsibility to make disciples and I hope that these posts have shown you what a disciple is, why it’s important to continue this mission, and how to make disciples.

A disciple is not simply a person who has been baptized or knows who Jesus is. A disciple is a person who is making a conscious effort to advance their relationship with Christ by developing all areas of their lives to look more like Him. The strange thing is that more and more it seems that our Christian culture here in the west, based on their actions, believes the former definition is the correct one. It seems that so few western Christians are really taking the mission seriously. Instead we are distracted by so many other things happening in our lives that we find it difficult to make time to really be intentional about discipleship. It’s what we tell ourselves, but it’s a silly thing to say. What could possibly be more important than growing closer to Jesus? Maybe for you, it’s time to evaluate what things you hold important in your life not based on how you feel but based on how you spend your time. These posts are not going to do anything for you if you still won’t make time for discipleship in your life.

Becoming a disciple and making disciples is hard work, but we fortunately have a long history of Christianity to look towards to inform us of how we can make it happen. The church has survived this long because in each generation it has successfully discovered how to reach people and make disciples. The Holy Spirit has been moving in the church throughout its history and it will continue to do so. Take heart that the struggles that we are facing today in making disciples is not unique just to our generation. The church has always struggled to continue this mission, but it has always come out ahead. The Holy Spirit continues to move in amazing ways in the past and presently, too.

For most people, it seems that what they are lacking when it comes to discipleship is not will but skill. Obtaining actual instruction and education about discipleship is extremely important for becoming more like Christ and growing in relationship with Him. Imagine that you wanted to grow closer to a friend, but you didn’t know anything about them. You didn’t know what they looked like, their favorite food, what music they liked, or their values and goals for life. It would be extremely hard to grow closer to that friend, yet this is so emblematic of what most believer’s relationships with Jesus look like. I have no doubt that they love Jesus, but they simply don’t know Him. They are scripturally illiterate and lack basic knowledge about doctrine. Perhaps this hits a bit close to home for you. I wouldn’t blame yourself, though. The church currently doesn’t have a great track record with emphasizing Christian education. Maybe that’s really what you need to get growing as a disciple. There are plenty of places to start. The Bible Project is a fantastic source that anyone can use to begin learning about scripture. Approach your church about what resources they recommend for discovering scripture and pursuing Christian education. Local Bible studies are excellent ways to learn about Jesus and obtain doctrine, and if you church doesn’t offer one then look at attending a Bible study at a different church. Do whatever it takes to begin learning about who Jesus really is so you can begin to become a disciple.

Scriptural knowledge is only one part of being a disciple, though. Discipleship is about growing holistically as a person, and you grow in relationship with Christ and others. I have met some wonderful people who knew volumes about scripture, but they were not very good disciples. This was because they were lacking in other areas of their lives. You may want to check every area of your life to see what you want to work on. Maybe it’s vocationally because you currently don’t do anything to use your talents and abilities to serve the Church. Maybe it’s relationally, because you have strained and damaged relationships in your life that are preventing you from coming to Jesus. It could be emotionally, and you need to seek the help of a therapist to help you sort out some of your baggage. Discipleship is something that involves your whole self and everything you are, so each part of yourself needs to be pursuing this relationship with Jesus. He gave everything for us, so we need to pursue Him with everything we are.

What I’ve written here isn’t only just for everyday church goers, but I hope I have made an impression on pastors and church leaders, too. Disciples cannot be formed outside the work of the church. What churches do is important, but sometimes they are a bit misaligned. The mission Jesus gave the Church was to make disciples, and everything outside of that is just a distraction. We’ve created churches that are great at making converts, but they sometimes drop the ball when it comes to making disciples. There are ways to get back on track. It really takes just being intentional about making disciples. That all starts with how we see our people. Many churches focus on putting butts in seats, but that doesn’t necessarily make disciples. Instead, we need to develop systems that track people’s progress in becoming a disciple and formulate our systems and programming around helping them get to the next level. The Holy Spirit is still moving in God’s church, we just need to make a few changes, so we and the Holy Spirit are doing the same mission.

For many, Christian education means seminary and for good reason. Seminaries and other institutions of Christian higher education are the academic arm of the church. They protect doctrine and instruct believers in sound theology. The work they do is transformative for those who attend, but that’s where it breaks down. Very few in the church are fortunate enough to be able to attend one of these institutions. The work they do is far too important to be shut behind so many barriers. There is a better way to do this. These institutions need to partner with local churches in order to build up as many disciples as they can. These programs already exist in churches across America and the results are astounding! If you want to really take your church’s biblical knowledge to the next level, then partnering with a local school to provide seminary level instruction that is deeply needed and accessible needs to happen.

Finally, if you’ve come this far and can see that you’ve matured, learned, and refined your relationship with Jesus to the last level, then you’re ready to make other disciples. The path to true discipleship doesn’t just end with learning and growing on your own. Disciples make other disciples. Until you have reproduced in others what the Holy Spirit has done in you, you are not a disciple. It’s time to get out there and do the work that Jesus has called you to. Get into a relationship with someone who is not a disciple. Invite them out for a meal and share life together. Be someone they can rely on for support. Pour into their life spiritually and guide them in a relationship with Jesus. It is the thing Jesus has called you to do with your life, nothing else is more important. I hope that what I have provided here has inspired you and equipped you to start becoming a disciple. Now the only question is if you’re going to commit to it.

Bibliography

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