Discipleship: God's Plan for Reaching the WorldSample

Disciples Make Other Disciples

Jesus was undoubtedly a great visionary who lived with passion and purpose.

He desired to change the world by bringing the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. He also had a simple strategy for this vision which has empowered and blessed every generation since his ascension into heaven.

That strategy was discipleship.

When Jesus called Simon and Andrew to follow him and be his disciples, he assured them he would make them into fishers of men. Up to this point in their lives, their contribution to society was to fish. Fishing was their source of income, identity, purpose, and belonging.

However, Jesus offered them a radically different way of viewing themselves and making meaning in the world. Jesus was inviting them into a different story—a story in which, instead of catching fish in a net, they would catch people in the transformative journey of discipleship.

Jesus’ strategy was both simple and effective. Jesus wanted to make disciples who would make disciples.

We see his intention at the very start of his ministry, with Andrew and Simon, all the way through to the very end of his ministry, where he commands them to go out into all the world and ‘make disciples of all nations’ (Matt 28:18-20).

To take on the name of a disciple means to take on the responsibility of helping others do the same. Discipleship is a call beyond spiritual consumption to spiritual contribution.

The journey we go on when we raise other disciples is much like the journey parents go on when raising their children. Every good parent wants to help their child survive and thrive in the world. It is a long journey from the moment the child is born helpless in the world to the point the child eventually leaves their home as an adult. Parents help their children navigate, grow, and mature through all the various stages of their development.

Discipleship is a very similar journey.

Every good disciple wants to help other believers survive spiritually and thrive in the world as believers of the faith. It is a long journey from spiritual infancy (when people give their lives to Christ) to the point where they are spiritually mature, self-sustaining disciples who can help make and mature other disciples.

If we are honest, the church has a lousy track record for raising spiritual children to maturity and health. Many of our churches are like spiritual orphanages, filled with men and women who have accepted the gospel but have never grown in maturity because no one has obeyed Jesus’ command to disciple them.

Perhaps you have been privileged enough to have had other disciples help you grow and mature in the faith. Perhaps you are reading this and realize you have never had someone intentionally help you grow in the ways of the Lord. You have accepted Jesus, attended church, and done all you can to follow Jesus faithfully, but you realize you are like a spiritual orphan who has never been discipled yourself.

All of us, orphaned or not, have a choice to make. The choice is whether we will allow Jesus to make us into fishers of men—whether we will allow him to bring us into a new story, a story that alters our sense of purpose, identity, and belonging.

It’s a choice to either perpetuate the spiritual abandonment we see around us or break the cycle by following Jesus’ example of making disciples. You are not responsible for those who failed to disciple you, but as a disciple of Jesus, you are responsible for those who God has placed before you.

Application

Spend some time answering these questions:

Who has God placed before you that he may be asking you to disciple and encourage?

Who do you influence?

Ask the Lord to bring people to mind, and then after praying, ask the person if they would be interested in you coming alongside them this season.

The goal is not to be perfect but to be intentional about following Jesus’ strategy of discipling others.