The Bible makes no real distinction between a Christian and a disciple-maker. Even though much of our population still claims to be Christian, disciple-makers are rare. Modern Christianity has indoctrinated many to see disciple-making as an option rather than the way that Jesus taught us.
Jesus Was a Disciple Maker
Jesus taught with His life. That was the culture. To teach was to show. To learn was to watch and do. From the beginning Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.” That was the Lord's, our Teacher's, first lesson.
“Do what I just did and go fishing for more” Jesus went fishing for your soul. Now go and do likewise.
To follow Jesus is to come to the Teacher and say, “My mind and my heart are yours for the making, Lord.”
He will “make you” into everything you need to be in order to be successful and fruitful as a disciple maker.
Fruitfulness and flourishing have always glorified God. God commanded Adam and Eve to multiply and fill the earth, and they did. Today, the Church is called to the multiplication of disciples by preaching the gospel, calling men to repentance, inviting others into our lives to watch and learn what it means to be a Christian, and then challenging them with the words of Christ to be “fishers of men.”
Some Won’t
Not everyone will do this. Many won’t because they feel it’s unnecessary. Hundreds of Scriptural texts, including the words of Jesus, easily refute this false thinking. The person who sees no need for making disciples or for spreading the gospel to the world one disciple at a time needs to repent of their sin and selfishness. Many won’t because it inconveniences their lifestyle of freedom or their dreams. Remember the tremendously inconvenient work of the cross and the love that Jesus poured out to save you for Himself. Reality check: there is nothing convenient at all about the life of a disciple.
For those that are not making disciples because of a feeling of inadequacy or weakness, you’re actually in a good place to be shaped by Jesus. You don’t have to be adequate. You only need to be open and possess a willing heart to obey Christ in what glorifies Him. The difficulties that flood your mind when you think about actually making a disciple of Jesus can all be dispelled through simple faith. Placing your faith in Jesus, who saves, is to place your life in the hands of the One wants to use you as a witness for His glory.
How do I begin?
Think about fishing just for a second. Even if you’re not fond of slapping on waders and heading down to a pond swarming with mosquitoes, you can still draw from the analogy. Begin to think strategically about the non-believers in your life. If there aren’t any, that’s for another blog altogether. What do you need to do to get yourself closer to them and serve them? What can you use out of your many resources that could open the door for building a relationship that leads to a gospel invitation? Be creative. Be filled with wisdom from the Scriptures. Be filled with the Spirit and trust that He’ll equip you as you pray and cast the net into the waters of souls that need Jesus. Every Christian is called to make disciples for Christ. Remember that the early disciples were not called because they were special or better than any one of us. They were challenged to come out of their sins, comforts, and weaknesses and go to the people and culture in which they lived, and beyond. They cast their nets wide and far because Jesus told them to.
Matthew 28:18-20 ‘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.”’
Editor's Note: This originally published at Made to Make Disciples.