Back to Basics
Do you want to make disciples? I hope so! Jesus’ marching orders to His followers were
to “go and make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19). He couldn’t have been clearer about our
Great Commission. Yet for various reasons, we get sidetracked doing other things, or we
think we cannot do it and we should leave it to the “professionals.”
In this article I’d like to look at what it doesn’t take to make disciples, and what it does
take.
First let’s look at what it doesn’t take to make disciples:
1. It doesn’t take emotion.
We’re all emotional, some more than others. Believe me, I’m not against emotion.
But Jesus didn’t say “Go and feel like making disciples.” He just said to go and
do it.
2. It doesn’t take following a set of rules or standards.
The devil, called “the accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10), will tell you
that you don’t have “the right stuff.” I don’t care who we are, there are reasons
why we’re “unworthy” to be used by God, just like the original apostles were
“unworthy.”
Peter was a betrayer, St. Paul was a persecutor and killer of Christians, and all of
the disciples deserted Jesus when he was arrested and tried.
So don’t listen to “the father of lies!” (John 8:44).
3. It doesn’t take a lot of biblical training or theological education.
Now let’s be clear, it is generally good to have Biblical knowledge and solid
biblical theological education. I’ve had a ton of it myself: I graduated from
Moody Bible Institute, Talbot Theological School, and Fuller Seminary.
But all of those degrees can be a smokescreen that hides the truth which is that
they aren’t precursors to being a disciple-maker. After all, none of the New
Testament disciples or other early church leaders had this kind of education, since
it wasn’t even available. Yet they “turned the world upside down” with disciple-
making (Acts 17:6).
Bottom line: If you’re looking for excuses to not be a disciple maker, there are plenty of
them out there. But none of them are legit.
So then what does it take to make disciples?
Here’s what it takes to make disciples:
1. A willing heart.
To be a disciple-maker, we must first be willing. Does that sound simplistic? It
would be if it weren’t for the fact that many who claim to be Christians are not
willing to obey one of His most basic commands to “go and make disciples.”
2. An obedient heart.
Willingness is not enough, obedience is enough.
Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord"; will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 7:21 NIV)
CONCLUSION:
So my question to you is, “Are you obeying Jesus’ command to make disciples?” And if
so, what are you doing? Perhaps you’re teaching a children’s class, leading a small group,
evangelizing, or serving in other ways. That’s great.
But perhaps you’d like to be more directly involved in making disciples. If that is the
case, then I would say to you that it is helpful to have a tool.
It’s helpful to have a tool.
That’s why we started Discipleship Journeys with Jesus (DJJ), to provide a free tool for
disciple making that makes it far easier to “make disciples.” Thousands are being discipled using these studies based on biblical journeys with Jesus. You can join with them.
It’s possible to drive a nail using a rock or some other hard instrument. But it’s much
easier to drive a nail with a hammer for a tool.
In a similar way, DJJ is a tool that makes it much easier to make disciples. If you can
read the Bible and answer questions based on a Scripture passage, then you can use it to
make disciples.
So why not download the materials and get started making disciples now? You can
disciple:
Your children
Your grandchildren
Your coworkers
Your neighbors
Your classmates
And so on
“Go and make disciples.”
If you have questions, please let me know through the Contact page on this website.
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Additional resources about related subjects on this site:
Quote Card: He is no fool who gives what he cannot lose...
Quote Card: Spurgeon on being a missionary
Video Vlog: Twisting Scripture
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