Disciple-Making … GO!
by Debbie Poer
There is a plethora of Christian material, books, videos, etc. in existence giving us opinions, instructions, suggestions, simple steps, and more on how to go about making disciples. But I love Jesus’s one word in Matthew 28:19, “Go!”
Don’t get me wrong - I am not in any way discounting the value of any Christian material, book, or video on being a disciple of Jesus or making disciples of Jesus. There are many good resources out there to help us become better disciple makers or perhaps simply to help us become more confident in knowing Him and sharing about Him. Here are a few of my favorites:
The Cost of Discipleship – Dietrick Bonhoeffer – being a disciple of Jesus
Women Who Do – Holly J. Carey – female disciples in the Gospels
Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become like him, Do as he did – John Mark Comer
Discipleship – A.W. Tozer – becoming more like Christ and helping others do the same
But if we go back to the beginning, when Jesus was discipling the 12, He was the authority on disciple making and gave simple instructions on being a disciple maker.
“Share my story”
When he was with them, teaching them, Jesus gave the disciples and those around them seven statements of His identity. He told them:
I am the bread of life. (John 6:35; our sufficiency)
I am the light of the world. (John 8:12; opening our eyes to truth)
I am the gate of the sheepfold. (John 10:7; the entrance to God’s family)
I am the good shepherd. (John 10:11; our provider and protector)
I am the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25; our guarantee of eternal life)
I am the way, truth, and life. (John 14:6; the only true path to God)
I am the true vine. (John 15:1; the source of life and fruitfulness)
“Feed my sheep”
In John 21:15-19 we read of an interaction between Jesus and Peter. Repeatedly, Jesus questions Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” And with each question Peter responds yes until Jesus instructs him to feed His lambs and sheep. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus has been discipling Peter on being a shepherd and now in verse 19 He tells Peter to “Follow me.” Peter is to go and do – be a disciple of Jesus and share His identity with others.
“Teach what I taught”
The Gospels are filled with conversations Jesus had with his disciples, with other men, with women. Each conversation is a lesson on following His example on living in relationship with one another here in this life and in relationship with God for eternity. As Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2 he also says to us that “…the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” Timothy is to go and do – be a disciple of Jesus and share who He is with others.
When I look back on Jesus’ command in Matthew 28 to “Go!,” I see it was spoken to his inner circle – his 11 remaining disciples whom he had spent time with, shared with, invested in. After three years together, after his death, burial, and resurrection, He was ready to send them out on their own. Those 11 quickly became thousands as we read in Acts 2. According to Acts 2:41, Peter’s sermon at Pentecost led three thousand souls to believe and be baptized. One person led to 3,000 additional disciples of Jesus! We don’t know the number of those 3,000 who led others to the saving knowledge of Jesus, but it’s a matter of multiplication, not addition. You and I are here because of one of those 11 who shared Jesus with others, who shared with others, who shared with others…
…who shared Him with you and with me. We can’t leave disciple making with Peter or with Timothy by ignoring Jesus’s command to “Go!” We have to get up and get going. If we have claimed Jesus as our Savior, we are called to follow Him as Peter was. We, too, have a story to tell about who Jesus is and what He has done, the difference He has made in our lives. Finally, we must be the one of whom the next person says, “…who shared with me.”
We cannot share His story, teach what He taught, or feed His sheep until we “Go!”
