Who is it that is supposed to make disciples? Is it the pastor? Yes. Is it only the pastor?
No, of course not. It includes all of us who consider ourselves Christians.
The most familiar passage of Scripture regarding making disciples, and most often referred to as the Great Commission, is found in the Gospel of Matthew 28: 16-20, which states: “Then the eleven disciples lest for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him they worshiped him – but some doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commandments I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you to the end of the age.’”
Various forms of it can also be found in the other three Gospels plus the Book of Acts. It’s
obviously very important, or it wouldn’t be found in five places in the Bible. In Mark 16:15-16 it
states: “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes
and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.” In Luke
24:47 it states: “It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of
his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who
repent.’” In John 20:21-23 it states: “Again he said, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent
me, so I am sending you.’ Then he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you
forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’” In
Acts 1:8 it states: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you
will be my witness. Telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Please note that all the above Scripture references are
from the New Living Translation.
Supposedly the first words that Jesus spoke as noted in Verses 18 and 19 were: “I have
been given all authority in heaven and on earth.” This authority was given to him by God the
Father. He further went on to say: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Do you notice
here that the authority given to Jesus by God has been given to the disciples, and has been
further passed down to us as disciples, both as laity and clergy.
There are a few action verbs in this passage. They are “go” and “make.” Go into the
world, and make disciples. We are commanded to go? Go where? It can be within our church,
to our families, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, our schools – anywhere and
everywhere.
The Great Commission says that we are to make disciples; not become disciples. As I said
earlier, that doesn’t mean just pastors, but rather it means all of us who consider ourselves
Christians. But before we are to make disciples, we must first be disciples. Now you might ask:
“What is a disciple”?
o Many may say that a disciple is a follower of Christ. But a true disciple is more than
that.
o A disciple emulates Christ
o Is obedient to Christ
o Models his or her life after Christ
o Walks in the footsteps of Christ
o Is committed to serving God, Christ, and others
o Seeks to discover God’s purpose in his or her life, and is working to fulfill that purpose
o And is committed to keeping the Greatest Commandments – love God and love
neighbor.
But what does it take to make a disciple? I would suggest there is no specific instruction
book on how to make disciples. Obviously, no two people think the same and would approach
the task the same. By the way, when Jesus said to make disciples, it was not an optional
suggestion, but a command. Some ways we can make disciples include:
o Share the good news of Jesus Christ – what he did for the world – what he did for us,
and continues to do today. Rather than preaching at people, we should share our stories with
them about how we came to Christ. In other words, share our salvation stories with them.
o You can witness to others not only in words, but also in deeds or in actions. You can set
the right example by the way you live your life and what you do for others. I’ve heard it said
that the way you live your life may be the only Bible some people ever read.
o We may wish to give our own affirmations of faith. I would venture to bet that you are
familiar with one of the two versions of the Apostles’ Creed in the United Methodist Hymnal
(No. 881 – Traditional Versions, or No. 882 – Ecumenical Version). Perhaps you may even have
it memorized. It is a testimony of what we as Christians believe.
o Or your affirmation of faith may be a little different – perhaps expanding on what’s in
the Apostles Creed.
The Apostles Creed affirms what we believe, but to carry it a step further, what we do
with that belief is vital. Do we put our beliefs into action as so many places in the Bible tell us
we should? In other words, don’t just talk your talk, but rather walk your talk.
We can also put into action the Spiritual Gifts God has given us. Just a side note here.
God has given each of us one or more Spiritual Gifts. Some examples which were also in my
July article include:
Preaching Healing Helping
Teaching Giving Wisdom
Leadership Hospitality Knowledge
Administration Service Faith
With all of us collectively having a wide variety of Spiritual Gifts, we can in turn commit
ourselves to actively serving as members of the Body of Christ. What are your goals? Are you
already committed to serving? Perhaps you are considering such a path? Are we as laity
continuing to grow spiritually in serving God and our churches?