Make Disciples
Discipleship is the act of making disciples. It's what Jesus did during the last 3 years of his life on earth. Not only that, it was the last thing he told his disciples to do while they were on the earth. After Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, he gave a final command to His disciples: “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 obey all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20). This command was meant for all believers and followers of Jesus until it is accomplished or Christ returns.
Imitate Jesus
This is a fairly well-known verse, but believers often struggle to obey this command to make disciples in their daily lives. Part of the problem is we don’t really know what a disciple looks like, therefore we don’t know how to make one.
Simply put, a disciple is one who imitates Jesus in every facet of life. In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul said to a struggling church, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” It’s been said, “You can teach what you know, but you reproduce what you are.” Imitating Jesus in every area of our life gives us our best chance of truly making disciples who will make disciples.
Become a Disciple
However, you can't make disciples without first becoming a disciple yourself. And you can't become a disciple without first understanding the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news that even though we sinned against God, he sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to became a man and live a perfect sinless life on our behalf, yet die in our place and take the punishment for our sins upon the cross. He rose from the dead on the third day, conquering sin and death, and made a way for us to be forgiven of our sin and have eternal life.
Becoming a disciple of Jesus starts by repenting of your sin and believing in Christ alone to save you. Then, and only then, will you be forgiven of your sins and be given new life in Christ by grace through faith. At that point, it is our aim to imitate Jesus in every area of our life as an act of worship. This comes through living by faith, being a student of God’s word, gathering with the church regularly, repenting and confessing sin often, and depending on the Holy Spirit for transformation.
Become a DISCIPLER
We use the word DISCIPLER as an acronym to helps us think through Jesus' discipleship process. Click here for more info and resources about becoming a DISCIPLER.