Making Disciples

Jesus' final words to his disciples before he ascended to heaven included this command: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Although this instruction seems pretty clear, I often wonder if we really understand the concept of making disciples.

While this command clearly calls us to share the Gospel and witness to unbelievers, I believe the idea of making disciples goes much deeper. A disciple isn't just a believer or a person on the church membership roll. A disciple is someone who commits to serving Jesus as his Master and Lord. A disciple is someone who pours his God-given gifts into the lives of others for God's glory. A disciple is someone who views his life as an opportunity to advance God's Kingdom. A disciple is someone who disciples others and encourages them to make disciples and disciple others.

If we observe the lives of Jesus' disciples, we see a group of men who learned from him and watched him minister to others. The disciples learned by seeing Jesus meet human need with divine resources and they learned life lessons that our Savior taught them through parables and real-life experiences. Once we recognize that our life experiences have value and can be shared with others for the purpose of discipleship, we begin to fulfill Christ's final earthly command.

A person who witnesses and shares the gospel can certainly add to Christ's church, but a disciple who makes disciples actually multiplies the church; which will make heaven a much more populated place.