Why Make Disciples?

So far we have investigated the first two aspects of a “full circle” Christian: trusting Jesus for salvation and honoring God in our thoughts and actions. Visit any Christian church in the world and you’ll find these basic teachings in one form or another. That’s the good news.

But here’s the bad news: that’s as far as it goes for most Christians. If someone attends church, prays “the prayer,” and starts giving financially, all is well! The mission has been accomplished in that person’s life, and he or she can carry on with confidence that they are mature in Christ.

But they are not. Jesus has something more in mind for his true disciples, and the New Testament is full of proof. The follower that Jesus envisioned goes “full circle” to include a third leg of the journey, and that’s what these final three topics are about. Here’s the picture:

Let’s make this personal right from the start: Jesus wants YOU to make disciples. It’s not something reserved for the pastors, and it was never intended to be just for the extroverted Christians who love to talk about Jesus. It’s for everyone in the church. Jesus wants disciple-making to be the norm, not the exception. That means YOU should start making disciples. And here are three reasons why: 

The Commission

We make disciples because Jesus said so. In one of his last speeches to his disciples, Jesus made his expectation plain: 

Matthew 28:18-19 (NLT) Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations….”

Jesus wasn’t making a suggestion and he didn’t ask their opinion. He had just spent three years discipling his disciples, and now it was their turn. After his death and resurrection, Jesus was returning to the Father. His task on earth was complete. Now his followers would have to step up and finish the job.

Imagine your dad telling you to take out the garbage. He makes it crystal clear, and yet you willfully disobey. How do you think he would respond? How would YOU respond? 

Jesus commanded us to make disciples, emphasizing its importance by making it one of the last things he said on this earth! Helping people pursue God is a matter of obedience to the Great Commission. This should be reason enough to start doing it. 

The Strategy

Jesus envisioned a church where pastors equip and people do the ministry. His strategy was articulated best by the apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus:

Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT) Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

Here’s what the average church looks like today: the pastor preps a sermon and the people invite their friends to come and listen. Sunday after Sunday they run the same play: the preacher ministers and the people spectate. For many churches it seems to work, especially if the worship team can put on a great concert! 

But the Apostle Paul prescribed a different strategy. In a biblical-functioning church, the pastors equip the people to do the work of the ministry. This way everybody wins: the pastors don’t get worn out and the people end up actually maturing in their faith. They have moved from consuming a product to producing disciples, and the whole church ends up “healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:16). 

The Need

The final reason to make disciples is an appeal to the heart of every genuine follower of Jesus. Look around – people are confused and helpless, and the problem is getting worse every day. We make disciples because people need help on a personal level. Sermons are great, but sermons aren’t enough. Jesus himself made this point after gathering huge crowds to witness his miracles and listen to his teaching.

Matthew 9:36-38 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

Jesus’ heart broke for the crowd because they needed more help than what he could personally give them. How? Wasn’t he the Great Shepherd? Didn’t they just hear his powerful teaching? 

The fact is, sermons were never intended to be the end-all be-all for a healthy church. A preacher speaks truth to a crowd, and while it’s an important element in the church body, it doesn’t produce mature disciples by itself. People need to process truth in the context of a caring, personal relationship. God wants every follower to have a shepherd to help them along the way. (Matthew 4:19) 

At the end of Matthew 9 Jesus told his disciples to pray for more workers. Then in the next lesson their prayer was answered – when Jesus sent them out to make disciples! Today, YOU are the answer to that prayer. Are you willing to go?

Mature Enough

Maybe you’re willing but you don’t feel qualified to make disciples. So many Christians believe that they are not mature enough to help someone else pursue God. They ask, “What if they ask a question I can’t answer? What if I say the wrong thing?”  These questions linger in the minds of many would-be disciplers, keeping Christians on the sidelines and in the shadows. And that’s just how Satan wants it. 

Jesus wants something different. He wants regular people making disciples, and that’s why he chose fishermen and tax collectors to be his first followers. Those guys weren’t ready for such a big assignment, but Jesus sent them out anyway. They matured as they made disciples, not before. 

This is what Paul explains in his letter to the Ephesians: 

Ephesians 4:14 (NLT) Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

Go back and read the entire section to get context for what Paul is teaching here. He’s saying that we’ll grow up, we’ll develop spiritual discernment, and we’ll build a defense against falsehood after we start making disciples. When we go out and “speak the truth in love,” we’ll begin to really understand it. 

Disciple-making comes first and maturity comes second, not the other way around. 

So what are you waiting for? Jesus told you to make disciples. It’s part of his strategy for a healthy church. People need your help at a personal level. And until you start doing it, you’ll never be fully mature as a Christian.