Making Disciples

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

DISCIPLE-MAKING INVOLVES FAR more than merely leading people to trust in Jesus; disciple-making involves teaching people to follow Jesus. This means we must show people what the life of Christ looks like in action.

The active nature of the Christian life is clearly portrayed in what Paul wrote to the new brothers and sisters in Thessalonica:

Our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.^a

Paul, Silas, and Timothy had spoken about the power of the gospel with their lips while they showed the effects of the gospel in their lives. They had been intentional about leading lives worthy of imitation, in order to share the gospel with the men and women of Thessalonica. And when the Thessalonians came to faith in Christ, they began to follow the example that had been set by these three brothers.

This is part of what it means for us as disciples to make disciples. In our homes and our workplaces; in our families and with our friends; as husbands, wives, moms, dads, sons, daughters, employers, employees, teachers, coaches, lawyers, doctors, janitors, consultants, waiters, salespeople, and accountants, you and I are to intentionally lead lives that are worthy of imitation. Through modeling the character of Christ, speaking the truth of Christ, and showing the love of Christ, we commend the gospel of Christ to people all around us every day. In the process, we teach people to obey all that Christ has commanded us.

In the great commission, Jesus tells all his disciples to go, baptize, and teach people to obey everything he has commanded them. This kind of teaching doesn’t require a special gifting or a specific setting. This kind of teaching happens all over the place—in homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, on car rides, in meetings, and over meals—in the context of where we live, work, and play every day.

This is the picture of Christ’s church that we see in Scripture: a community of faith saturating their conversations with the Word of God wherever they go—in their homes, where they work, and wherever else they walk.

Pray that disciples would be made in your own community and across the globe. Ask the Lord to send workers to those places where there is little or no access to the gospel.