Being A Disciple And Making Disciples For Christ
Before His ascension Jesus made a profound statement in Matt 28:19-20 as follows: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus commanded His disciples to make other disciples in all nations (all ethnic groups of the world). The task was not meant for only the eleven disciples because, Jesus told them to teach their disciples to observe all He had commanded them. The continuity of this act makes every disciple of Christ also disciple maker leading to the reproduction of their kind. The large majority of professing Christians however do not care about disciples being made in every ethnic group because they simply aren’t committed to obeying Christ’s command.
When Jesus was on the earth, he followed the same procedure by choosing his disciples and investing in them. In Mark 8:34, Jesus made a profound statement that “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”. So becoming a disciple of Jesus means being willing to deny yourself of all things that hinder your walk with Jesus and taking up your cross (accept all it takes to obey Christ) and following Him. A major part of that is being his disciple and making others disciples.
The marks of a disciple include the following: A disciple is:
- Somebody who is willing to deny self, take up his cross daily and follow Jesus. (Luke 9:23-35)
- Somebody who puts Christ before self, family, and possessions. (Luke 14:26-27).
- Somebody committed to obeying Christ’s teachings. John 8:31
- Somebody committed to world evangelism or programmes to help others know and grow in Jesus (Matt 9:36-38).
- Somebody who loves others as Christ loves them (John 13:34-35).
- Someone who abides in Christ: Has Christ as reference points in his thinking, actions etc. thereby bearing fruit, living what glorifies God (John 15:7-17).
- Someone who is committed to small cell group for study of the Bible and prayer and a Bible believing Church (Heb. 10:23-25)
Many Christians are only interested in Jesus as Saviour from sin and eternal damnation but not as Lord to be loved, obeyed, and followed daily irrespective of how much that cost us. A disciple is a learner and follower of Jesus. Jesus did not ask the Apostles to go and make converts but disciples.