Unlocking the power of disciple-making: A biblical commandment for every believer to grow and evangelize

Guest Blog Post: Eric Bentley, Dream Center Mobile Director

Are you going out and making disciples?

Are you following the great commission?

I’m not talking about witnessing to your immediate family about God or going to church on Sundays. I’m talking about, is your life in a place where you can look at others and say without a shadow of doubt, “follow me, as I follow Christ?”

So, what exactly is disciple-making? 

Disciple-making is a biblical commandment, Spirit-empowered duty of every disciple of Jesus to evangelize to unbelievers, baptize believers, teach them the Word of Christ and train them to obey Christ as members of His church.

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus says,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Christ’s command in this text was not given to a select few, but rather to the entire church. In light of Jesus’ authority, every disciple is to share the Word, show the Word, teach the Word, and, for the glory of God, serve the world.

Is going to Bible Study and church on Sunday enough?

Studying scripture in community is highly important. When I read the Bible, I see Jesus teaching his disciples but what I see more of is Jesus doing life with His disciples. Essentially Jesus is “walking the walk, and talking the talk.”

A lot of times in our discipleship we oversimplify it to just “let me get the information from my head into your head” and that’s not what I see in scripture. Jesus lived life with the disciples. Jesus and his disciples gathered in community to read scripture. If it’s not coupled with walking through life together then we’re falling short.

So, is it important to go to Bible study and church, absolutely. But, it is even more important to do life with other believers.

We should be in the lives of the people we are seeking to develop. We should schedule time with people who we want to disciple outside of normal church functions. We should schedule times to play, pray and share a meal together with the people we are discipling. This means that discipleship will require something of us. Discipleship costs us something even for those of us who are called to disciple others. We must sacrifice our time, energy and emotion in others if we are to fulfill the discipleship task of making disciples. I believe this is one of the number one reasons that churches don’t disciple anymore. It takes "too much" time.

What should be the goal of discipleship?

The ultimate goal of discipleship is to reproduce disciples with the gospel through developing disciple making leaders and church planting. Reproduction ensures that a movement will live past its founding stages. The Church was never intended to be an end in itself; rather it is called to reproduce and fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples. Reproduction is the goal of every living thing. We see this throughout the pages of the Bible. The Bible is full of reproductive language. God created humankind, animals and plants to reproduce. Reproduction is also seen in the agricultural language that Jesus uses throughout the gospels.

Jesus expected His disciples to reproduce His likeness in others. He imparted His message and mission to His disciples so that they would reproduce themselves in others and make disciples of all nations. The Great Commission implies that the followers of Jesus will reproduce themselves and “make disciples.” Reproduction is how the Christian movement was born.

How did Jesus make disciples?

Jesus demonstrated how the disciples should live the Christ centered life. One reason Jesus had such a lasting impact on His disciples is that He lived the message before them daily. He was the message and the method. By walking with Jesus, they saw how He lived His faith in the real world. He prayed before them. He fed the poor. He had compassion on the multitude. He healed the sick. In other words, He lived the life that He wanted to reproduce in His disciples. After Jesus' death and resurrection, He expected His disciples to say and do what He said and did.

It is important that we practice what we preach, because the people we are training will follow our life and example. It is not enough to preach the gospel, we have to practice it daily. Our personal walk with God is one of the most important factors in developing godly leaders. We will reproduce what we are. The most powerful message is a life lived for God. Make sure that the life you live is worthy for others to follow.

Jesus assigned His disciples work. He developed His disciples by delegating ministry responsibilities to them. He sent His disciples out and gave them real ministry. Hands on experience was a vital part of Jesus' discipleship curriculum. It's funny that churches make people do things even Jesus did not do. Some churches make people go through a yearlong process before they can serve in any capacity in the church. Likewise, some people spend years in college and seminary with little if any real ministry involvement. Churches need to rethink delegating spiritual responsibility to people, especially new believers. Sadly, most people think the pastor is supposed to do everything in the church. We must not forget the power of involving people in ministry.

When we bring others along with us in our walk, when we disciple as we are called too, we can help achieve our mission at Every Arkansan to see every Arkansan chase their God-given dream. 

“It is not enough to preach the gospel, we have to practice it daily. Our personal walk with God is one of the most important factors in developing godly leaders. We will reproduce what we are.”