"Make Disciples" --Jesus

Just before heading up to heaven, Jesus gave his followers a clear command. He said "Go and make disciples of all nations ...". In this concluding remark, he tells us clearly what we should be doing.

It seems simple. So why is it consuming my thoughts of late? Here's my problem, honestly, I'm not sure that I know how to do it! In fact, it seems like there are very few people around me who know how to do it. I suspect that if I asked many of my Christian friends, maybe even my pastor friends, how to make disciples, they would struggle with the answer.

I've been involved with the church my entire life. I even lived overseas for two years with the singular purpose of sharing Jesus. How is it that after all this time I'm still struggling with how to make disciples? It's not like my involvement with church has been a waste. I've learned many wonderful things, and in the process fallen in love with a God and Saviour. However, through all of it, I don't think I've learned how to make disciples.

AND THIS IS THE MAIN THING JESUS TELLS ME TO DO!

If you know me, you know I can't let things like this rest. I continue to think, ponder, read, and research until I come up with something that makes sense to me. Well, that's what I've been doing of late. Here's the premise I'm starting with: I don't think Jesus would tell us to do something and not show us how to do it. If that's the case, then instructions on how to make disciples must be in the Bible. More than that, I think it must be in the words and example of Jesus himself. How else could he tell his followers to do it?

In order to find the answer, I've talked to many people (some who I think have it figured out) and I've read several books on the subject, but most of all I've spent much of my time reading the Gospels. I've got to think that the Gospels are where the answer is.

Through all of it, a pattern is starting to form so I thought I'd share it with whoever reads these ramblings of mine and see what you think.

1. Love people. This is attractional. It draws people in. If we are truly loving people, people should be attracted to that, and start to come our way. The Gospels are full of Jesus doing this.

2. Pay attention. Jesus was always looking for the people who were responsive to spiritual things. In the midst of the people attracted by caring, there will be people who are interested in more.

3. Ask. Jesus consistently asked the responsive people a question. He asked them to do something. He challenged them. He asked something that revealed if their interest was serious.

4. Watch. Jesus watched to see how people responded to his questions. He looked for a willingness to obey God.

5. Mentor. Jesus mentored people who obeyed. He did this in the middle of real life. It was a relationship more than a teaching time, meeting, or program. His level of involvement varied depending on the person, but it almost always involved the person being asked to reach out to others.

6. Release. Jesus always released people. He freed them to go. More than that, many times he commanded them to go. They often were told to go back to their village, but sometimes they were told to go into the world.

I'm seeing this pattern everywhere. I see it in scripture, and I see it in the middle of movements toward Jesus happening around the world. I see it in raising my kids. I see it in the historical rise of most major denominations.

This is all intriguing to me, but I can't stop here. My challenge to myself is to begin living my day to day life in a way that loves people, that pays attention, that asks people important questions, that watches people's actions, that mentors people, and that releases people.

Easy, right?

On a side note, it's interesting to me that I don't think much of this can really be done within the weekend church service ...