“Go and make disciples of all nations” – Jesus
Perhaps you’re one of the lucky few who has had someone invest in them. Maybe you’ve taken that deposit of good coaching and example and used it as a base to pour into someone else. More likely, you’re like the majority
of Christians who don’t have a strong experiential base on which to fall back.
Either way, there is no escaping Jesus’ call. If we call him Lord, then we have to heed his last words that we’re to “go and make disciples.” Whether we’re pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, learning about disciple-making by first discarding all the bad examples we’ve observed, or we’re able to draw from a deep well of experience, we can’t escape our mandate and our identity as disciple-makers.
First you have to begin to get your own act together so that at a minimum you can be honest about the fact that it’s tough and you struggle. Then you’ve got to launch out in ways that are uncomfortable and stretching.
But for those who do so, few pleasures are greater than seeing your disciple grow and discover for him or herself that the promise of abundance and destiny in Christ are in fact true. While the stretching and growing process may be awkward, in time you’ll find that you become comfortable in your own skin, confident in the fruit God produces through you as a disciple-maker.
In the mean time, if you feel woefully inadequate for the role of disciple-maker, remember this key discipling principle: Disciple-makers don’t need to be wonderful, they just need to be one or two steps further down the Christian walk than their disciples.
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Seth Barnes
I'm motivated to join God in his global reclamation project. He's on the move, setting his sons and daughters free from their places of captivity. And he's partnering with those of us who have been freed to go and free others.
Once again you hit the nail on the head. Don’t stop pressing the call to discipleship!
man, mark, you are quick – I just posted that thing!
I offer these most excellent and practical resources to your readers:
1. The Master Plan of Evangelism, by Robert Coleman. This is a must read for any serious disciple maker.
2. Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Steak. Not for the casual Christian.
3. 21st Century Disciple Making, by Bill Hull. Excellent insights.
4. Disciples Are Made, Not Born, by Walter A. Henrichsen.
Another excellent resource for discipleship is With Christ in the School of Disciple Building, by Carl Wilson. It’s out of print, but you can still find them through Amazon.com.