Make Disciples

This week on Beyond the Message, Danny, Ian, and Sam discuss the final message of our four-part Answering the Call series, this week focusing on Jesus’ call to make disciples. What does it actually mean to be a disciple of Jesus, and why is making disciples the central command of the Great Commission? We explored the difference between making attenders and making devoted followers of Christ, why discipleship is essential to the health and power of the church, and how every Christian can play a meaningful role in helping others take another step toward becoming more like Jesus. Message Highlights:Jesus calls His church to make disciples, not simply converts or attenders. The central command of the Great Commission is to make disciples—people who are devoted learners, imitators, and followers of Jesus. Christianity is not merely about being saved from sin's penalty but increasingly being freed from sin's power as Christ is formed in us. Discipleship is essential to the health and power of the church. A church can grow numerically while remaining spiritually immature, but a community of mature disciples produces holiness, unity, devotion, and gospel impact. The goal is not simply a fuller church but a healthier, more powerful, God-glorifying church. Making disciples is a team effort in which every Christian has a role. The Great Commission was given to Christ's church, freeing individual Christians from believing they must accomplish the mission alone while also keeping them from becoming bystanders. Every believer can play their position by intentionally doing spiritual good in the lives of others and helping them become more like Jesus. Main Point: Be a devoted follower of Jesus who seeks to help others become devoted followers of Jesus. Practical Application:Evaluate whether you are becoming a devoted follower of Jesus. Discipleship begins with personally learning from, imitating, and submitting to Christ. Don't settle for merely believing Christian truths or attending Christian gatherings; pursue increasing maturity and Christlikeness. Commit to the local church rather than remaining on the fringes. The church is not simply a service you consume but a body in which God has given every member a meaningful role. Commit yourself to relationships where others can help you mature and where your gifts can contribute to their maturity. Identify the people God has already placed around you. Disciple-making does not always require creating a new program or formal mentoring relationship. Ask who in your family, church, workplace, or circle of relationships you can intentionally help take another step toward Christlikeness. Look for opportunities to do deliberate spiritual good. Encourage someone with Scripture, pray faithfully for them, model godliness, invite them into your life, teach what God has taught you, or help them develop a spiritual discipline. Ordinary acts of intentional faithfulness can become significant tools God uses to form Christ in another person. Play your position passionately. You don't need to possess every spiritual gift, know every doctrine, or disciple everyone around you. Identify the particular opportunities and gifts God has entrusted to you and faithfully use them for the spiritual growth of others. Reject both the burden and bystander mentalities. You are not personally responsible for discipling everyone, so the Great Commission should not crush you with guilt. But because you are part of Christ's body, you also cannot assume someone else will always fulfill the responsibility God has given you. Value maturity more than momentum. Resist measuring the health of a church primarily by attendance, excitement, facilities, or visible growth. Celebrate people becoming increasingly devoted to God's Word, prayer, fellowship, holiness, service, and the mission of Christ. Embrace the multiplying potential of ordinary discipleship. Faithfully helping even one person become a more mature follower of Jesus can extend far beyond what you will ever personally see. Trust Christ to multiply the ordinary faithfulness of His people as He fulfills His promise to make disciples of the nations. Recommended Resources:Impossible Christianity by Kevin DeYoungDiscipling by Mark DeverThe Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Help us help you apply God’s Word. Ask a question to be answered in an upcoming episode. Submit it now!