Make Disciples
Discipleship is the main thing. Jesus talked about it this way: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
We are the kind of people who follow Jesus and aspire to obey him in all things. And so we make disciples.
Though we aspire to this it can be difficult to measure fruit. What does discipleship look like? How do we know if we are doing this successfully? Is discipleship really the main thing? How can we do better? These are the kinds of questions that guide us (and motivate us) as leaders.
At a recent meeting we shared dozens of stories with the same basic theme. That theme was individuals who followed Jesus and their lives were transformed. Individuals growing in kindness, growing as
people who pray, growing a bolder witness, growing to be better leaders, growing in love, growing to be better followers of Jesus. These are all stories of discipleship. Following Jesus.
Because discipleship is the main thing, we are the kind of people who grow. So, how are you growing?
In John 15:5 Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Discipleship starts (and ends) with abiding. When we abide with Jesus, we become like Jesus. It’s the main thing.
Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership
