When Jesus first called His disciples, He asked them to follow Him. And just before He ascended into heaven, He challenged those same disciples to follow Him. As His disciples, we are to follow Him. Following Jesus is a way of life, and not merely a one-time decision.
When we follow Jesus, He leads us in the attack against the temptations and spiritual battles we face. When we are following Him, we become more and more like Him over time. We learn to desire the things He desires and to shun the things He abhors. In fact, in His presence we cannot remain the same! It’s impossible to truly follow Jesus and continue in our old sinful patterns.
Here is a snapshot of what it looks like to follow Jesus: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1–2)
And as we yield ourselves to Christ and He changes us, He “uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14). We become His ambassadors imploring others to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20). This is what it means to make disciples. We simply represent Christ to others through our life and words.
But I’m afraid we often complicate disciple-making. Many think they must attain some level of spiritual maturity or attend classes or even a unique call to ministry in order to make disciples. But all these misconceptions serve as distractions. They’re decoys keeping us from sharing Christ with others right now, right where we are.
Consider these examples from Scripture:
When Andrew met Jesus, “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon (Peter) and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ)” (John 1:41).
When the woman at the well met Jesus, she ran back into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” And many believed in Jesus because of her testimony.
When Jesus healed the man possessed by demons, he begged to go with Jesus. “Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’ So the man went away and began to tell… how much Jesus had done for him.” (Mark 5:19–20)
If you know Jesus, then you have a story to share with others.
Scripture Reading: John 1:40–45
Personal Application
Pray each day that the Lord would use you to represent Him well to others through your life and words. Share your story freely and watch what God does!
Jim Grassi, D. Min.
We cherish any verse in Scripture that reminds us to keep focused and intentional about evangelism and discipleship. “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5