How did Jesus make disciples
When I am with people I always wonder where are they at spiritually. After doing some studies on how Jesus did life, I saw that he was very interested also in where people were at spiritually. And since we are instructed in the Bible to model our lives as Jesus did, then the best way is to be interested in the spiritual health of a person and this should be something that we all do. Jesus made disciples like that – and therefore so should we.
Parable of the Sower in Mark 4
One of the passages of scripture that I use when I think about where a person is at spiritually comes from Mark chapter 4 and it’s about the Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed or otherwise known as the Parable of the Sower. In this story Jesus is telling the listens that there are 4 types of people. Each type of person receives the same message but different things happen in their lives which affects the results. The result that is desired is stated in Mark 4:20
that they “hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest – 30, 60, 100 times what had been planted”.
Jesus Christ (the bible in Mark 4:20)
Jesus taught his followers how to live life. He showed them how to do it and he expected them to do as he said and as he did. An interesting activity to do is to read the 4 gospels and look for all the things Jesus commanded people to do. And as you find these things, think about how you are doing with it. Are you living obediently to how Jesus tells you to live?
One of the commands that you will see as you read the teachings of Jesus is the command to make disciples. This command has been a focus of mine for the past 10 years and today I would like to share with you some of the things I have found interesting about this topic.
Matthew 28:16-20 (make disciples bible verse)
To get started, let’s read the last few verses of the book of Matthew. Starting at verse 16 of chapter 28 it says:
16Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!
18Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.19Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.20Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The bible (Matthew 28:16-20)
So, after Jesus had risen from the dead he returned to the area of Galilee and there he meet up with his disciples. His time on earth was now finished and before he returned to heaven he gives them a reminder summary of what they are to do and why.
Some of Jesus’ disciples doubted
An interesting side note is that after so much time with Jesus, not all of the disciples understood his message. It says here in the text that when they saw him “some of them doubted”. Probably that is the reason why he took the time to re-tell them what he wanted to them to do. His aspirations would be that they actually do what he had trained them to do, because if not, then the future generations – us – would not be benefiting from the salvation of the world that he just attained.
7 points about making disciples from Matthew 28:16-20
In the last paragraph of the book of Matthew there are 7 things I want to point out. Let’s read verses 18-20 again.
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The bible (Matthew 28:16-20)
So the 7 points I see here are these:
- the Authority Jesus has been given
- the instruction to “Go”
- to Make disciples
- of all nations / people groups
- Baptise the new disciples
- Teach them to obey all of the commands Jesus gave them
- He will be always be helping his disciples
Let’s unpack and analyse what this final summary of Jesus means and what we do with it.