What does it mean to be a Disciple Making Disciple of Jesus Christ?
A disciple is someone who follows the teaching and example of Jesus. It’s so much more than just believing in him; it’s allowing his words to shape our lives and letting his love and character flow from us into the lives of those around us.
Faith and trust are at the heart of being a disciple as we develop a personal relationship with him through prayer, worship and the study of the Scriptures. This relationship is not just for a couple of hours on a Sunday but an integral part of a disciple’s life. It’s about our lives being transformed on a journey which brings us closer to him day by day as we start to live in obedience to his teaching and follow His direction so that His plans and purposes will begin to be lived out within our lives.
The central part of being a disciple is love. Jesus shows us what it truly means to love those around us. Not just our close friends and family but also those out to get us, who have hurt and offended us. We may carry pain within our own hearts because of what others have said and done to us.
No matter what it is, Jesus has commanded us to forgive them and love our enemies. Humanly speaking, this is almost impossible to do, but with Christ’s love within us, all things are possible. Jesus showed us His love as he hung dying on the cross. What an example of what it means to live a sacrificial life, a life laid down for others. Even at the cross, He paused in agonising pain as he gave life to a repentant sinner hanging next to him. The most significant power in the universe is to know God’s love and forgiveness within our hearts and lives and to be able to walk free in the fullness of all that Jesus has planned for us.
Jesus commands us, as his disciples, to share the good news. Matthew 28:18-20 tells us to go and make disciples of All Nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to teach them His commands and to know that Jesus is with us always.
Being a disciple is all about sharing the good news; he has commissioned us as ministers of reconciliation to not only be a disciple ourselves but to be disciple-making disciples. It’s the power of the gospel—the cross and what Jesus accomplished for us that can bring hope and transformation into everyone’s life. Wherever you look in the world around us, you see broken people. The hurt and the pain that so many suffer because of injustice done to them. Because of man’s sin, we’re in desperate need of a saviour. Being a disciple is a journey, through many highs and many lows, it’s a journey of growth and development as we let Christ and his word transform us from the inside out. It’s a life lived and built upon a daily relationship of Faith, Hope and Love. And it’s inviting others into that personal relationship, letting God’s kingdom come alive in their hearts and lives.
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