Disciplemaking, according to Jesus
The thing about the Great Commission that’s often missed is that it is, in fact, not a single verse. We love reading: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…” – missing that second word entirely. ‘Therefore?’. These famous last words of Jesus that have swept up action and moved us to mission are building upon what He said right before.
Reading Matthew 28 from the NIV, let’s start in verse 18:
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Verses 18 and 20 show us two key promises that are often missing from our disciplemaking strategies: 1. All authority belongs to Jesus; 2. He is with us.
Disciplemaking, according to Jesus, was not so much about what WE could do but more about how we could partner with what HE has already done (and is already doing in our communities, the people we work with, and in the world at large).
This re-reading of the Great Commission allows us the opportunity to reimagine how we disciple, why we disciple, and where our discipleship leads.
The Missio Dei and Joining God at Work
The Missio Dei sees mission a bit differently from how it is often viewed in the mainstream church. This mission is theocentric, as in: God is at its very centre or core. We are not the ones who cleverly think up missionizing strategies, lay out mission agendas, or even raise up funds for mission. It all begins and ends with God.
Seeing disciplemaking as participating in the mission of God (the missio Dei) means that we are not the ones doing the amazing work of making disciples; we simply partner in God’s action of doing so.
While no discipler or church leader would go as far as to say: “I am making disciples of myself” or “This mission is my own” – that is often the effect that we see play out in action. Unfortunately, that very same question of Eden echoes again, where Eve wondered what it might be like to have the same glory that is the Lord’s (to know as He knows; become as He is).
Like the Israelites in the wilderness, we pick up God’s commission and say “Man-na” (what is this?). We hoard it in our tents, trying desperately to make it our own, and then we are surprised when it rots (Exodus 16:20).
This question often underscores our mission strategy meetings – We focus on the ‘GO and make disciples’; forgetting the One who walks with us. Therefore, it is necessary to strip our perspective of disciplemaking down to its very core.
Disciplemaking Strategies
STAY A LIFELONG LEARNER
Discipleship is the process by which a person is transformed through God’s Spirit more and more into the likeness of Christ Jesus. Therefore, we can never “arrive” or graduate in discipleship.
Eugene Peterson said that discipleship is a long obedience in the same direction. It surely is a lifelong commitment to growth.
In Galatians 6:14, Paul writes: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”. For disciplemaking to work, we cannot be making disciples of ourselves. Some go as far as to say the wording of discipleship is problematic.
If you have to talk about yourself when doing discipleship, talk about your vulnerabilities and weaknesses and how far the grace of God is still carrying you. Otherwise, the person you walk with might say: “Oh, I can not disciple someone. I still have too many flaws.”
Missional congregations are built when leaders embrace continual growth.
INTEGRATE SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Spiritual practices are things like prayer, fasting, worshiping, and spending time in the Word. It is impossible to become a spiritual leader without these practices being active in one’s life.
Younger generations love saying that discipleship is just ‘doing life together’. Missional living is where our spiritual practices can seep into the everyday fabric of our daily lives. For discipleship to be truly effective, spiritual practices must break out of the ‘church’ or ‘Sunday’ boxes that we often place them in.
This might be as simple as praying before a meal, but it might also take on the form of worshipping God with gratitude in our conversations while in line at a coffee shop. It is not merely serving on the ‘hospitality team’ at church, but inviting the stranger who is different from us over for a family dinner.
This practical application of our spiritual practices is key to developing mature disciples who establish missional congregations across diverse global settings. Consider how you can model spiritual practices while facilitating discipleship relationships. Chances are, they don’t need another person to pray FOR them, but they need to learn HOW to pray…
SHEPHERD IN A CONTEXT
In an effort to remember that God is the sender (the mission is His), let’s consider the famous shepherd analogy from Scripture. Jesus is the Shepherd and His sheep can hear His voice – Are you allowing space in your discipleship for people to hear directly from Him? Do they know how to listen for the Spirit’s guidance?
The person you are discipling can do more in their own context, family, and situation than you ever can. We need to step back and allow them to process the Word with Jesus. This is especially true when discipleship is done across cultural differences.
Redemptive relationships occur when local disciples explore existing discipleship approaches and reflect on them with contextual awareness. In such contexts, a discipler requires characteristics like humility, adaptability, and a willingness to listen. The answer is not another program; it is in relationships.
Conclusion
Whether you are planting churches or mentoring young believers in your context – discipleship remains God’s action. Yes, we get to participate. Yes, we are invited to co-labor with Him. But, we need this constant reminder to never run along, forgetting to look back to the One who sent us in the first place.
In closing, consider when Jesus healed the ten lepers in Luke 17. Only one of the healed lepers returns to Jesus, and He asks (vv.17-19) : “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Much theological debate has been done about this last line. If the man was already healed, why did Jesus say ‘Your faith has made you well’?
I like to think this applies to our disciplemaking and mission actions as well. Like the other nine healed lepers, we can do a lot of good for the Kingdom of God, even if we are no longer walking next to Jesus. Yet, the blessing of Jesus was kept for the one who returned to Him.
“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.”
Our response when discipleship works, when someone repents, when they grow in their faith, when they make disciples of their own – this response reveals where our heart is at. Do we run back to Jesus’ feet with tears in our eyes, praising Him? Or do we take the glory for ourselves?
Discover More
To go even deeper into the essentials of disciplemaking, consider looking at our course on the topic in the Missional University Catalogue: ELD2200 Disciplemaking Essentials
Eljoh Hartzer is combining theology and art to nurture faith journeys across generations. She is a masters-level practical theologian with the University of Stellenbosch. She is also a writer and editor in the niche of Christianity and children’s content and she illustrates children’s books. Eljoh resides in the Swartland area in the Western Cape province of South Africa. She is a staff writer at Missional University focusing on missional theology and practice.
