During His ministry on earth, Jesus modelled to us what it looks like and what it means to make disciples. He called His disciples to follow Him and He’ll make them fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). He gave them purpose, vision, and He gave them a higher calling – to preach salvation to all people.
Jesus taught them, along with the crowd that gathered, kingdom perspective, correcting false teachings by religious leaders, and to understand what was written in God’s laws. (Matthew 5)
He taught them how to pray, not like the hypocrites who love to show off as they pray. Instead He said, “…when you pray, go into your room… shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6)
Jesus taught them to be sacrificial and be dedicated when following Him, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).
Jesus taught them about the power of His presence, when they gather in two or three. They know that when Jesus is present, miracles happen. (Matthew 18:20).
Jesus taught and demonstrated humility, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9.35). He demonstrated the difference between humility of the heart versus a heart full of pride and ambition, by washing their feet like a slave would. (John 13)
Jesus commanded them to love one another as He loved them. (John 15:12)
Further, He tells them about the shortage of workers for the Lord’s work, and urges them to “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest” (Matthew 9). He gave them a sense of urgency.
Straight after Jesus rose out of the grave, conquering death, He commissioned His disciples as in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Were they perfect at this stage? Absolutely not. But with the power of the Holy Spirit, combined with the Lord’s teaching, the demonstrations, wisdom and kingdom perspective, they ministered with power.
It is for the Father’s glory that we be discipled, and disciple others so we become true followers of Christ. He has given us direct access to know the Father, “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:27).
It is by knowing [Him] the Son, Jesus Christ, intimately that we begin to see and understand the character of the Father, and His heart for us. It is the knowledge of, and a deep understanding of who He was, is, and will always be, that the hunger in our hearts to know Him, or the lack there of, would begin to make sense.
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-19). What is Jesus saying? In the power in His name, He is sending us to disciple followers of Christ, so the Father is glorified.
That is our mission, and we’ve been commissioned by King Jesus. Let’s GO!
In His richest blessings
Frank Po Ching