Command of Christ #7

Make Disciples

Who is someone in your life that you look up to or follow? Someone that you take your style after or love a sport because of, or love music because of? My dad and OU and Dallas Cowboys. I followed the players lead as a kid.

I want you to keep those people in mind as we talk tonight, and we are going to revisit them. Tonight we are talking about spiritually we should have someone we follow and someone we are leading.

We are going to start with a famous passage we touched on a couple weeks ago. In this passage Jesus is talking to his followers.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We are commanded to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to observe all God has commanded. I want to focus in on the making disciples part.

What is a disciple?

What does it take to be a disciple?

Who can be a disciple?

Jesus calls us to make disciples, what does that look like? How do you make a disciple?

Let’s look at how to make a disciple. You may remember this passage from when we started this series a few months ago.

Matthew 4:18–22 ESV

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

How did Jesus make disciples? He invited them to follow him. This is the same way we are to make disciples. We call them to follow Jesus. That means they have to be willing to surrender their life and believe in him. Turn from sins to follow him.

Are you a disciple? Jesus has invited each of us to follow him. To turn from our lives of sin, and have the abundant life in him. The invitation is open, if that is you tonight, talk with me or someone about it. Jesus died the death we deserved that we may have life with Him if we choose.

The other thing that is apparent in these verses is that they would be fishers of men. What does that mean? They would fish for people. Bring others into relationship with Jesus.

Are you striving to make disciples? Are you calling others to follow Jesus?

Let’s look at another one.

Luke 5:27–32 ESV

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Who did Matthew go to after he chose to follow Jesus? His friends and co-workers. This would be the same as your classmates. He went to the people around him to bring them to follow Jesus alongside them as well.

Your friends are your mission. Come back and tell me a story about this.

I want to read one more passage that talks about following Christ as well as other people of the faith.

1 Corinthians 4:15–17 ESV

15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

Ultimately, we are called to be disciples of Christ first and foremost, but what else does Paul say here in Corinthians? Be imitators of me. Why does that matter? He is saying you need elders in the faith to follow as well.

I asked you earlier who the person that you look up to or follow was. What about in your faith? have you had someone that has discipled you? Do you currently?

I would love for everyone in here to have a mentor, if you are interested in that, and you don’t already have one would you tell me now? Each of us should have someone we are following and someone to lead.

Takeaways tonight:

Everyone is a disciple of someone, who are you a disciple of? Jesus has invited you to be a disciple of him. You should come if you have not already.

Are you making disciples? Have you tried? Tie in stones maybe?

Are you being mentored?

Are you mentoring? Invite someone to follow Jesus with you.