Jesus Last Words in Matthew 28 19
The last words that Jesus proclaimed to His disciples before He returned to heaven are found in Matthew 28: 19, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Disciple Making
We wouldn’t have to teach Christians how to be disciples if it came naturally to us. It is not natural. It is hard. It takes a lot of effort. It is a discipline.
The definition of a disciple is a person who has decided that the most important thing in their life is to be with Jesus. A disciple desires to learn from Jesus how to be like Him, as well as do what Jesus said to do.
Early in His ministry, Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Many followers of Christ are aware of this particular sermon. After He preached the sermon to the people, His disciples went with Him to learn more directly from Christ. This is what differentiates a follower from a disciple – someone who leaves the crowd to learn directly from the teacher.
Disciple of Jesus
If we are to be a disciple of Jesus, we too must take the time and effort to learn directly from God. To become a disciple is a process. It won’t happen overnight. But it is how we become equipped to live a life as a citizen of God’s kingdom rather than a citizen of a sinful world.
There are five areas that we can incorporate into our lives that help us become a disciple:
1: Spend Time with God Daily
Taking time daily to connect with God in a more intimate way will not only help us grow our faith in Christ, it will make us more aware of who He is and how to emulate His character. This personal journey involves many spiritual disciplines, which include:
- Reading His Word
- Studying the Bible
- Silence
- Solitude
- Prayer
- Fasting
- Scripture Memorization
- Journaling
- Taking a Sabbath
2: Connect with Others
Regularly connecting with 2 to 4 people to build deeper relationships and learning more about God’s character through the eyes of others. This is an area that people tend to push aside the most, but as a teenager, it is actually the easiest to develop. The people you love to hang out with or the people who are easily available (i.e. your family) are key players for establishing this area in your life.
The hardest part of incorporating a deeper connection with others in your life is being intentional with your time with them. When you’re struggling, have questions, want to celebrate and enjoy what God is doing in your life, it’s these people (mom, dad, best friend, teammates, etc.) that you should turn to. Don’t just go through the motions, tell them what’s going on. Let them be a part of your life. You don’t have to plan this time into your schedule, just let it flow out of your vulnerability as life’s ups and downs happen.
3: Small Group
Jesus had twelve disciples, so establishing a group of 4 to 12 people into your life is key to emulating His character. This area is typically developed through a small group or Bible Study. This allows you to learn more about God, have a safe place to ask questions and dig deeper while hearing the views and perspectives of others. It usually involves a designated leader too, who is someone who either has more training or has done more study on the subject to allow for further growth of the group.
4: Church Attendance
It’s important to go to church on a regular basis to spend time with other people and worship the Lord. Being around other Christians gives insight into God’s character. Being in a place and setting where worship is encouraged and invited provides an opportunity to more fully understand God’s greatness, forgiveness, love, faithfulness and power.
5: Serving the Lost
Actively seeking opportunities to serve and save the lost in the world is key to being a disciple. The key words from Jesus in Matthew 28 were to go out and make disciples of other nations. We build our own faith so we can be a reflection of Christ to others. This means we need to be present and available so others can see this reflection. People tend to believe that serving those who do not yet know the Lord is an optional element of their faith and being a Christian, but it’s crucial to our calling as disciples.
Not only are we called to make disciples of other people, we are to support new disciples. Our actions have a great responsibility. When we start to delve into a relationship with another person who does not yet know the Lord, it’s part of our responsibility to help them understand and learn how to grow in their own faith as they become a Christian. It’s important to invite them into our world and share these five areas of discipline with them so they too can grow to embody the characteristics of our loving God.
Meaning of Disciple
Someone who pursues a relationship with Christ, reflects His character, follows Him and is disciplined is a mature disciple. As a disciple, we become someone who brings hope and healing to a hurting world. This is a tremendous responsibility, but with that responsibility comes great blessings.
