The reason YOU, as a believer, are on earth is that you might carry out the plan of Jesus Christ and it was with this understanding that you were called to follow Christ as His “disciple.” Jesus’ very first words ever to His disciples were, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
“Discipleship” is God’s plan for reaching the world with the Gospel, and must be defined in terms of Jesus’ Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. It is more than spiritual growth, which, of course, is involved as an important aspect of discipleship.
THE BOOK OF ACTS IS QUITE REVEALING CONCERNING “DISCIPLEMAKING”
The logical question following Jesus’ command to make disciples, would be: “Did the disciples carry pout the divine plan according to the training they received during their discipling by Jesus?”
The word “disciple” is used well over 200 times in the four Gospels and the Book of Acts. Interestingly enough, it is not found in any of the remaining 22 books that make up the New Testament.
The command Jesus gave in Matthew 28:19-20 to “make disciples” was a perpetual one. Every believer, throughout the entire Church age, is personally responsible for it. Because the Great Commission applies to every Christian in every era and every culture, it was (and is) necessary for the methodology and strategy of the Commission to be universally applicable!
WHAT IS THE “METHOD” AND WHAT IS THE “STRATEGY” OF DISCIPLEMAKING?
Jesus ministered to the multitudes! He preached to hundreds, even thousands, but His “master strategy” for spreading the Gospel throughout the world involved the special training of twelve specifically chosen men!
One of the most important things that Jesus did for the twelve was to allow them close proximity to Himself. Jesus did not call weekly meetings or schedule convenient times to meet.