Journey Outcome #8 is where we take responsibility not just for following Jesus but for our disciple-making mission.
Jesus gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28 (repeated in some form in Mark, Luke, John, and Acts). In his commission, Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples.
And Jesus came and said to them, “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.”
Matthew 28:18-20 (emphasis mine)
The primary imperative in the text is to make disciples. The other verbal forms are participles delineating how disciples are made through baptizing and teaching. Baptizing is one’s public declaration of allegiance to Jesus. Teaching is how believers learn biblical doctrine and how to obey Jesus’ commands. Go is an imperatival participle emphasizing both intentionality and regularity in the process of making disciples.
Disciples cannot be made accidentally. We will not wake up one day and just realize we’ve become faithful followers of Jesus. Following Jesus is an intentional set of decisions. That is why our mission at Wilkesboro Baptist is to lead our neighbors and the nations to follow Jesus by worshiping, learning, serving, and replicating.
Following Jesus is active through the practices of worshiping, learning, serving, and replicating. The seven previous Journey Outcomes are the outflow of the four mission steps. The final step in following Jesus is leading others to follow Jesus.
Journey Outcome #8 – Lead others to take their next step in following Jesus.
Leading someone to become a follower of Jesus might at first seem to be intimidating. When we think of what is initial in becoming a follower of Jesus, we think of evangelism or communicating the gospel. Often, we think of these tasks as the job of elders, preachers, ministers, church staff, and missionaries. But when Jesus gave the command to make disciples, he made it to all believers. While every Christian may not preach sermons or become missionaries, we should all consider the spiritual condition of those around us.
Evangelism simply means sharing the gospel we know with those who don’t know the gospel. This first part in following Jesus is like introducing two friends. The better we know Jesus by following him, the easier it will become to introduce him to others.
Fulfilling this Journey Outcome means identifying where family, friends, neighbors, and fellow church members are in their journey as Jesus followers.
- If they don’t know Jesus, we want to introduce them.
- If they know Jesus and are not worshiping, we want to invite them to worship regularly.
- If they are worshiping, we want to connect them to a class or group where they can learn to obey Jesus’ commands.
- If they are learning, we want to recruit them to put others first by serving.
- If they are serving, we want to help them become followers who make followers.
The ultimate goal of the follower of Jesus is not merely following Jesus in the Journey Outcomes. The ultimate goal is to become a disciple-maker. Disciple-makers who make disciple-makers are multipliers. Multiplying is what God wants for his church and for the spread of the gospel to the nations.
Some final thoughts on the final Journey Outcome:
- Wherever you are in your journey, take the next step. Following Jesus is a lifelong journey. Even if we’re far along in the steps, we keep taking the steps and keep investing in others.
- Don’t wait til your through your journey before leading someone else to take their next step. Anyone who knows Jesus can help someone else follow Jesus. For example, parents who take their children to worship, model engaged worship (Journey Outcome #2), share with their family in devotions (Journey Outcome #4), and put others first by serving at home (Journey Outcome #7) are well on their way to leading their children to follow Jesus.
- Take a moment and think about who you can lead to take their next step. Write a name down. Identify where they are in their journey. What would it take to get them on the next step? You might be surprised to discover there are probably several people in your life right now who you can help take their next step.
- Pray for that person or those people you wrote down. Pray for the opportunity to share, to invite, to lead to take their next step. When we commit to this process, we’re committing to God’s plan. He will bless this process because it’s his process.