Why do we make disciples?

“Why should we make disciples?” The simple answer is because Jesus said so. OK great, close with prayer. The longer answer is to know the heart of God. Really the long and short answer begin with the same reason. Jesus said so. The last marching orders we have from our newly risen saviour was to

“Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, teach them all that I have commanded you.”- Matthew 28:19

To understand why he tells us to do this, we must look at scripture as a whole.

The Father’s heart

Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:10 how to pray. The first thing he prays for is the Kingdom of God to come. Early Christians would say Maranatha which means ‘Oh Lord, please come’. Then we see in Matthew 24:14,

“The Good News I have shared about God’s kingdom will be told throughout the world. It will be spread to every nation. Then the end will come.”

Jesus tells us when the whole world hears this message of salvation, then the Kingdom of God will come. God’s heart wants people to hear and have salvation. How can anyone believe unless they are told? How can someone trust in a God they have never heard of before? This is why God has called us into his service.

How to tell the whole world

Let us look at an example of a person who told the whole world. Acts 14 talks of Paul in Ephesus. He had a group of about 12 men who were baptized with the Holy Spirit. He was in Asia for two years. In those two years all of Asia had heard the good news, both Jews and Greeks. There is an estimate of about two million people in Asia at that time. It was not Paul’s work alone that spread the good news of Christ to all of Asia. Paul was making disciples and teaching them to do the same. In 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul tells Timothy,

“What you have heard me teach publicly you should teach to others…Then they will be able to teach others these same things.”

Paul’s ministry is making disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples. His method is multiplication.

 Ambassadors for a far-off country

So we know Jesus told us to make disciples. The heart of God is for His kingdom to come, and it will come when the whole world hears. Paul’s example is to make disciples who will make disciples and so on. That is well and good for the missionaries and pastors, but what about the rest of us? In 2 Corinthians 5:18-20,  God reconciled us to himself, through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

“Therefore, we [every Christian] are ambassadors for Christ; God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (emphasis added)

Jesus’s words are not just for those who are missionaries, or pastors, or evangelists. They are for every Christian. We all are called to make disciples. Your will be done, your kingdom come. Maranatha! Learn about our opportunities.