Making Disciple Makers- Week 1
Making Disciple Makers
What Would You Do With 1,277 Days?
Imagine receiving news that you have exactly three and a half years left to live. That's 1,277 and a half days. Not a hypothetical illness or a dramatic movie plot—just a clear, certain knowledge of your remaining time on earth.
What would you do?
Would you travel the world? Chase after experiences you've always postponed? Reconcile broken relationships? Build something that outlasts you?
This isn't a morbid thought experiment. It's actually one of the most clarifying questions we can ask ourselves. Because when we strip away the illusion of unlimited tomorrows, what remains reveals what truly matters to our hearts.
For Jesus, the answer was clear. During His three and a half years of public ministry—those same 1,277 days—He invested His time in three primary pursuits: honoring God, making disciples, and spending time with those He loved.
No bucket list of exotic destinations. No frantic accumulation of experiences or possessions. Just a laser focus on what would matter for eternity.
The Forgotten Goal
If you've spent any time in church, you've heard the word "discipleship" thrown around countless times. It's one of those religious terms that floats through sermons and Bible studies, often losing its meaning through overuse.
But here's what many of us miss: discipleship has a clear, specific goal.
The Apostle Paul spelled it out plainly in his letter to the Colossians: "So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom that God has given us. We want to present them to God perfect, complete, mature in their relationship to Christ."
Read that again. The goal isn't perfect church attendance. It's not biblical knowledge for knowledge's sake. It's not even serving at every possible ministry event.
The goal is spiritual maturity—becoming complete and mature in our relationship with Christ.
What Is Spiritual Maturity, Really?
If spiritual maturity is the target, we need to know what we're aiming at.
When an expert in religious law asked Jesus about the greatest commandment, Jesus didn't hesitate: "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself."
Then Jesus added something crucial: "The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."
Everything—all of Scripture, all of God's requirements—can be distilled down to these two loves: love for God and love for others.
Later, Jesus made the connection even more explicit: "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
Love equals discipleship. It's that simple and that profound.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Love
The Apostle Paul drove this point home with uncomfortable clarity in his first letter to the Corinthians:
"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing."
Let that sink in.
You could speak in tongues. You could possess encyclopedic biblical knowledge. You could have mountain-moving faith. You could give everything to the poor and even sacrifice your body.
But without love? You gain nothing. You are nothing.
Spiritual maturity isn't measured by how much Scripture you've memorized or how many Bible studies you've attended. It's measured by how well you love God and demonstrate that love to others.
The Mandatory Mission
When Jesus gave His followers a new commandment to "love each other just as I have loved you," He wasn't making a suggestion. The word "commandment" carries weight—it's where we get "Maundy Thursday" from the Latin word *mandatum*, meaning mandate or command.
This is mandatory, not optional.
Similarly, the Great Commission—"Go and make disciples of all nations"—isn't the Great Suggestion. It's a command from our King.
We prove we're disciples of Jesus by how we love. And disciples of Jesus make other disciples. That's not negotiable.
What Is a Disciple, Anyway?
The definition is beautifully simple, found right in Jesus' invitation to His first followers: "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Three elements define a disciple:
1. **Following Jesus** - Imitating and obeying Him
2. **Being changed by Jesus** - Submitting to the Holy Spirit's transforming work
3. **On mission with Jesus** - Fishing for people, making disciples
A disciple isn't someone who merely attends church services or participates in religious activities. A disciple is someone actively walking with Jesus, being transformed by Him, and joining His mission to reach others.
How Jesus Made Disciples
If we're supposed to make disciples, we need to know how. And the answer is simpler than we often make it.
Jesus didn't create curriculum or establish classroom settings. He didn't require people to pass tests or complete programs.
Jesus entered into authentic relationships with people. He invited them to "come and be with me." He walked alongside them, ate with them, traveled with them, and lived life with them.
Discipleship happens in relationship—not in rows of chairs facing a speaker, but in the messy, beautiful reality of doing life together.
We make disciples by entering into authentic relationships with people and walking alongside them to help them follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and join the mission of Jesus.
The Multiplication Factor
But there's more. We're not just called to make disciples—we're called to make disciple-makers.
Paul laid out this reproducible process to Timothy: "You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others."
Four generations: Paul to Timothy to trustworthy people to others.
This is how the kingdom spreads. Not through mass events alone, but through faithful multiplication—one person investing in another, who invests in another, who invests in another.
When we receive the good news and sit on it, we're stopping the spread of the kingdom. We're walking in disobedience to the clear command of our King.
The Question Returns
So we return to the opening question: If you had 1,277 days left, what would you do?
The answer reveals what we truly value. And if our answer doesn't include honoring God, making disciples, and investing in relationships that matter, perhaps we need to reconsider what we're doing with the days we have—however many that might be.
Because here's the truth: If you're not fishing, you're not following.
The catching is up to God. But the fishing? That's our calling. That's our mandate. That's our privilege.
The question isn't whether we'll make disciples. The question is whether we'll be obedient to the One who commanded us to do so.
What Would You Do With 1,277 Days?
Imagine receiving news that you have exactly three and a half years left to live. That's 1,277 and a half days. Not a hypothetical illness or a dramatic movie plot—just a clear, certain knowledge of your remaining time on earth.
What would you do?
Would you travel the world? Chase after experiences you've always postponed? Reconcile broken relationships? Build something that outlasts you?
This isn't a morbid thought experiment. It's actually one of the most clarifying questions we can ask ourselves. Because when we strip away the illusion of unlimited tomorrows, what remains reveals what truly matters to our hearts.
For Jesus, the answer was clear. During His three and a half years of public ministry—those same 1,277 days—He invested His time in three primary pursuits: honoring God, making disciples, and spending time with those He loved.
No bucket list of exotic destinations. No frantic accumulation of experiences or possessions. Just a laser focus on what would matter for eternity.
The Forgotten Goal
If you've spent any time in church, you've heard the word "discipleship" thrown around countless times. It's one of those religious terms that floats through sermons and Bible studies, often losing its meaning through overuse.
But here's what many of us miss: discipleship has a clear, specific goal.
The Apostle Paul spelled it out plainly in his letter to the Colossians: "So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom that God has given us. We want to present them to God perfect, complete, mature in their relationship to Christ."
Read that again. The goal isn't perfect church attendance. It's not biblical knowledge for knowledge's sake. It's not even serving at every possible ministry event.
The goal is spiritual maturity—becoming complete and mature in our relationship with Christ.
What Is Spiritual Maturity, Really?
If spiritual maturity is the target, we need to know what we're aiming at.
When an expert in religious law asked Jesus about the greatest commandment, Jesus didn't hesitate: "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself."
Then Jesus added something crucial: "The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."
Everything—all of Scripture, all of God's requirements—can be distilled down to these two loves: love for God and love for others.
Later, Jesus made the connection even more explicit: "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
Love equals discipleship. It's that simple and that profound.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Love
The Apostle Paul drove this point home with uncomfortable clarity in his first letter to the Corinthians:
"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing."
Let that sink in.
You could speak in tongues. You could possess encyclopedic biblical knowledge. You could have mountain-moving faith. You could give everything to the poor and even sacrifice your body.
But without love? You gain nothing. You are nothing.
Spiritual maturity isn't measured by how much Scripture you've memorized or how many Bible studies you've attended. It's measured by how well you love God and demonstrate that love to others.
The Mandatory Mission
When Jesus gave His followers a new commandment to "love each other just as I have loved you," He wasn't making a suggestion. The word "commandment" carries weight—it's where we get "Maundy Thursday" from the Latin word *mandatum*, meaning mandate or command.
This is mandatory, not optional.
Similarly, the Great Commission—"Go and make disciples of all nations"—isn't the Great Suggestion. It's a command from our King.
We prove we're disciples of Jesus by how we love. And disciples of Jesus make other disciples. That's not negotiable.
What Is a Disciple, Anyway?
The definition is beautifully simple, found right in Jesus' invitation to His first followers: "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Three elements define a disciple:
1. **Following Jesus** - Imitating and obeying Him
2. **Being changed by Jesus** - Submitting to the Holy Spirit's transforming work
3. **On mission with Jesus** - Fishing for people, making disciples
A disciple isn't someone who merely attends church services or participates in religious activities. A disciple is someone actively walking with Jesus, being transformed by Him, and joining His mission to reach others.
How Jesus Made Disciples
If we're supposed to make disciples, we need to know how. And the answer is simpler than we often make it.
Jesus didn't create curriculum or establish classroom settings. He didn't require people to pass tests or complete programs.
Jesus entered into authentic relationships with people. He invited them to "come and be with me." He walked alongside them, ate with them, traveled with them, and lived life with them.
Discipleship happens in relationship—not in rows of chairs facing a speaker, but in the messy, beautiful reality of doing life together.
We make disciples by entering into authentic relationships with people and walking alongside them to help them follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and join the mission of Jesus.
The Multiplication Factor
But there's more. We're not just called to make disciples—we're called to make disciple-makers.
Paul laid out this reproducible process to Timothy: "You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others."
Four generations: Paul to Timothy to trustworthy people to others.
This is how the kingdom spreads. Not through mass events alone, but through faithful multiplication—one person investing in another, who invests in another, who invests in another.
When we receive the good news and sit on it, we're stopping the spread of the kingdom. We're walking in disobedience to the clear command of our King.
The Question Returns
So we return to the opening question: If you had 1,277 days left, what would you do?
The answer reveals what we truly value. And if our answer doesn't include honoring God, making disciples, and investing in relationships that matter, perhaps we need to reconsider what we're doing with the days we have—however many that might be.
Because here's the truth: If you're not fishing, you're not following.
The catching is up to God. But the fishing? That's our calling. That's our mandate. That's our privilege.
The question isn't whether we'll make disciples. The question is whether we'll be obedient to the One who commanded us to do so.
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