Obeying Jesus by making disciples

You have often read my blogs and heard me talk about the importance of making disciples who make disciples. That's because Jesus commissioned all of His believers to do so. It's not a suggestion. Jesus clearly says "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:19)

We have great times of discipleship training every Wednesday nights at the Love In Action Ministry Center, and last night (Nov. 9) around 20 people watched the Multiply Gathering simulcast with David Platt and Francis Chan. The Multiply Movement is all about making disciples who make disciples. Check it out at http://multiplymovement.com

It is great seeing the homeless, poor and those who are not in great need all together on Wednesday nights and this past Friday, opening up the Word of God together and discussing it. We all share and help one another learn the Word of God. We share experiences and how God has helped us in different situations.

The discipleship training and events like Multiply are great, and they are needed. However, if we stopped at that we would be missing the point. Jesus taught His disciples, but He also lived life with them. He showed them how He prayed and how He loved and showed great compassion for others, especially the needy.

That's why a number of our volunteers choose to live life with those we minister to and each other. How will they know how to pray or read the Bible if we don't show them. How will they know how to show compassion and love others like Jesus if they don't see it in our lives?

Making disciples who make disciples is about much more than a weekly class. It's a lifestyle. I like what David Platt said, "To be a disciple is to make disciples." If we aren't making disciples, then we're not truly disciples of Jesus and we are living in direct disobedience to God's Word.

It is an amazing transformation when we see people who are hurting for many different reasons decide to surrender their lives to Christ. Not because they prayed a prayer, but because they experienced the love of Jesus at Love In Action. They hear the Word of God and see it in action through our volunteers. The hurting decide to give Jesus a try and He totally turns their lives around.

Those who had no hope, now find hope in Jesus. Those who had given up on life now have life through Jesus. Those who thought they were worthless find they are of great worth to almighty God. After they come to those realizations, we can't leave them on their own. We have to disciple them.

As Platt and Chan pointed out in Multiply, a great thing about discipleship making is God uses it to make us better disciples. So, if you want to be a better disciple of Jesus and live in obedience to His Word, then start making disciples who make disciples.

Also, please keep praying for us as we reach out to those who are homeless, poor and hurting. Please pray for those we minister to. God is doing an incredible work in their lives. Disciples are being made in downtown Dothan, and it's exciting to see God radically change people's lives.