“Make disciples” can sound like a job for pastors, missionaries or people with a theology degree. But Jesus gave this command to ordinary followers, and He still does. Making disciples simply means helping someone else follow Jesus.
Here’s what the Great Commission asks of us, and some simple, relational ways to live it out.
What Is the Great Commission?
The Great Commission is the name given to Jesus’ last instructions to His disciples in Matthew’s Gospel:
“Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”
Matthew 28:18–20 NLT
Four things stand out:
- It rests on Jesus’ authority. The commission begins with who He is, not with what we can do.
- The central task is to make disciples. Going, baptizing and teaching all serve that one aim.
- Teaching means teaching to obey. The goal is lives that follow Jesus, not only minds that know about Him.
- He goes with us. “I am with you always.” We never make disciples alone.
As I wrote in my book, Renewing Your Mind: Living Life Intentionally:
“We all have the instruction to go and make disciples for the kingdom of God. In other words, we are all called to grow the body of Christ wherever we are called.”
How Jesus Made Disciples
Jesus didn’t start with a curriculum. He started with relationship:
“Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach…”
Mark 3:14 NLT
First, to accompany Him. They walked, ate, listened, asked questions and watched Him live. Then He sent them out. Disciple-making still works that way: life shared before lessons taught.
Paul did the same:
“We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.”
1 Thessalonians 2:8 NLT
How to Disciple Someone
1. Pray first. Ask God to show you one person: a new believer, a friend, a family member, someone younger in faith.
2. Start with one. Disciple-making doesn’t need a crowd. One person, one relationship, is how it has always spread.
3. Share life. Have coffee. Invite them over. Be available. Let them see how you handle a hard day, not only how you lead a Bible study.
4. Open God’s Word together. Read a short passage and ask simple questions: What does this show us about God? About us? What will we do? (For the bigger picture of what you’re helping them become, see What Is a Disciple? (opens in a new tab))
5. Teach to obey. Jesus said to teach people to obey. End your time together with a question: “What’s one thing you’ll do this week?” Then follow up.
6. Point to Jesus, not yourself. You’re not their spiritual source. Your role is to help them follow Him and depend on His Spirit and His Word.
7. Be patient, and trust God with the growth. Paul described his own ministry this way: he planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow (1 Corinthians 3:6). You can’t make anyone grow. You can be faithful, and leave the results to God.
Discipling New Believers
New believers often need the simplest things most: assurance of what Jesus has done for them, a habit of reading God’s Word, honest prayer, and connection to a church. Walk alongside them in those first steps, and help them find a community where they can keep growing.
Pass It On
Disciple-making is meant to multiply. Paul told Timothy to teach what he had learned “to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others” (2 Timothy 2:2 NLT). The person you help today may one day help someone else.
The book closes its section on the Great Commission with a question worth asking yourself today:
“Who can you encourage with the gospel where God has placed you right now?”
Going Further
- For what discipleship is and how it happens, see What Is Discipleship? (opens in a new tab)
- If you lead a church or ministry, see How to Make Disciples in Church (opens in a new tab).
- If you’d like a structured way to grow with others, our discipleship courses (opens in a new tab) are built for groups.
Disciples Who Make Disciples
Disciple-making happens as God’s Word shapes how we live, and then overflows into someone else’s life. At Renewing Your Mind Discipleship Ministry, we teach a simple way to engage God’s Word so it changes how you live, in four parts. We call it The Process.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
