Friday, June 03, 2005
The Beginning of the Journey
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
Everybody can at some point relate to the apostle Simon Peter. Zealous at one moment and acting like a coward the next, Peter’s life depicts what most people face as they struggle to follow Jesus. Peter loved the Lord, but he struggled with his own sinful nature. He had a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Trying to keep in step with the Spirit yet overcome by the sinful desires of the flesh, Peter always knew how to get into trouble.
Yet Jesus never seemed to get tired of Peter. Sure, the Lord sternly rebuked him on occasion, but Jesus never gave up on him. Jesus saw what Peter could not see – the end result, Peter the apostle. The relationship between Jesus and Peter gives us one of the best examples of discipleship in the Bible. From mountain top highs to the deepest lows, Jesus’ interaction with Peter provides a guide for those who want to follow the Great Commission.
You may feel like the Lord is calling you to disciple another person. But the thought of taking the plunge overwhelms you with doubt, fear and questions. You worry about saying the wrong thing or not being able to answer tough questions. Thoughts flood your mind like, ‘I don’t really know enough of the Bible to teach someone else.'
Take a breath. Don’t worry about the details. You don’t have to memorize the entire Bible or attend seminary in order to carry out the Great Commission. You don’t have to be a dynamic teacher or outgoing person. The only prerequisite is to love Jesus and have a deeper walk with the Lord than the person you are discipling. Even a baby Christian can get in on the act.
As the Lord has led me to disciple and encourage younger Christians, I have struggled with the call to make disciples. There are so many questions. And the only answer that I could come up with is simply to love others as Jesus did.
God opened my eyes to the fact that He would do the heavy lifting. No worries, I serve a sovereign God. After all, no Christian is called to make a disciple for himself/herself. The Great Commission calls Christians to make disciples for Christ. Jesus must always be the focus. All you can do is model out a godly lifestyle and teach others how to grow in intimacy with Jesus and serve the Church.
If you want to answer the call to make disciples but don’t know how, these reflections on the life of Peter will provide insight on the mind of Christ. Learn from the Master as He molds a misfit fisherman into a pillar of the Christian faith.
