03. Ka bi Yesu tsawon shekaru. Ina almajiranka?
Can You Be a Disciple and Not Multiply Disciples?. Part 03
Some questions are uncomfortable. But uncomfortable questions can awaken us.
Here is one every follower of Jesus should be willing to face:
You have followed Jesus for years. But where are your disciples?
Not how many sermons you have heard. Not how many Bible studies you have attended. Not how many Christian books you have read. Not how faithfully you attend church, give, serve, or volunteer.
Those things matter. But Jesus did not simply call us to attend, learn, and serve. He called us to make disciples.
“Go and make disciples of all 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 commanded you.”. Matthew 28:19. 20 WEB
Where Are Your Spiritual Children?
Imagine meeting a man who has been married for thirty years. He tells you how much he loves children. He attends parenting conferences. He reads books about raising children. He can explain every stage of childhood development. His home is filled with pictures of other people’s families. But he has never raised a child.
You would eventually wonder: Where are his children?
In the same way, it is possible to spend years learning about discipleship without ever discipling anyone. We can admire disciple-making. Study disciple-making. Attend conferences about disciple-making. Support ministries that make disciples. We can even teach others about disciple-making. And still have no spiritual children of our own.
At some point, we must ask: Who is following Jesus today because I personally invested in them?
This Is Not About Keeping Score
This question is not meant to produce pride. People are not numbers. Disciples are not trophies. We cannot save anyone. We cannot transform a heart. We cannot force someone to obey Jesus. Only God can give the growth.
“So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.”. 1 Corinthians 3:7 WEB
But that verse does not excuse us from planting and watering. God produces the fruit. But He expects us to sow the seed. The results belong to God. The responsibility to obey belongs to us.
Faithfulness Must Eventually Become Fruitfulness
Some people sow faithfully for years in difficult soil and see very little visible fruit. This article is not intended to condemn them. The deeper question is: Are you intentionally trying to make disciples?
- Are you praying for lost people by name?
- Are you sharing the gospel?
- Are you helping someone learn to obey Jesus?
- Are you teaching that person to help someone else follow Him?
- Are you investing your life in anyone with the hope that the gospel will continue through them?
Or have you accepted a version of Christianity in which you receive but never reproduce?
We Have Redefined Christian Maturity
In many churches, the mature Christian is the person who knows the most. They attend regularly. They understand doctrine. They know the right answers. They can quote Scripture. They may have served in the church for decades.
But Jesus did not say: “By this my Father is glorified, that you accumulate much information.” He said:
“In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.”. John 15:8 WEB
Biblical knowledge is essential. But knowledge that never becomes obedience is incomplete. Maturity is not measured only by how much truth has entered our lives. It must also be measured by how much truth is flowing through our lives into others.
Someone Helped You Follow Jesus
Someone prayed for you. Someone shared the gospel with you. Someone taught you God’s Word. Someone answered your questions. Someone encouraged you when you struggled. Someone showed you how to follow Jesus. You did not arrive here alone.
The gospel reached you because someone refused to let it stop with them. Now the gospel has reached you. Will it continue through you? Or will the chain end with you?
Perhaps No One Ever Expected You to Multiply
Maybe you have followed Jesus for years, but no one ever told you that making disciples was your responsibility. Perhaps you were taught that disciple-making belonged to pastors, missionaries, evangelists, or exceptionally gifted Christians.
If that is your story, this is not a moment for shame. It is a moment for awakening. You cannot change the years behind you. But you can decide what happens from this day forward.
Begin With One Person
You do not need a platform. You do not need a title. You do not need a seminary degree. You do not need to know every answer.
Begin by asking God to show you one person. One family member. One friend. One coworker. One neighbor. One spiritually hungry person.
- Pray for them.
- Listen to them.
- Share what Jesus has done in your life.
- Open the Bible with them.
- Help them discover what God says.
- Encourage them to obey it.
- Then teach them to do the same with someone else.
That is how spiritual generations begin. Not with impressive people doing extraordinary things. But with ordinary disciples faithfully helping one person follow Jesus.
So let the question remain: You have followed Jesus for years. Where are your disciples?
Do not answer with guilt. Answer with obedience. Who is the one person you will begin intentionally discipling?
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