Matthew 28:19
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Reflection: What is Discipleship?
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
As you all know, my job here (and, indeed, my title makes this clear) is to help the church with a discipleship ministry. I suppose if I were to ask for each church member to give me a one sentence definition of what a disciple is… I might get a hundred different kinds of answers. Depending on when you asked me “what is a disciple,” I might even give you a different answer. What a disciple is (beyond a “follower of Jesus”) is less clear than the fact that we are definitely called to make them! “Make disciples!” This Great Commission is the task of the church. How we make disciples (which, of course, relies on how you define “disciple”)… that is another question altogether.
I have read multiple books on the “process” of making disciples. Books on strategies! Books of goals and methods! I have a degree, in fact, on disciple making, and yet it still is not something simple enough to put on paper. For the purpose of this Rooted devotion, let me say that a disciple is someone who is committed to applying all that Jesus said. Now, our church can’t make disciples in the sense that we can’t make people obey and apply “all that Jesus said.” However, we can be faithful teachers of God’s Word. We can teach the counsel of God. We can teach it in a way that isn’t dead theological mumbo jumbo… and instead teach God’s Word in a way that is accessible and applicable. Please note that Timberlake will be doing this more and more in 2026. It is something I am committed to… the teaching of God’s Word. I may not know how exactly to make disciples (though I have a decent idea)… but I do know that we as a church cannot do it without good, sound Bible teaching. Would you say that you value the study and application of God’s Word as an inextricable part of your growing in the faith?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, as our church seeks to do better at the task of making disciples, give us divine wisdom on how to do so effectively.
