By Pst. James Kimathi
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:118-20, NIV).
As a believer, we have been called to make disciples or Christ from all nations. The word ‘nation’ here refers to a people group. Therefore, you don’t have to travel outside your country to make disciples; you can start in your community with those around you.
Who is a disciple? You may ask. The word disciple comes from the Greek word mathētḗs which means a student, a learner, or one who follows after another.
Following is to do as you see things done; to learn after someone else, to pattern your life after someone else. It is in following Jesus that we become his disciples and consequently his people.
The mandate of Christ was to make a people for God on earth.
To become God’s people does not only mean to belong to him but also to be like him. Many people belong to the Lord but have not become like him. The goal of Christianity is to make people become like Jesus.
We can thus conclude that discipleship is not so much about sitting in a class to be taught as it is to model one’s life after Christ.
