Being and Doing rather than Going and just Hearing...

Jesus came back from the dead.

maybe you didn't hear...

Jesus came back from the dead.

THAT IS HUGE!

The fact that our God lives is what our entire faith hinges on. Paul said (to paraphrase) that our faith is useless if Jesus stayed dead. But, He didn't. JESUS LIVES! Don't forget it, and the rest of this post means nothing if you don't get that.

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
Matt 28:18 (NLT)

Because Jesus died and rose again, we should take everything He says seriously. I mean, resurrection is a pretty BIG deal. But, not only should we be awe-stricken by this work, we should bow down and recognize the fact that Jesus is victorious over death and has power over everything. When Jesus talks we should listen.

Jesus went on to say...

19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.20 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.”
Matt 28:19-20 (NLT)

Risen Jesus, with all authority, tells us Christians what we are to do with our lives: Make Disciples.
What does this mean? It means that as followers of Jesus, we ought to reproduce. We are commanded to multiply. We are called to take the good news of life through Jesus, and teach people how live from that salvation.

James, the brother of Jesus, wrote...

"But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves."
James 1:22 (NLT)

So we know our call. We know what Jesus said. Are being hearers only? Or, are we doers? So many of us who know what God's word says about disciple making continue to go to church each week and just listen to a sermon rather than being the Church and actually doing what the Word says. Coming together as the Church, the church being a people and not a place, is a good thing. It's one of the things that God's word teaches us to do. But, God's word teaches us not to stop there. Jesus said, "Go and make disciples."

What does making disciples look like?

Pouring your life and love for Jesus into someone else. Jesus was the ultimate disciple maker. He introduced men to Himself, by saying "Follow me." That's how it starts. Us saying to a lost world, "Follow Jesus."

Jesus didn't stop there. Jesus then did life with these men. They didn't meet at church once a week and do something called discipleship. Nah, discipleship was everyday. It was doing life together in community and relationship. Discipleship is doing life together and growing together towards Christ. Jesus walked and talked with these men. He ate with these men. He prayed, and went through struggles and triumphs with these men.

How was I discipled? The man who introduced me to Christ became my mentor. We began to spend lots of time together. I was a high school student then, and he would come pick me up for breakfast once a week and take me to school afterwards. We would talk about everything. He would teach me what it meant to follow Jesus. He would encourage me, but also tell me the truth when I didn't want to hear it. We would pray for each other. He had me over to spend time with his family. He would call me and let me know he was praying for me. He began to do life with me and showed me what it meant to do life with Jesus. Til this day he is my best friend, and I'm thankful that he took the time to invest in me.

So, where do you stand in this? Do you need to follow Jesus and be made into a disciple? Seek out someone in your life that follows Jesus and ask them to show you what it means to follow Jesus.

Or, are you one who knows the word, but has yet to do it? Jesus is risen, has all authority, and is calling you to make disciples. Who is someone around you, maybe younger or maybe older, that needs to know how to do life with Jesus? Show them. Invite them to lunch, coffee, or have them over to have a meal with your family. If they aren't a real Christian, say "Come, follow Jesus", and go from there. Refuse to sit on the sidelines and miss out on what God is wanting to do around you.