Jesus gave his disciples the command as he turned them loose on the world to “Go and make disciples.” A disciple is one who follows, learns from, and imitates a teacher or leader. We are disciples of Jesus, and we are told to GO and make more. They won’t come to us. So where do we find these potential disciples? They are much closer than you think. There are potential disciples all around us at work, at the football games, in the grocery store, and right next door. They are people we already know who have not decided yet to follow Jesus.
The vast majority of people will never choose to follow Jesus without one key ingredient: An Invitation from A Friend. Let’s break that down into two key elements that we need to pay attention to.
1. A Friend. Before we start asking people to make the most important commitment they have ever made, we have to make sure we have a relationship with them. We have to let them know that we care about them, not just their answer. If every contact we have with people is a covert attempt to get them to Church, our relationships will quickly suffer. We have to invest in our relationships with the intention of loving people for who they are right now. We need to be their friends. When we are a person’s friend, then we have levels of trust and intimacy that allow for conversations to happen about the deeper things of life.
2. An Invitation. Don’t be intimidated. These are your friends, right? You are sharing your life with them. Jesus is an important part of your life–why wouldn’t you let them know about it? Don’t be pushy. Don’t be judgemental. Just be honest. Let them know why you have chosen to follow Jesus, why you spend Sunday’s at Church, and then simply ask them to join you. Ask them to join you at some of the fun things. Let them tell you “No”. That’s ok. And don’t just invite them to church stuff. Invite them to dinner, the game, shopping or to the park with the kids. Keep letting them know how much you value their friendship and invest in them, pray for them and support them.
The Story of the God is the story that everyone needs to hear because it is everyone’s story. So when you are sharing your life with your friends, your are sharing God’s story. This is how people become followers of Jesus. This is how we follow the command of Jesus to “Go and make Disciples.”
