These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬-‭20‬
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus sent his disciples out to do as he had been doing. They ate with him, walked with him, and saw him cast out demons, heal and perform miracles. However, they also got to know him and had the opportunity to know his heart. They saw how well he loved people, how he longed for them to be free — free from fear and oppression and free to deeply love and serve others, to be generous until it hurts, and to be faithful to God’s plan and purpose for their lives.

And so, after a time of getting to know him and watching what he did, he calls his disciples to go out on their own and practice what they have learned. He calls them to go to the lost sheep of Israel. Why? Because they were the ones God made his first covenant to through Abram. They were his chosen people. And he cared about them. They were to reflect the message of Jesus’ coming, the good news of the salvation he was bringing.

The Apostle Paul was referencing this same type of modeling process in the book of Philippians. He says: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬). So this process did not stop with Jesus’ disciples. It was to extend on through all of his followers.

In our parallel verses, we see that Jesus called his followers to go and make disciples. There is not a textbook and test to qualify as a disciple. It is a process of following and mentoring underneath a leader. Jesus made disciples. Peter, one of his disciples, made disciples, then Paul was discipled by many including Barnabas and, in turn, made disciples.

Where am I (or are you) in the disciple-making process? Am I being discipled? Am I making disciples?

A special note: It does not say: “Go and get people to say the prayer of salvation.” It says to make disciples. So many are fixated on a prayer that they neglect the hard work of mentoring up those who want to follow. One is a one day statement. The other is a working out of your faith. Both are important, but the latter is a calling, the former is just the start to the calling.

If bringing people to Jesus was like a runner running a race, and the Salvation Prayer was akin to the first few steps out of the blocks and maybe disciple-making was the rest of the race, as a coach what would I focus on? Well a good start is important, but a great finish is all that really matters. So I would focus on training and mentoring my runners to run well and challenge them to finish strong.

Lord, may I excel in being discipled and making disciples more than anything else. Teach me to disciple and walk with others very well, I pray. I want those I lead to finish strong in their faith!