Be, Go, Make: Walking Together in Discipleship

Devotional

Day 1: Go With Scars Unhidden

The risen Jesus stood among His disciples, scars visible. Some doubted even as they saw His wounds. He didn’t lecture or demand perfect faith. He commissioned them: “Go. Make disciples.” Their questions lingered, but His command cut through uncertainty. He trusted flawed people to carry His mission forward. [02:12]

Jesus’ scars proved His victory yet revealed His humanity. He didn’t wait for their doubts to vanish. He called them to act while still wrestling, modeling that discipleship begins amid our unresolved questions.

You don’t need all the answers to obey. Who needs you to walk with them this week, doubts and all?

“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.”
(Matthew 28:19-20, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to show you one person to intentionally walk alongside this week.
Challenge: Write the name of someone you’ll contact today to schedule time with.

Day 2: Empty Hands, Full Heart

Jesus commanded His followers to love God with their entire being—heart, soul, mind. This total surrender leaves no room for hidden sin. Like clearing a cluttered room, loving God fully requires removing what competes for His space. The disciples had to release old habits, prejudices, and fears to follow Him. [03:39]

Partial devotion fails. Jesus demands first place because He gave His all. When anger, lust, or envy linger, they block His transforming work.

What “clutter” have you tolerated in your heart? Name one area Jesus is asking you to empty today.

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”
(Matthew 22:37, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one specific sin that hinders your wholehearted love for God.
Challenge: Memorize Matthew 22:37 and recite it when tempted today.

Day 3: Nails and Forgiveness

Roman spikes pierced Jesus’ wrists as crowds mocked. Yet He prayed, “Father, forgive them.” He modeled radical grace while suffocating. The disciples heard this prayer—and later replicated it when persecuted. Unforgiveness had no place in their mission. [05:03]

Harbored bitterness poisons discipleship. Jesus’ forgiveness wasn’t conditional on apologies; it flowed from His identity.

Who have you struggled to forgive? What would it cost to release them today?

“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’”
(Luke 23:34, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for forgiving you, then name aloud someone you choose to forgive.
Challenge: Call or text one person you’ve held at a distance due to unforgiveness.

Day 4: Broken Bread, Shared Life

Jesus ate with tax collectors, healed lepers, and washed feet. He discipled through shared meals, journeys, and raw conversations. The Twelve learned by watching Him pray, serve, and confront hypocrisy. He didn’t host lectures—He lived truth. [13:55]

Discipleship thrives in proximity. People need your presence more than your preaching.

Where can you shift from “teaching” to “doing life” with someone this week?

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
(John 13:34, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal someone needing relational investment, not just advice.
Challenge: Invite a non-family member to share a meal with you this week.

Day 5: Your Story, Their Altar

Jesus turned the disciples’ failures into testimonies. Peter’s denials became sermons about grace. Thomas’ doubt fueled faith for generations. Your darkest valleys—grief, betrayal, illness—are tools to comfort others. [07:16]

God redeems pain when we offer it to heal others. Your story is someone else’s survival guide.

What trial have you hidden that could light another’s path?

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for one hard season He’s using to equip you.
Challenge: Share your story with one person this week—in person, by call, or letter.

Sermon Summary

After the resurrection, the Great Commission calls us to act: go, make, and teach disciples across every nation. Matthew 28 frames discipleship as a movement that begins with being formed in Christ, then moves outward in relationship and obedience. We must become true disciples first by loving God with our whole heart and rooting out the sins and grudges that choke spiritual growth. Genuine love for others follows: forgiveness like Christ’s reshapes how we relate and removes barriers that keep us from pouring life into one another.

Discipleship unfolds as life-on-life investment rather than polished lectures. Prayer, shared routines, correction, and honest conversation form the rhythms that shape maturity. Jesus modeled growth even while he ministered, showing that presence and practice teach more than perfect answers. Not having every answer does not disqualify us; walking alongside someone to search for truth together equips both of us and cultivates humility.

Going matters as much as being. We gather to be filled and then go to pour out: our losses, scars, and stories become tools to comfort and guide others. The responsibility to disciple does not rest with one leader; 50 people in a room should lead to 50 people being discipled. Practical discipleship looks like inviting someone into our week, asking God who to walk with, and choosing obedience over comfort.

A tangible response matters now. We must move from intention into action by praying for God to show who needs us and by stepping into simple beginnings: a text, a meal, a consistent weekly check-in, or a willingness to be present. Open altars and intentional moments of listening and confession create space for God to realign priorities and send us out equipped to make disciples. We act now because time and seasons press us to obey with urgency and faith.

Key Takeaways

1. We must be disciples first We cultivate authentic discipleship by surrendering our whole hearts and removing the hidden sins that pretend they are harmless. Spiritual maturity requires honest inventory, confession, and steady growth in wisdom and obedience. Only when our lives display love for God can we genuinely model that love to others. [03:12]
2. Love others as Christ loved Forgiveness proves more formative than arguments or proofs; forgiving like Christ reshapes our communities and loosens the hold of bitterness. When we forgive without waiting for apologies, we unlock our capacity to love sacrificially and consistently. That love becomes a tangible invitation for others to follow Jesus. [04:41]
3. Go and pour out life Gathering fills us so we can give; discipleship requires movement from comfort into mission. Our personal stories and struggles become channels of grace when we intentionally pour them out for others. Each act of presence trains someone else to walk toward Jesus. [09:49]
4. Discipleship is life-on-life ministry Teaching happens best through shared routines, prayer, and honest correction, not through one-sided lectures. Living alongside another person lets truth translate into habit and character. We invest time, not just content, to form lasting disciples. [13:07]
5. We do not need answers Not having every theological answer frees us to pursue truth together with humility and curiosity. Walking with someone toward Scripture strengthens both hearts and prevents unhealthy idolization of leaders. Shared searching models dependence on God rather than polished certainty. [15:28]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:17] - Need for someone to walk with us
[00:37] - Reading the Great Commission
[01:42] - Jesus gives one simple command: go
[02:35] - Be, go, and make explained
[03:12] - Become a disciple - love God wholly
[04:41] - Love one another - forgive freely
[06:17] - Discipleship continues even in hardship
[07:43] - Everyone can disciple - not just leaders
[13:07] - Jesus' model - life-on-life teaching
[15:28] - It is okay to lack answers
[19:57] - Practical call to pray and act
[20:44] - Altars open - respond now
[21:59] - Closing prayer and sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV): "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"
- Matthew 22:37–38 (ESV): "And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.'"
- John 13:34–35 (ESV): "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.'"

Observation Questions

What three actions does Jesus command in Matthew 28:19–20, and how do they connect to the idea of discipleship as a movement?
How does Jesus model forgiveness in Luke 23:34, and why is this example significant for how we relate to others? [04:41]
According to the sermon, what practical rhythms (e.g., prayer, shared routines) shape life-on-life discipleship? [13:07]
What example does the sermon give for how personal struggles or losses can become tools for ministry? [07:16]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus emphasize loving God with our whole heart (Matthew 22:37) as the foundation for discipleship? How might hidden sins or grudges hinder this?
The sermon states, "Forgiveness proves more formative than arguments or proofs." How does forgiving others "like Christ" reshape communities and reflect the gospel? [04:41]
Jesus says, "Go" in Matthew 28:19, but the sermon also stresses the importance of "gathering to be filled." How do these two ideas work together in discipleship?
Why might "not having every answer" actually strengthen discipleship relationships rather than weaken them? [15:28]

Application Questions

What "hidden sin" or unresolved grudge might be quietly choking your spiritual growth? What step could you take this week to surrender it?
Is there someone in your life you’ve struggled to forgive, even if they haven’t apologized? How could you practically extend Christ-like forgiveness to them?
Discipleship often starts with small, consistent acts of presence (e.g., a weekly check-in, sharing a meal). Who could you invite into your routine this month to intentionally "do life" with?
The sermon says, "Your losses and scars become tools to comfort others." What part of your story could you share this week to encourage someone walking through a similar struggle? [07:16]
When have you avoided discipling someone because you felt unqualified or unsure of answers? How could you shift from needing "perfect answers" to pursuing truth with them? [15:28]
Pray: "God, show me one person to walk alongside this month." What simple action (text, coffee, prayer) will you take to initiate that relationship?

Sermon Clips

42s

#EachOneDiscipleOne

“There's 50 of us in this room. That means we should be discipling 50 people. If you can't think of somebody that you're pouring into, why not? If you can't think of somebody that's allow that you're allowing to pour into you, Why not? Why not? Today as we close, we're gonna do something different, maybe not normal for this congregation, and that's okay.”

37s

#RealLifeDiscipleship

“Real life discipleship doesn't look like preaching at somebody. It doesn't look like inviting somebody to coffee, and then sitting at them and preaching the word of God the whole hour that you're there. It's doing life together. It's listening and encouraging. It's sharing what you've been learning, sharing what God's been speaking to you with others. Building a relationship so that you can pour into them and speak God over their life.”

37s

#ExamineYourHeart

“So if we're not personally making disciples, I guess the first thing we need to ask us is ask ourselves is if we are a disciple. Are we truly following God? Have we truly given him our whole heart? Is there something in there that is prohibiting us from growing in him? Because we don't have time to get this wrong. We can't keep saying, I'll do that tomorrow. I'll do that tomorrow.”

35s

#RelationshipsNotLectures

“If if one of your friends showed up at your house and you invited them over for dinner and all they did was try to preach at you, how's that gonna go over? I mean, maybe for a minute, it might be okay or maybe one visit, it might be okay. But again and again and again and again, it's gonna get old kinda quick. Maybe it's been a minute since you've been honest with yourself, and you need to get some things right with God.”

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Sarasota Trinity Church of the Nazarene This sermon · AI assistant

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