A New Way of Living: Becoming Disciple Makers

Jesus stands before disciples who have watched Him die, rise again, and overturn every assumption about what their lives are for. Jesus begins with His authority over heaven and earth, then gives one clear command: make disciples. The text holds go, baptize, and teach together under that one mission, showing that followers of Jesus are not merely saved from sin but saved into a life that multiplies the kingdom.

The hunger for ultramarathons, Ironman races, and hard challenges points to something real in the human soul. Comfort, convenience, and routine cannot satisfy people made for a story bigger than themselves. Jesus gives that bigger story: disciples who make disciples who make disciples. A disciple follows Jesus, becomes more like Jesus, and teaches others to do the same.

Matthew 28 joins relational outreach and relational discipleship as one pathway, not competing priorities. Andrew finds his brother Peter after encountering Christ. Philip finds Nathanael, even when Nathanael brings his questions and prejudice along with him. Evangelism is discipleship because it walks life to life with people as they move toward faith, wrestle with Jesus, and begin to trust Him.

Jesus calls the Twelve first “that they might be with Him.” The image is not a classroom full of information but an apprentice walking in the dust of a rabbi. Discipleship happens eyeball to eyeball, heart to heart, as mature believers open their lives, study Scripture, speak into sin, pray, encourage, and model faith through suffering. Disciples disciple other disciples.

Paul gives Timothy the same multiplying pattern: what Timothy received, he must entrust to faithful people who can teach others also. Paul also calls Timothy to suffer as a good soldier, because a mission worth living for will cost something. Civilian entanglements may be good things, but they become dangerous when they crowd out the main thing. Jesus does not forbid hobbies, work, family, or rest, but He refuses to let lesser things replace His mission.

The call to make disciples cannot become an add-on to an already packed schedule. The church must become a multiplying church through invitations, Alpha, fresh groups, community groups, discipleship groups, and ordinary life shared in the way of Jesus. The next step may be seeking, being discipled, joining a group, or finally pouring into someone else. Christ asks one question across every stage of faith: What is the next faith-filled step He has asked for?

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus saves people into His mission Jesus does not merely rescue people from judgment, guilt, or old patterns. Jesus brings people into His kingdom work, where ordinary days receive eternal weight. Disciple making is not reserved for unusually gifted Christians; it is the shape of following Christ. [37:48]
• 2. Evangelism grows through real relationship Andrew and Philip do not begin with strangers but with people they know and love. Relational outreach makes room for honest questions, slow growth, and even resistance without treating people as projects. God often moves through faithful presence long before a clear moment of conversion. [42:34]
• 3. Discipleship is life transmitted to life Jesus forms disciples by calling them to be with Him, not merely by giving them content. Mature believers show faith in the middle of weakness, family life, suffering, repentance, and everyday decisions. Deep transformation requires being known enough for truth, encouragement, and accountability to reach actual life. [49:16]
• 4. Lesser things can entangle Christ’s mission Paul’s soldier image exposes how easily good pursuits become controlling pursuits. Work, recreation, projects, and family rhythms need not disappear, but they cannot become excuses for refusing Christ’s clear call. A life aimed at pleasing the One who enlisted it will make room for costly obedience. [69:01]
• 5. Maturity reproduces what grace has given Paul tells Timothy to pass on what he received to faithful people who can teach others. Spiritual maturity is not measured only by how much someone knows, but by whether love compels that person to invest in another. The gospel keeps moving when disciples refuse to stop at receiving.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:12] - Block Party and Invitational Church
• [30:18] - Hunger for Something Bigger
• [33:36] - A New Way of Living
• [35:02] - The Great Commission
• [37:03] - One Command: Make Disciples
• [38:19] - Relational Outreach
• [43:58] - Relational Discipleship
• [46:07] - Life to Life Investment
• [50:08] - One Pathway, Not Two
• [52:31] - The Disciple Making Pathway
• [55:56] - Alpha and Seeking Faith
• [60:09] - Fresh Groups, Community Groups, and D Groups
• [65:13] - Paul’s Call to Multiply
• [67:12] - The Cost of Keeping the Main Thing Main

1. In Matthew 28:18–20, what does Jesus say about His authority before He gives His command, and what promises does He give after the command?
2. What are the actions connected to making disciples in Matthew 28:18–20—going, baptizing, and teaching—and how do they fit under Jesus’ central command? [37:03]
3. What does Andrew do immediately after encountering Jesus in John 1:40–42, and who does he go to first? [40:33]
4. According to Mark 3:13–14, why did Jesus appoint the Twelve, and what does the phrase “that they might be with him” show about His way of forming disciples? [45:22]

1. Jesus grounds disciple making in His authority over heaven and earth. How does Christ’s authority change the way a believer views the command to make disciples: as a suggestion, a burden, or a calling backed by the King?
2. Andrew brought Peter to Jesus, while Philip stayed engaged with Nathanael even when Nathanael had strong objections. What does this show about making room for honest questions and slow spiritual growth in relationships? [41:42]
3. Jesus called the Twelve to be with Him before sending them out. Why might life shared with a mature believer shape someone more deeply than receiving information alone? [46:07]
4. Paul tells Timothy to pass on what he received to faithful people who can teach others also. What does this multiplying pattern suggest about the difference between simply gaining Bible knowledge and growing into spiritual maturity? [01:05:49]

1. Jesus saves His people not only from sin, but into His mission. Where have you been tempted to treat following Jesus mainly as something personal rather than a life meant to help others follow Him? [37:43]
2. Who is one person already in your everyday life—a family member, friend, neighbor, coworker, teammate, or classmate—who may be moving toward faith? What could it look like to take one simple next step with them rather than treating them like a project? [43:54]
3. Is there someone with whom you can be more honest about your faith, struggles, questions, or need for prayer? What might keep you from allowing another believer to know your real life? [49:32]
4. Consider the rhythms of your week. What good things—work, recreation, family responsibilities, projects, rest, or screens—might be crowding out space to be discipled or to disciple someone else? [01:08:29]
5. If you need to be strengthened in your faith, what would a practical next step look like: joining a group, asking someone to meet with you, learning to study Scripture, or inviting trusted believers into an area of struggle? [01:00:26]
6. If you have been following Jesus for some time, who might benefit from your presence and investment? What is one realistic way you could begin sharing life with that person—over coffee, a meal, Scripture reading, prayer, or a regular check-in? [01:03:23]
7. What is the next faith-filled step Jesus has placed in front of you right now? What would it cost, and what would trusting Him in that step look like this week? [01:11:54]