Making Disciples: Following Jesus Together and Saying Yes

Devotional

Day 1: Mountainside Doubters

The eleven disciples climbed the mountain Jesus appointed. They saw their resurrected Lord – yet even as they bowed, doubt lingered in their hearts. Jesus didn’t rebuke their mixed worship. He declared His cosmic authority and entrusted them with His mission anyway. [10:18]

Jesus commissions strugglers, not superstars. His power matters more than their readiness. The disciples’ doubt didn’t disqualify them – Christ’s presence qualified them. He still sends ordinary people who wrestle with faith yet keep showing up.

Where do you feel unqualified to represent Christ? Name one relationship or space where fear of inadequacy holds you back. What if Jesus wants to meet others through your honest “yes” despite your doubts?

“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”
(Matthew 28:17-18, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to strengthen your trust in His authority over your inadequacies.

Challenge: Write three names of people you’re called to love – whether you feel ready or not.

Day 2: Fish and Faith Formation

Jesus spent three years eating with tax collectors, walking roads with fishermen, and answering the disciples’ petty arguments. He transformed them through shared meals, not just sermons. The Kingdom spread through mustard-seed moments: a net cast, a loaf broken, a child welcomed. [54:43]

Discipleship thrives in ordinary rhythms. Jesus prioritized presence over programs. He knew hearts change through accumulated glimpses of grace – a kindness during fatigue, patience amid failure. Our daily routines become holy ground when we walk them with Christ.

Who sees your unedited life – the rushed mornings, distracted prayers, or small acts of love? How could your ordinary moments become discipleship opportunities this week?

“Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house… The Pharisees complained, ‘Why do you eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus answered, ‘I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”
(Luke 5:29-32, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for meeting you in mundane moments. Ask for eyes to see His work in today’s routines.

Challenge: Share a meal with someone this week – at home, work, or church. Listen more than you speak.

Day 3: Redwood Roots

Redwoods stand tall because their roots interlock underground. The disciples survived storms because they huddled together – Peter’s boldness balancing Thomas’ doubt, John’s affection steadying Judas’ betrayal. Jesus built a team, not solo heroes. [03:01]

We wither in isolation. God designed our roots to intertwine – older believers steadying younger ones, peers bearing each other’s burdens. Like siblings imitating each other’s steps, we grow best when walking shoulder-to-shoulder.

Who’s watching your faith walk? Who could you intentionally include in your spiritual routines this month?

“Two are better than one… If either of them falls, one can help the other up. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, NIV)

Prayer: Confess any isolationist tendencies. Ask God to deepen your roots in church community.

Challenge: Text one church member today – share a prayer request or encouragement.

Day 4: Eleven Imperfect Yeses

Jesus commissioned eleven flawed men – deserters, doubters, and glory-seekers. Their resumes didn’t impress, but their loyalty did. He staked His global mission on their willingness to keep following, not their ability to flawlessly execute. [11:05]

Christ still chooses the available over the admirable. Your spiritual resume matters less than your surrendered “yes.” The disciples’ greatest qualification was Jesus’ promise: “I am with you.”

What imperfect offering can you bring Jesus today? A five-minute prayer? A fumbling conversation? A silent walk with a friend?

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
(2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for working through weaknesses. Offer Him your hesitant “yes” today.

Challenge: Initiate one spiritual conversation – a text, call, or coffee – without overpreparing.

Day 5: Discordant Duets

The British aristocrat winced at the child’s clumsy piano banging – until her father transformed noise into harmony. Jesus takes our fumbling discipleship efforts and composes Kingdom music. Our job isn’t perfection, but faithful participation in His symphony. [16:18]

Discipleship isn’t about flawless performance. It’s showing up daily, letting Christ harmonize our mistakes with His grace. Growth happens as we keep playing beside Him, trusting His skill over our insecurity.

Where do you need to stop striving for perfect discipleship and simply join Jesus’ ongoing work?

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
(1 Corinthians 3:6-7, NIV)

Prayer: Release your efforts to control spiritual outcomes. Ask Jesus to work through your simple obedience.

Challenge: Journal one area where you’ll trust God’s growth over your effort this month.

Sermon Summary

Matthew sets the scene on a mountain where the risen Jesus gathers the eleven. Jesus anchors everything by declaring that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. From that throne of authority, the command comes into focus: make disciples. The grammar turns go into as you are going, and baptism and teaching become the means of the one charge. The command does not chase arguments or mere information. Jesus aims for people who believe him, follow him, and become like him by learning to obey everything he commanded.

Jesus himself models the method. The Son of God saves the world by walking with a handful of ordinary people, eating with them, correcting, restoring, and sending them. Discipleship reaches the level of desire and habit, where hearts are actually formed. Laws can restrain, but they cannot produce mercy; policies matter, but people shape policies. The kingdom spreads as ordinary people are increasingly conformed to Christ wherever God has placed them.

The call then moves into practice. First, follow Jesus. The disciples became disciplers only after being with him. Obedience, not just agreement, is the target, so formation must be slow, relational, and concrete. Like a household where children learn more from reconciled conflicts and shared chores than from a syllabus, life with Jesus over time produces a recognizable family resemblance.

Second, do it together. The New Testament pattern is communal. Roots like redwoods intertwine; shallow alone, steadfast together. Growth emerges as believers observe one another’s faith and failure, encourage and correct, and bear burdens. This shared life is also the public apologetic. Jesus says love one another so that all may know whose disciples they are. When a community confesses, forgives, serves, and worships, Jesus becomes easier to see.

Finally, say yes. The Great Commission is addressed to eleven worshiping and doubting disciples. Jesus does not wait for spiritual superheroes. He looks for loyalty. The mission is bracketed by Christ’s authority and Christ’s presence, so the weight does not fall on human impressiveness. He goes before, stays with, and makes something beautiful out of clumsy faithfulness, like a master pianist harmonizing a child’s halting tune. Freed from managing outcomes, the church may speak boldly, love patiently, and invest without hurry. The invitation is simple and costly: say yes to following him, say yes to doing it together, say yes to making disciples.

Key Takeaways

1. Make disciples is the command Jesus’ charge centers on one main verb, with go, baptize, and teach serving it. The aim is not argument-winning but life-formation into Christlikeness through obedient learning. When the command holds the center, activity aligns and fruit lasts. The mission gains clarity and courage under Jesus’ authority and promise. [53:05]
2. Formation, not systems, sustains change Structures are necessary, but only transformed hearts can carry justice, mercy, and integrity over time. Laws restrain; discipleship reorders loves so that the same hands do new works. As Christ reshapes character, families and workplaces become different kinds of places. Policy gains staying power when people look like Jesus. [55:56]
3. Follow Jesus before discipling others The first work of a discipler is to be with Christ until his ways become second nature. Obedience grows in ordinary rhythms of Scripture, prayer, repentance, and shared life, often invisibly and slow. People need to see faith practiced, not just explained. Presence over time trains the heart to keep step with Jesus. [58:14]
4. Grow together with intertwined roots The New Testament expects growth inside a community where faith is seen, tested, and strengthened. Like redwood roots, intertwined lives keep believers standing through storms. Mutual encouragement and correction prevent stunted formation and display Christ to a watching world. Love one another becomes the church’s visible apologetic. [62:33]
5. Say yes under Christ’s authority Jesus entrusts his mission to eleven worshiping-yet-doubting disciples, seeking loyalty more than polish. The Commission is bracketed by his authority and his abiding presence, which frees disciples from outcome-control. Simple, imperfect obedience becomes music in the Master’s hands. Courage grows when the focus shifts from ability to his nearness. [73:31]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[50:27] - Peace workshop invitation
[52:13] - Matthew 28 read aloud
[53:05] - The central command: make disciples
[55:19] - Hearts transformed, systems sustained
[57:33] - First: follow Jesus closely
[58:14] - Teach obedience, not information
[61:10] - Second: do it together
[62:33] - Redwood roots metaphor
[66:35] - Love as public witness
[68:36] - Third: say yes anyway
[70:48] - Eleven doubting disciples commissioned
[73:31] - Authority and presence sandwich
[75:50] - Jesus makes messy work beautiful
[76:57] - Freedom from controlling outcomes

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 13:34-35 (ESV)
34 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. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Observation questions

What is the central command Jesus gives in Matthew 28:19-20, and how do the surrounding words (“go,” “baptizing,” “teaching”) support it?
How does Jesus describe His own authority and presence in this passage, and why might that matter for the disciples’ mission? [53:05]
In the sermon, what analogy was used to describe how believers support one another in community, similar to redwood trees? [01:02:33]
According to John 13:34-35, what is the visible mark of Jesus’ disciples, and how does this connect to making disciples?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think Jesus chose to focus on investing deeply in a small group of ordinary, doubting people rather than pursuing more visible or systemic strategies? [55:19]
The sermon emphasized that discipleship is “slow, relational, and concrete.” Why might these qualities be essential for forming Christlike character rather than just transferring information? [58:14]
How does the communal nature of discipleship (as seen in the redwood metaphor) protect against individual failure and sustain long-term growth? [01:02:33]
Jesus commissioned 11 doubting disciples. What does this reveal about His priorities for those who carry out His mission? [01:10:48]

Application questions

What daily rhythms (e.g., prayer, Scripture, repentance) are currently shaping your heart to obey Jesus, and how could you deepen these practices? [58:14]
Who in your life is “watching” your faith (like siblings observing each other) and might be learning to follow Jesus simply by how you live? How could you intentionally invite them into your ordinary moments? [01:04:06]
The sermon mentioned that “love one another” is a public witness. What specific step could your community take to better display Christ’s love in a way others can see?
Where do you feel unqualified or hesitant to disciple others? How might Jesus’ promise of authority and presence (Matthew 28:18-20) address those fears? [01:13:31]
Think of a relationship where you’ve avoided investing because progress feels slow. How could you shift from focusing on outcomes to simply being faithful in small, consistent ways? [01:16:57]
What “yes” is Jesus inviting you to say this week—whether in following Him more closely, engaging with others, or stepping into discipleship?

Sermon Clips

39s

“We cannot help people follow Jesus if we ourselves are not following him. Being a Christian is not simply agreeing to a set of beliefs about Jesus or having emotional experiences. Jesus did not save us so that we can merely agree with him intellectually or just agree about the right things. He saved us to renew and mold us. To follow him is to be transformed into his likeness. And that is why he says in verse 20, teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

43s

“We live in a world that values speed, efficiency, and immediate results, but spiritual formation rarely happens instantly. Growth is invisible while it is happening and over time through the ordinary rhythms of spending time with Christ in the word, in prayer, in repentance, worship and service, God reshapes our hearts and lives. And by doing this, we give space for Jesus to disciple and mold us. He did not build his kingdom merely through dramatic moments, but through people who remained with him long enough to be transformed by him.”

43s

“The things that we long for in society, justice, compassion, integrity, reconciliation, love, humility, mercy cannot ultimately be sustained by systems alone. Laws can restrain behavior but they cannot transform the human heart. Structures matter, but people inhabit those structures. Policies matter, but people shape policies. Discipleship is not an afterthought. Making disciples was Christ's main ministry and this is the mission he gave us and it is central to all we do.”

42s

“But he isn't deterred and he deterred and he declares the great commission to 11 doubting disciples. Can you believe that? Jesus stakes his entire ministry on 11 doubting disciples. Jesus was not speaking to spiritual superheroes, he was speaking to 11 ordinary people who had failed him repeatedly. These were people who fled in fear when he was arrested, argued about who was the greatest, struggled to understand his teaching and still wrestled with doubt. And he did not wait for them to have everything together before commissioning them.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Central Square Church This sermon · AI assistant

What is the central command of the Great Commission?

How does discipleship shape hearts and societies?

Why are ordinary imperfect people chosen to make disciples?