How to contribute to the Great Commission even if you have a busy schedule or a demanding job

Jesus called us to make disciples!

But He was talking to fishermen, who had ample time for extra activities, right? Do the last words of Jesus apply to a time like the 21st century, when so many of us work upwards of 40 hours a week, stuck behind the sapphire glow of spreadsheets on a screen?

We’re here to tell you the answer is yes, and it doesn’t have to feel like a heavy burden! Below are 5 tips to help you make disciples as part of your daily life, even if you have a super busy job or a demanding family schedule.

1. Keep the Sabbath Day holy.

First thing you do? Take a day off.

We know, we know, it sounds counter-intuitive. But remember that Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) This means that a Sabbath day is a gift God wants to give you, not another obligation. Many of us who are workaholics might shutter at the thought of taking an entire day off. That’s 24 hours less than the week already has! We worry it might increase pressure, but actually it relieves the pressure. In his book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer describes Sabbath as, “letting our souls catch up with our bodies.”

As humans, we have a habit of slipping into autopilot when we don’t rest. When that happens, we tend to miss the awesome opportunities for disciple-making that God puts in our path. So, if you want to make an impact, start by taking a day off. Sleep in, spend some extra time in prayerand play with your kids. Let it be a day where you have no obligations beyond your peaceful presence with family and God.

2. Don’t do it alone!

Speaking of family, you’re not called to make disciples in a vacuum!

Paul describes the Church family as being something like a body, with many different parts that all perform a different function but ultimately serve the same function to participate in life with God and His mission. Perhaps you’re great at finding new seekers who are interested in discovering God, but you don’t have time for a consistent meeting with them. Find a brother or sister in Christ who does ave time hand work as a team with them!

The best way to facilitate this is in a small group of believers, which we and others have come to call a Disciple Making Community. If you want to form a DMC with your friends, family, or fellow church members, we’ve made a whole course on Disciple-Making to get you started. Check it out here!

3.  Do it “as you go”

It has been suggested that the Greek word for “go” used in Matthew 28:19 is a participle, so it should be understood as, “as you go” or “while going.” Some disagree with this interpretation and we need to brush up on our ancient Greek, so we can’t say for sure. But what we can say is that making disciples is a lifestyle—not an event—based on how Jesus modeled it for us. His way of making disciples had less to do with a course or a program. It had everything to do with going about the things he was planning anyway, but bringing 13 faithful men along with Him.

So, how can you make disciple-making part of your lifestyle? Can you hold a quick Discovery Bible Study over your lunch break with a few coworkers? Could you call someone and pray with them over the phone on your daily commute? What if you walked to the coffee shop down the street for your afternoon pick-me-up instead of driving? Would that allow you to do a prayer walk as you go and potentially meet a new person of peace?

4.  Focus on multiplication, not addition.

Our natural inclination is to assume that fewer hours of free time means less ability for impact. But that is thinking in an addition-based mindset, but things in the kingdom are based on a multiplication mindset.

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 2 Tim 2:2

Addition means to think in terms of a one-to-one tradeoff. We spend 3 hours praying for the lost in my community and think we have only invested 3 hours of prayer towards a movement of disciple-making.

We need to start thinking in terms of one-to-many. So if I spent 3 hours praying for the lost in my community, with 3 other people, who will also teach 3 people to do the same, I have invested 36 hours of prayer toward a movement of disciple-making.

If all of our activities as disciple-makers involve teaching someone else to do what we’re doing and challenging them to teach others also, then there is almost no end to the impact our scarce time can have!

5. Pray about making some changes.

At this point, you might think that you’ve tried all these tips, and still, you don’t have any time to make disciples. Or, perhaps you are just one of those few people who are so busy that you have almost no time whatsoever to invest in another person’s journey to knowing God.

In that case, may we humbly suggest you examine your schedule and pray about making some changes? The Great Commission was Jesus’ final words to us as believers before He ascended to Heaven. They are a vital part of our lives as believers. Not only did He intend for us to participate in his mission to make disciples, but it’s also an essential way for us to get to know Him and grow in our faith.

Even if you are in a season of life that prohibits you from making disciples, and you plan to get back to it once this season is over, is there some way you can still engage? Maybe you can give some of your income to disciple-making effort. Or spend some time praying for disciple-making.

Conclusion

The hustle and bustle of daily life can feel overwhelming. If we’re not careful it can trick us into believing that making disciples isn’t for us. But believers throughout history have been able to live a lifestyle of disciple-making, regardless of their circumstances. We’ve just shown you five easy tips to make slight adjustments in your life to join in with that amazing tradition of life change and community transformation!