Why Does Everyone Talk about Disciple "Making" these Days? Busting 5 Myths about Jesus' Last Words

Once upon a time, every church in the world was talking about revival. Whether it was in a big tent or a prayer room, it seemed to be in the mouth of every pastor. Eventually, revival gave way to outreach and now, it’s disciple-making. So, what does disciple-making mean, anyway? Is it just the popular synonym for evangelism these days? And how is it different from the church fads of the past?

If you’re curious why everyone is suddenly talking about disciple-making these days, read on! We’re about to break it down by busting 5 of the biggest myths about Jesus’ final command to all of us.

Myth #1: Disciple Making is just the latest church fad

While WWJD bracelets were stylish, and the concept of a seeker-sensitive service meant you could be treated to a Beyonce track in church, they came and went. So you can be forgiven for feeling a bit skeptical when a new idea is suddenly treated like the key to reaching a culture gone astray. But disciple-making is different because it does not come from the same board rooms as the evangecube.

Disciple-Making comes from the Bible. In fact, it comes from the place in scripture where Jesus gives His final words to His Church:

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.” (Matt 28:18-20, emphasis mine)

Myth #2: Making Disciples is just a fancy way of saying evangelism

Making disciples is biblical. But so are talking donkeys, and your church’s strategy for reaching the lost doesn’t hinge on articulate livestock. Isn’t Jesus just saying here to go and evangelize people from all nations? Not necessarily.

While disciple-making might involve a proclamation of Jesus’ atonement for us, it has a lot more to do with the end result. In evangelism, the goal is usually for someone to accept our message. Sometimes that means they pray a “sinner’s prayer,” and sometimes it means they become a part of a church. But those things are only the second or third step in disciple-making. The result of disciple-making is more disciple-making. Notice how Jesus tells us to “teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.” This includes the command he was giving as he was speaking… The command to make disciples! So what is the result of making a disciple? That disciple makes more disciples!

Myth #3: Making Disciples is just a fancy way of saying discipleship

Disciple-making, then, is not necessarily evangelism. So, it must just be another word of saying discipleship, right? If you find yourself thinking that, you may be getting warmer, but you’re not there yet!

Many churches talk about evangelism AND discipleship like they are two steps in a process to get people to a certain point of maturity (which might include making more disciples as mentioned above). While this may seem like a helpful paradigm, it leads us to make some assumptions that may hinder our ability to obey the Great Commission.

That is because evangelism AND discipleship split something in two that Jesus never separated. For Christ, discipleship was not just something to do after someone professes faith. Instead, it is something his Church should offer freely to all people, regardless of where they are in their faith. You can “disciple” someone who is not yet a “disciple” by doing or sharing anything that pushes them closer to God and teaches them to do the same.

Myth #4: Disciple Making is for professional ministers

While learning about disciple-making, we can’t forget one crucial question: Who are supposed to be the ones making disciples? Surely your pastor or someone with a seminary degree and ordination papers should do that, shouldn’t they? Many people assume this, so they make it their ultimate goal to invite people to their church. But the problem is that many people don’t feel comfortable going into a church building or listening to a pastor preach.

According to Ephesians 4, a church leader’s job is to equip the saints to do the ministry. This makes sense because people tend to grow and learn best from others who are like themselves. They may not trust the preacher who seems to have his life together, but they trust their friends or family members who know all of their faults and still love them non-judgmentally. Meanwhile, that church leader can shepherd and care for you; the believer who is making disciples.

Myth #5: Disciple Making is for Christians

You read that right.

We’re actually saying it’s a myth to think only Christians can make disciples of Jesus. How is that even possible? Just think of a duck.

If you’ve ever watched a family of ducks swim you’ll notice that the unfledged ducklings trail along behind their mother perfectly. They aren’t mature ducks yet and they don’t know where they’re going, yet they have no problem leading the duckling that follows behind them. In the same way, a person doesn’t need to be a full-blown believer to lead others on a journey of discovering God. They just need to know the next step forward and be willing to share that step with someone else.

Conclusion

By now, we’ve busted 5 myths associated with disciple-making. But we still haven’t answered our original question: Why is everyone talking about it?! Everyone is talking about making disciples because it works. In places as hostile to Christianity as India, China, and the Middle East, believers are discovering how to make disciples who make disciples. The result is that hundreds of thousands of people are coming to Jesus in massive movements of faith. These Disciple Making Movements (DMM) are happening in every culture and in every circumstance. It has even been said that 1% of the entire world’s population is now living in one of these DMMs.

If you and your friends or church community want to learn how to launch a DMM in your community, we’ve created an entire course to teach you how. Just click here to check out the Waha Disciple Making Course for free!

‍