When Jesus called the first disciples, it was such a simple, yet life-changing moment. Peter and Andrew were fishermen. They had probably been fishermen their whole lives. Being on the sea WAS their life. Yet, they had this encounter with Jesus, and with a simple 'Follow me', they dropped their nets and followed Jesus. No convincing needed, no explaining, just a life-changing encounter!

What is a disciple? A disciple is a disciple maker. Jesus said: “follow me and I’ll make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). We see three key aspects of a disciple maker in this scripture.

1. Disciples follow (They are teachable and want to learn and grow).

2. Disciples imitate (They become like the one they are following).

3. Disciples repeat the process (They make other disciples).

Many people just follow Jesus, just like I can follow someone on Twitter or Instagram, but it stops there. To be a disciple is to become like the one I am following, to become Christlike. I learn how to become Christlike by allowing a more mature mentor to model what Christlikeness looks like. Thus, when I follow Christ, I can’t do this in isolation. I follow Christ by allowing someone to speak into my life. I then imitate the parts of their life that accurately represent Christ (Hebrews 13:7). The next step after imitation is to repeat the process and pour our lives into someone else. In this manner disciples follow, grow, imitate and reproduce.

Making disciples is not always easy. That is why so few people do it. Most people like to be discipled and receive, but few like to give. Jesus laid down His life for us. We, in turn, should lay down our lives for others. To disciple someone means that you will need to come alongside them and purposefully help them on their journey in knowing Christ. We disciple people to be followers of Jesus and not followers of us. We aim to help people connect with God and have a relationship with HIM.

Disciples that make disciples, that make disciples, that make disciples is the way that God’s Kingdom is advanced. That's why Paul says to Timothy: "What you have learnt from me pass onto others" (2 Timothy 2:2).

The benefit of being discipled and discipling others is that as we give to others we begin to grow. There is nothing more satisfying than helping others grow closer to Christ. When you have met Jesus, the cost of following Him is no cost at all. Without a doubt, we can drop our nets, and leave what we thought was important to us, because we have met THE ONE that brings meaning to ALL of life.

“His last command should be our first priority!”