Has someone ever tried to explain something to you, but you soon realized they were making it way more complicated than it needed to be? It’s annoying, isn’t it? But sadly, I think the church sometimes does the same thing.

For example, if the average American church were our model, we might think Jesus’ plan for disciple-making involved Sunday School, evangelistic crusades, theology classes, and quizzes on biblical geography. And God undoubtedly uses those things.

But when we look at the life of Jesus and the way he called people, it was profoundly simpler: “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men” (Mk. 1:17-18).

#1 Follow

When Jesus called the disciples, it was a simple invitation to get to know him… to hang out, share life, talk, learn, and be with him. It was a call to a relationship, not a position. In fact, God has always been about relationships. We’re the ones who make Christianity into a religion with rules, rituals, and programs. God just wants us.

Yes, Jesus wanted to help them fish for men, but the “follow” part came first. Too often we want to jump right into doing something for God without taking the time to follow. We don’t value just being with him, getting to know his heart until it starts to rub off on us.

But that’s the only way we’ll ever do anything worthwhile for him.

Our goal with Spiritual Caffeine is that, above all, we’ll help you follow close to Jesus. Hear his words. Watch the way he interacts with people. Learn what makes him smile and what breaks his heart. Love him more than you did before.

#2 Fish

“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus’ first disciples were fisherman, so it was natural for him to use this analogy of fishing for men. It might sound odd to us, but He just meant that naturally, after following him, they would start to share with others what they’d seen and heard. Something about the change in their lives would attract others, and they would take the opportunities to talk with their friends about Jesus.

If you’ll notice, this is still about relationships. It’s just that now it’s extended from you and Jesus to the other people in your life. You can only fish for those close enough to catch in your net. You can’t fish for men without getting close enough for your lives to touch.

Discipleship, Jesus-style, is about nothing more than helping your friends know and follow Jesus the way you do.

#3 Help Others Do the Same

If Jesus’ disciples would have stopped there, Christianity would have remained a tiny little movement in Palestine that died out in the first century, and you and I would never know about Jesus. But it didn’t! Jesus’ final words to his disciples were, “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” (Mt. 28:19–20).

Jesus didn’t expect that the 12 disciples would take the gospel to all nations by themselves! He was initiating a pattern where they would be disciples who make disciples who make disciples who… you get the idea.

That’s still how Jesus wants to do ministry. It’s still that simple. First, follow. Be with him, grow close to him, love him. Then learn to fish, loving the people around you and helping them to follow Jesus like you do. And finally, teach them to be disciples who make disciples as well.

That’s how the Kingdom of God spreads.

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further study on growing close and being sent