Making Disciples of all Nations

    We have been told to go and make disciples of all nations. I think of disciple-making and being discipled in four ways: prayer, preparation, dedication, and growing in our relationship with Jesus. All of these require God, who can use us to plant discipleship seeds. God can use us in our everyday lives as the Bible does tell us to go out and make disciples of all nations. Discipleship is more than just checking a box, it is a lifetime of laying our lives down, picking up our cross, and following Jesus.  

    Prayer is super essential in the everyday. I think evangelism can't happen without the Lord, and our hearts must be connected to him. We connect to God through prayer and praise. Prayer for ministries as well as our own life is important in sharing the love of Jesus with those around us. I will pray over my church as well as the different ministries I have learned about. I pray for the leaders, for the people they come in contact with, and that the message of the Gospel will spread. I am realizing the importance of praying as I go into my day because every day we can share the love of God with those around us. I start my day praying to God, and I try my best to pray to God throughout the day while I go through work or school.

    Sometimes in evangelism, there are people who reject God. One time, I went out with a group of people to evangelize. I felt like God highlighted Aberdeen Park where I grew up playing at that park. I did not know why because I hadn't been to that park in years, but I told my group about it. There was a person there who we truly believe God was preparing his heart to accept the Gospel. He was told about Jesus multiple times before we approached him that day. Preparation is important, and God can use us in the preparation of someone coming to know him and pursuing a relationship with him. Just because someone doesn't come to accept God in a moment doesn't mean that we fail at discipleship-making. There are hearts that God is preparing to fully understand the Gospel. 

    Acceptance and dedicating one's life to God is often what most people think of when making disciples. Not everyone will come to accept Jesus as the Lord of their lives. There are people who are hungry for the gospel of Jesus. They are looking for something to fill the emptiness in their lives. Everyone, whether they have never stepped foot in a church or have gone to church their whole lives, is in need of the Gospel. I never realized the full truth of the Gospel until my freshman year of college. I knew that Jesus died on the cross, but I never really realized that we are saved through faith alone. I always felt the need to prove myself and try to earn the love of God. I wanted my life to be dedicated fully to God which led to my baptism. We need to tell others about Jesus so they can accept him as the Lord of their lives. Dedicating one's life to Christ is a very important step as we begin following God.

    The last thing is not just a momentary thing, but it is a lifestyle of following Jesus daily. It is where we all are as believers in God. We need to allow space to grow in our relationship with the Lord. Over high school and college, I have come to realize the need to focus on God throughout my week rather than just on Sunday. I remember being a church girl, and the rest of the week barely turning to scripture or worship music. I would pray at dinner time with my family. There needs to be time spent daily dedicated to God as we grow in our own faith. We need to encourage this in the people we spend time around as well. Christians may also go through trials where they need guidance in their walk with the Lord, and that is where we can help by encouraging them to turn to scripture, sitting with them, and loving them as Jesus would love them. This is a crucial part of making disciples is being there for one another carrying one another's burdens. We are also meant to praise the Lord together because as the body of Christ, we can have great joy in praising Jesus. God didn't design us to go through the Christian life alone but with mentors, friends, parental figures, and family.

    It is important to remember that in the Great Commission, we need to take time to be filled with our alone time with God in order to pour into others. I have read about Jesus's life, and he would go off alone to spend time in the presence of the Heavenly Father. Jesus provided, healed, and taught perfectly connected to the heavenly father. God works through us when we are connected to his will and his way.

Matthew 28:19-20- 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 over everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. 

Matthew 16:24-25- Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for me will find it".