By WALTER ALBRITTON
RELIGION —
He was dead, sealed in a borrowed tomb. Two days later, the earth trembles, the stone rolls away, and Jesus walks out. He is alive. Yes, up from the grave He arose!
He meets with his frightened and amazed disciples. What does He tell them to do? Go make disciples, that’s what. Go. Tell people I’m alive. Invite them to become disciples. That’s what He told them to do. And that’s what they did.
Now, more than 2,000 years later, you are a disciple. If you are truly a disciple, a real one, then what Jesus wants you to do is make disciples. The assignment has not changed. He will not settle for anything else. It is not enough to admire Him, sing about Him, speak glowing words about Him, study what He said or pray innocuous prayers. He wants you to make disciples.
He will be disappointed if you tell him making disciples is the main business of the church, and that’s what you pay the preacher to do. He will tell you that if it’s the main business of the church, then it’s your main business, too. Let His command rattle around in your brain. Get it. When he said, “Go make disciples,” He was talking to you. Yes, you; you and every Christian.
So, check up on yourself. How are you doing? Have you ever made one disciple? Have you tried? Did you try and fail, then give up? Have you ever talked to your pastor about how to do it? You talk to him about the weather, about football, about fried chicken, about changing light bulbs, so why not talk to him about making disciples? He just might offer you some good tips on how to do it.
You know it takes more than talk. You know it involves the way you walk. People will only listen to your talk if they are convinced your walk is genuinely Christian. Your walk involves what you do with your resources, talents, gifts and time. When people see you helping and serving others, they may wonder why you are doing it. They may ask you why; then you can explain that you are doing it because you love Jesus. You may have a chance to explain why you love Jesus — because he forgave your sins and gave you the power to begin living what Christians call a new life.
You read about people who lead others to faith in Christ. Why not you? You have a tongue. You have a brain. You have a heart that has been touched by Jesus. You could tell someone what He has done for you. Think about the people with whom you work, members of your family, or neighbors on your street. Ask the Lord if there is one of them He wants you to go to and share your love for Jesus. Afraid to do that? Listen and you will hear Jesus say, “Fear not, I will be with you.” The devil will try to stop you. But he can only stop you if you give him permission to do it. Ask the Lord to give you the right situation, the right words and the right time to share your faith and invite someone to trust Jesus.
You can do it. Paul did it, with fear and trembling. But he did it. You can too. What is the worst thing that can happen? The person may say, “I am not interested.” Will that hurt? Only for a moment. And after all, Jesus was crucified for you; you can handle a little rebuffing out of love for Him, can’t you?
Look, I am going to say it again. When Jesus said, “Go make disciples,” He was talking to you. So get going. Talk about how much you love Jesus to someone. Do it until you become comfortable doing it. Do it until you are no longer afraid to do it.
And guess what? There are no doubt people in your circles of friends who are miserable without Christ. By helping one of them become a disciple of Jesus, you are welcoming that person into the greatest freedom and joy anyone can ever find. Real life is found only in Christ.
That makes it worth the effort! So go do it. Get going. After all, it is your main business as one of His disciples. Believe me, one day, when you see Him face to face, you will be glad you did.