Paul told Timothy of his responsibility to take “the things which [he] heard from [Paul]” and “entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). The apostle then mentioned three “occupations” that illustrated Timothy’s work – soldiers, athletes, and farmers.
“Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops” (2 Timothy 2:3-6).
Two of those (soldiers and farmers) were directly related to his work in making disciples. In a similar passage, Paul mentioned another “occupation” connected to this – shepherds.
“Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?” (1 Corinthians 9:7).
The work of making disciples is ongoing from generation to generation (2 Timothy 2:2), which means we must do it today. But how? By doing the work of the farmer, the shepherd, and the soldier. We will explore this idea in this article.
What Do We Mean by “Making Disciples”?
When Jesus gave His apostles the “Great Commission,” He sent them out to “make” or produce “disciples” (Matthew 28:19). Yet their work also included helping these disciples to grow in the faith so that they could “observe all that [He] commanded” (Matthew 28:20). This is the process of developing disciples.
When one is converted, he is “born again” (John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:3) and is “like [a] newborn” in Christ (1 Peter 2:2), not yet capable of doing the work of teaching and making disciples himself. This is why those who oversee a congregation must not be “a new convert” (1 Timothy 3:6). Not everyone is to teach and preach publicly (James 3:1) because not everyone – especially one who is new to the faith – is adequately equipped to do so.
After being “born again,” the babe in Christ begins the growth process. This was Peter’s point when he used this analogy: “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). After one becomes a Christian, he is not to remain in a state of spiritual infancy; instead, he is to grow in his knowledge and understanding of God’s word so that he can teach others (Hebrews 5:12-14). In other words, he is eventually to reach the point where he can help produce and develop other disciples.
Steps Involved in Making Disciples
Making disciples is a process that involves several steps. Consider the steps that are mentioned in the word of God.
- Sowing/planting – Jesus spoke about this when He told the parable of a sower who “went out to sow his seed” (Luke 8:5-8). He explained that “the seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11), and it is sown through preaching. Peter said we “have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God… And this is the word which was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:23, 25). James explained that the word, when it is “implanted…is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). So in order to make disciples, the seed has to be planted in their hearts through the preaching of the word.
- Watering – Paul explained this work in his letter to Corinth: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). We have already described how planting is done through preaching. The task of watering is related. It involves persuading and exhorting those who have heard the word to act upon it. Peter did this on the day of Pentecost after preaching the first gospel sermon: “And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation!’” (Acts 2:40). This type of persuasion and exhortation helps the seed to take root in the hearts of those who are open to considering the message.
- Reaping – Jesus told His apostles, “For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor” (John 4:37-38). The reaping is done when people respond to the gospel. This happened on the day of Pentecost after Peter’s preaching and exhortation when “those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). This is the point in which one is “born again” (1 Peter 1:23).
- Tending – Paul told the Ephesian elders, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). This work involves teaching the truth and protecting from the harm caused by false teachers (Acts 20:29-30; Titus 1:9-11). It is primarily the work of elders (Acts 20:28), yet there is a sense in which all of us are involved in strengthening the disciples around us. Paul described the church as a self-edifying body in which “each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16).
- Equipping – Paul wrote, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). This includes the process of preparing them to go out and make disciples themselves (2 Timothy 2:2). We are to “put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-17), and we can help others become so equipped as well. This is necessary because of the spiritual battle in which we are engaged. Yet we do not fight only to protect ourselves. We are also trying to lead people to Christ. Paul explained this in his second letter to Corinth: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We must be equipped with the armor of God and the sword of the Spirit to rescue those who are lost in darkness and bring them to a knowledge of the truth so they can be saved.
Doing the Work of Making Disciples
As we consider the steps involved in making disciples, let us consider how these relate to the “occupations” we noticed earlier.
As farmers, we need to sow the seed by preaching the gospel. We do this collectively as a local church by sounding forth the word of God (1 Thessalonians 1:8). We also do it individually as we go about “preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Then, after sowing, we water the seed by persuading people to believe and obey the truth (cf. 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Corinthians 5:11). Then, after we have “planted” and “watered” and God has been “causing the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6), we do the work of reaping by helping take people from the point of belief to gospel obedience. Ananias did this when he instructed Paul: “Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16).
As shepherds, we need to tend the souls of others by encouraging faithfulness. While elders have the primary role of this within a congregation (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2), all of us are to help do this to whatever extent we are able. The Hebrew writer said we are to “encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). We can also do this by restoring those who have fallen away (Galatians 6:1). James said that the one who “turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).
As soldiers, we need to fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12). Jude encouraged the Christians to whom he wrote to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3). We need to do the same. In doing this, we also equip others to carry out this work (cf. 2 Timothy 2:2).
Conclusion
Jesus commissioned His apostles to go out and make disciples by converting them to Christ and helping them to be faithful.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
We do the same type of work today. We are striving to convert people to Christ and then teach and encourage them to be faithful to Him.
