Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – What if I told you Jesus doesn’t just want us to add people to the church? What if I told you that nowhere in the Bible does God tell us merely to persuade others to join a religion? What if I told you that simply “accepting Jesus into your heart” isn’t enough?
Jesus’ Great Commission is clear: “Go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). God is not calling us just to add names to a list of believers; we are called to make disciples, not converts. This article helps us tell the difference between getting people to adopt a religion and helping them become true disciples of Jesus. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
How Are Disciples Different From Converts?
Has a culture of convenience and consumerism changed how we share the gospel? We may share a gospel, but it isn’t always the gospel Jesus preached. Our version may be lighter and seemingly easier. Many Christians don’t want to live radically for God. Many people receive Jesus’ message, but we trim away its deeper parts because we fear people will leave if we say them.
The “Inconvenient” Truth
Wanting more people to “join,” we often preach a softer, easier gospel. Loving what is easy is a defining feature of our age, and it is easy to fall into this trap when sharing the gospel today.
We often present following Jesus as easy and comfortable while downplaying what He expects: You don’t need to change anything. Just believe!
Taking up your cross today can mean wearing a cross bracelet or necklace or putting a cross sticker on your car or backpack. But the real meaning is a radical relationship with God, demanding self-sacrificing love and complete humility. Today God can seem like an expensive insurance policy we rarely need. We turn Jesus into someone safe, when He Himself defied danger and chose to die for us.
So was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the gifted German pastor, wrong when he taught that Christ’s call to a person is a call to come and die?
The Culture of “Me”
If we tell someone that following Jesus is easy, who is to blame when they hit hardship and fall away?
It isn’t surprising, since we live in a market-driven culture where many people come to church with the same attitude: My way, my preferences and my wants matter most. If it isn’t the way I want it, I’ll go elsewhere.
We forget that Jesus is the center of everything, not us.
Jesus becomes just a part of our lives, when He should be all of our lives. He is life itself. Following Him isn’t a one-time decision but a lifelong road. The first disciples ate, slept, lived and died for the ministry Jesus called them to until the day they died. Jesus didn’t just show up at one point in their lives. Above all, He was their life.
All of us have been guilty of giving Jesus a low priority. We may prioritize health, wealth, pleasure, ambitions and hobbies, then come to Jesus expecting Him to do something for us. We all have our passions and our reasons.
But Jesus didn’t come to be on the sidelines. He came to reclaim control over everything.
Disciples and Converts
Many people come to Jesus thinking that just believing and sitting on His bench is enough. They don’t understand that Jesus isn’t looking for cheerleaders; He is looking for men and women who will follow Him whatever the cost. He is looking for people devoted from the heart, committed never to turn back, and fully surrendered.
Jesus is not looking for converts. He is looking for disciples.
Converts are new believers. We all started as spiritual infants. Often, many people stop at this level; for them Christianity is a set of beliefs rather than a way of life. Being a convert isn’t bad or wrong in itself. Converts are like newborns, and being a newborn isn’t wrong. The problem comes when they don’t change or grow. When a little child behaves like a child, it is adorable. But imagine a 35-year-old acting like a toddler; isn’t that sad? Paul wrote, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways” (1 Corinthians 13:11).
For years, churches have worked hard to help people decide to receive Jesus. That is wonderful and important work. But what comes next? What is the next step? How do we train new Christians so they grow?
Our mission is not just to make converts but to make disciples. So what are the differences between converts and disciples?
- Converts are believers who live the way the world lives. Disciples are believers who live like Jesus.
- Converts focus on their own values, preferences, worries, fears, priorities and lifestyle. Disciples focus only on Jesus.
- Converts attend church. Disciples are the church.
- Converts show up for ministry. Disciples commit their lives to ministry.
- Converts cheer from the sidelines. Disciples get in the game.
- Converts hear God’s teaching. Disciples live by it.
- Converts follow rules and regulations. Disciples follow Jesus.
- Converts believe God can do something new. Disciples become new.
- Converts like comfort and freedom. Disciples accept sacrifice.
- Converts only talk. Disciples act to make more disciples.
A disciple wholeheartedly follows the life and example of Jesus. A disciple makes Jesus’ mission his mission, Jesus’ values her values, and Jesus’ heart their heart.
A disciple seeks with all their heart and soul to become like Jesus. A disciple is so committed to Him that they will follow Him even through the valley of the shadow of death.
A disciple finds their identity, purpose and meaning in Jesus. Jesus is the center of their life. They commit everything and completely to Him.
A disciple isn’t just willing to die for Jesus, but dares to live for Him every day.
Living the Mission of Making Disciples
Making disciples isn’t just bringing people to church; it is walking with them so they love God, obey Him and go on to disciple others. It is a process that takes time, patience and love.
Ask yourself: who is discipling me, and whom am I discipling? If you don’t have an answer yet, ask God to show you one person to start with.
You may also like: 6 Reasons Discipleship Strategies Miss the Mark and 5 Reasons Christians Need to Become Disciples.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help us obey Your Great Commission, not just leading people to believe but helping them become true disciples. Use our lives to disciple those around us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Article: Thùy Trang
Adapted from: RelevantMagazine.com
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