What Does It Mean to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples?

What Does It Mean to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples?

The phrase describes the multiplying purpose of Christian discipleship. Jesus did not command His followers merely to collect decisions, distribute information, or gather an audience. In Matthew 28:18–20, the risen Christ sent His disciples to make disciples among all peoples, baptize them, and teach them to observe everything He commanded. The goal is a growing community of people who belong to Jesus, learn from Jesus, obey Jesus, and join His mission.

A disciple is a follower and learner of Jesus. A disciple-maker is a follower of Jesus who intentionally helps another person follow Him. A multiplying disciple-maker helps that person become capable and willing to help someone else. This pattern appears clearly in 2 Timothy 2:2: Paul entrusted truth to Timothy, Timothy was to entrust it to faithful people, and they would be able to teach others also. Four spiritual generations appear in one verse.

Multiplication does not mean treating people like a program or measuring ministry only by numbers. It means refusing to make ourselves the center of another person’s faith. We help people depend on Christ, understand Scripture, participate in the local church, and take responsibility for the spiritual good of others.

The Biblical Model for Making Disciples

The biblical model begins with Jesus. He proclaimed the kingdom of God, called people to repent and believe, invited particular followers to be with Him, taught them publicly and privately, demonstrated compassion and holiness, corrected them, gave them responsibilities, and eventually sent them out. His disciples learned through instruction, observation, participation, correction, prayer, and mission.

The model is relational but not casual. It is biblical but not merely academic. It is personal but not private. It includes grace, truth, accountability, practice, and mission. The disciple-maker can explain the faith, but also demonstrates what repentance, prayer, courage, love, family faithfulness, church participation, and perseverance look like in ordinary life.

What Matthew 28:18–20 Teaches About Disciple-Making

The Great Commission begins with Jesus’ authority. Disciple-making rests on who Christ is, not on the personality or ability of the disciple-maker. He possesses all authority, sends His people to the nations, and promises His presence. That gives both humility and confidence: we are not building our own following, and we do not serve alone.

The command includes going, baptizing, and teaching. Going takes the gospel beyond the comfort of existing Christian circles. Baptizing publicly identifies a believer with the triune God and the community of faith. Teaching aims at obedience, not merely familiarity. Jesus’ words make clear that a disciple is not finished when a lesson is understood; truth is meant to shape life.

This is why evangelism and discipleship belong together. Evangelism announces the good news that Jesus died for sins, was buried, and rose again. People are called to repent and trust Him. Disciple-making then helps those who believe learn to follow and obey Christ. The gospel remains central throughout the entire process.

How The Pursuit of God Supports This Calling

A. W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God emphasizes hunger for God, surrender, faith, worship, and experiential knowledge of God. Those themes address the inner life from which faithful ministry must flow. A person can learn discipleship techniques while remaining prayerless, proud, distracted, or dependent on human effort. Tozer’s challenge is that believers should not be satisfied with knowing facts about God while living at a distance from Him.

The book is not a complete manual on the Great Commission, and Tozer’s words are not equal to Scripture. Yet his emphasis can help expose a major weakness in disciple-making: attempting to lead others where we are unwilling to go ourselves. A disciple-maker must personally seek God, surrender to Him, listen to His Word, and live with an awareness of His presence.

Pursuing God is not spiritual self-absorption. Genuine communion with God produces love, obedience, holiness, compassion, courage, and mission. The nearer believers draw to Christ, the more they should reflect His concern for people who are lost and for believers who need to mature.

Abiding in Christ Before Attempting Multiplication

John 15 teaches that lasting fruit comes from abiding in Christ. A branch cannot manufacture life independently from the vine. In the same way, disciple-making cannot be sustained by enthusiasm, schedules, workbooks, or leadership ability alone. Prayer, Scripture, obedience, and dependence on the Holy Spirit keep ministry rooted in Jesus.

Abiding protects multiplication from becoming mechanical. It reminds the leader that only God gives spiritual life and growth. The disciple-maker can teach, encourage, correct, model, and pray, but cannot change another person’s heart. This produces patient faithfulness rather than pressure or manipulation.

Fruit includes Christlike character, loving obedience, effective prayer, witness, service, and the spiritual influence that helps others follow Jesus. Multiplication is healthiest when it grows from this kind of fruit rather than from a desire to appear successful.

How Evangelism Becomes Disciple-Making

Evangelism is the beginning of the journey for someone who does not yet believe. The central message is not self-improvement but the saving work of Jesus Christ: He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, as summarized in 1 Corinthians 15:3–4. Romans 10 emphasizes believing in the risen Lord and openly confessing Him.

When someone responds with credible faith, the Christian who shared the gospel should not simply disappear. The new believer needs help reading the Bible, praying, understanding assurance, turning from sin, connecting with a sound local church, being baptized, and learning obedience. The relationship begins moving from evangelistic conversation into discipleship.

Eventually, the new disciple should learn to explain the same gospel and invest in someone else. A healthy disciple-maker asks from the beginning, “How will this person one day help another person follow Jesus?”

Seven Practical Steps Toward Multiplication

1. Pursue God personally. Establish a consistent time for Scripture, prayer, confession, worship, and listening before trying to lead someone else.
2. Pray for specific people. Write down the names of unbelievers and believers whom God may be calling you to serve.
3. Share the gospel clearly. Explain sin, Christ’s death and resurrection, repentance, faith, forgiveness, and new life without depending only on your testimony.
4. Invite one person into a discipling relationship. Propose a clear meeting rhythm, purpose, and starting resource.
5. Teach toward obedience. End each study with one practical response to Scripture and review it at the next meeting.
6. Share responsibility early. Ask the disciple to pray, summarize Scripture, lead a question, or encourage another person.
7. Plan for another generation. Help the disciple identify someone they can pray for, evangelize, encourage, and eventually disciple.

Personal Reflection Questions

One-Week Application

Connection to the Annotated Book

The Pursuit of God (Annotated): A Modern Study Guide to A. W. Tozer’s Classic on Abiding in Christ and Making Disciples is designed to help readers move from Tozer’s spiritual challenge into biblical examination, reflection, prayer, practical obedience, and disciple-making. Its study resources can support one-to-one relationships and groups, but the Bible remains the final authority and the goal remains faithful obedience to Jesus.

Closing Challenge

← Return to The Pursuit of God Knowledge Catalogue